Monday

Chain Reaction Quilt

I completed this 3-yard quilt called chain reaction using some charity fabric I got from Quilts for Kids. They seem to have lots of fabrics with fish prints so I thought I would grab some to help get rid of it. It's quality fabric but it's been around for so long I'm pretty sure everyone is sick of working with it. I added some prints from my stash to give the fish some extra pop of color.




We made the decision last week to get an artificial tree. We've haven't had one since we had kids and the kids are way over 30 now so it's been a very long time. The reason for the change is the kitten. Our sweet little girls has so much energy we're pretty sure she would climb on the ceiling if she could. She gets into so much trouble sometimes we wonder what we were thinking. So a real tree would create quite a mess if she were to knock it over. 


She's hard to see, but she's in there. That's halfway up the tree. We put very few ornaments on the tree so she had less temptation. I think we made the right decision.

Thursday

Sweet Sundays Quilters

My church quilt group met this week for our annual Christmas luncheon. We celebrated this year's work and enjoyed a nice lunch together. Our leader, Judy gave us each a gift bag with a homemade ornament and a few other little goodies. It was so very kind of her. I always find it amazing that we always make more than 100 quilts for our charities. This year was no different. 



Before I headed to lunch I stopped at church to drop off some pet beds I made. Each December I take my leftover batting scraps, cut them into small pieces and stuff them into beds I make with denim on one side and flannel on the other. 



At church we have a Christmas dedicated to the pastor's first dog, Harley. Since the dog passed away there's been a tree put up in memory of him. All the gifts and monies collected around the tree go to a local animal shelter in Harley's name. It's a wonderful thing. 

Monday

Hillside Coffee House Holiday Bazaar

I set up my space at the coffee shop first thing the morning of the bazaar. I usually like to do these things a day ahead of time but there was a snow storm on Friday.  It was just enough snow to make it miserable while trying to unload stuff from the truck. I was surprised how easy it was to do everything just a few hours before opening. Usually I would panic at the possibility of not being ready on time but I guess over the years I've learned to relax.

The bazaar is a wonderful event and I've had the most success there. I sell aprons, wine gift bags, bowl cozies, pot holders, table runners, table toppers, gnomes, quilts, bags, zipper pouches, and other homemade items. It's a great way for me to make some money to help support my quilting habit. Sort of a self-supporting hobby. So the bazaar is worth my efforts.




The hard part about working at the bazaar all weekend is that it's December. I have a tough time thinking about crafting and prepping for the upcoming holidays at the same time. I guess I have to learn to manage my own stresses better. 

Once the weekend was done, I was happy I attended and yet happy it was over. Now I can think about Christmas without distractions. Tomorrow we will put up a Christmas tree!