Angels we have...had in our stash for a long time!

I went 10 whole days without touching my sewing machine, other than to tack down a belt loop on my son's slacks. When I finally did sit down to sew it was to stitch binding to the secret Christmas gift quilt. As I have said before, I am THE WORLD'S SLOWEST BINDER, a title I wear with consternation. I spent hours yesterday doing the hand sewing and I am not even half way through binding the queen size quilt.
So tonight I rebelled! I needed to do something that called for a creative effort. I rummaged around and found some Christmas fabric that I think I bought over 15 years ago (anyone recognize the Brannock and Patek angel fabric--copyright date 1995? I still have a couple of yards of it).

The colors on this look dark, but they are pretty true. I had to take several
photos to get one that stayed this close to the actual fabric colors.

 I just started playing with it, having no specific pattern in mind. Then I decided to do 9-patch and snowball blocks. When I realized the gold corners on the snowballs were creating a star effect--kind of a "Sister's Choice" look--I decided to carry the gold corners into the red border and eventually had this little table topper. That makes two table toppers that are ready for FMQ. I just need to figure out a quilting design, gather my courage and go for it.
I've made no progress on my Rocky Mountain Christmas Quilt. I've been doing too much of this...

One of two baskets filled with gift bags of my herbal soap, ready for delivery!

and this...

Holiday shortbread, plain and jam-filled, being plated up for friends. I
have six holiday shortbread pans, and with three ovens at my house, I
can bake up quite a bit in a short amount of time.

along with delivering the goodies, attending choir practices for the Christmas Cantata at church Christmas Day, shopping, decorating, and all the other things all of you are trying to keep up with, too. When I think about it, to me the biggest mystery currently in the quilting world is how any of you are keeping up with Bonnie's mystery quilt. Yet blog after blog I see the evidence of the QSTs, HSTs, and string blocks accumulating on your sewing tables--some in neat little baskets (you know who you are), some in orderly stacks, and others haphazardly piled in a semblance of organization. I commend you all and stand in awe.
Christmas may bring with it a hectic pace and a stressfully long "to do" list, but I am loving the holiday music (the old standards are my favorites) and movies (again, I lean toward the black and white classics), the lights and Nativity displays, the festive foods and atmosphere of good will. It will be over all too soon. I want to relish it while I can. I think I'll go put in another Christmas movie and pick up where I left off on that quilt binding.
Until next time, from the little mountain valley where we are hoping for a white Christmas,
Janet O.