From A - Handmade Holiday

Sometime around December 5th, I became consumed with the idea that I would make handmade Christmas gifts for almost everyone I knew. I figured in the 20 days that were left before the big day, I could weave 7 scarves, tat half a dozen snowflakes, knit some hats, finish four quilts, make 3 baby gifts, and a tree skirt.

You can probably guess how that turned out.

The first scarf is still on the loom and only half finished. the other 6 still look like this.

After a false start, the first tatted snowflake doesn't look much like a snowflake.

That said, I did manage to finish the three hats and by finish I mean that they were still damp from blocking when I wrapped them up. A Jul hat for my sister-in-law (actually a much deeper shade of purple), a silk-lined New York Skyline hat for my brother-in-law (didn't get a finished shot of this one), and a Hurricane hat in Malabrigo for my mom.

To my great relief, the Posy quilt re-do is finally finished and has been gifted to its itty-bitty recipient. Sorry for the crappy photo but it is identical to the first version except that this one washed and crinkled like a champ using Warm and White batting instead of turning itself into a floor mat like the last one.

Sticking to my shop the stash mantra, I also pulled some fabric for another flannel voile baby blanket. I used a yard of Valorie Wells flannel in Marrakech and a yard of Amy Butler voile in Peacock Feathers. The blanket satin binding is from Fabricland. I can say that having a walking foot to attach the blanket satin made a big difference.

There are at least four more of these to come as I brace myself for the second round of friend babies scheduled to arrive later this year.

I also finished the top half a tree skirt using the Tinsel Treeskirt pattern from Issue 11 of Fat Quarterly using only stash at about 3:00 a.m. two days before Christmas. Shortly thereafter, I realized there was no way that I was going to enjoy Christmas and get this finished so it's heading into the long-term planning box for next year.

If you are going to attempt this one, be warned that the cutting instructions for the center panel are off by 1/2". I was too tired to notice until the pieces wouldn't fit together. Fortunately, my commitment to quilting perfection is pretty dull at 3:00 a.m. and I managed to fudge things enough to make it work.

Partial success and a head-start for next year. I'll take it!