Christmas at My House (way too many photos)

Okay, Annie M., this is for you! It has been a couple of years since I have posted holiday decor. Here is my dome, sweet dome. I won't bore you with every decoration. I will just bore you with some of them.

This photo is from two years ago. We don't have snow yet this year, so it doesn't look as fun. Lights are the same.

Living Room

  

                                    

                                   

Dining Room

 Gayle (Middle Sister blog) made the middle quilt on the ladder above and the little quilt on the right, below. I made the others.

Kitchen

The stocking was stitched by a local friend. Ornaments made by DD#1.

Family Room

My favorite new ornaments--this "Biblical Names of Christ" set.

 Sewing Room

I have ornaments on this little tree from each of my daughters, myself, and a few blogging friends. Gayle made the little hooked pillow above, too.




The next two shots are not at my house. They were taken on my parents' front porch. Only at a quilter's home will you find Baby Jesus with a quilt. : )

 One year my Mom decided Baby Jesus looked cold, so she made this little patchwork quilt.

 

On the quilting front, I did get my little Nativity quilts finished. I have mine (the prototype with all of the mistakes) hanging up and you can see it in one of the living room photos above.

So, other than decorating, what have I been doing?  Haven't had my sewing machine running for over a week. I've been wrapping this stuff (my soap)...

...and doing a little hand quilting. This is the back side.

I'm loving the lights, music, and most of all, the spirit of the season!

Until next time,
Janet O.

Progress--slow and steady.

I've been wanting to try this pattern for some time (from Crafts ‘n Things magazine, December 2007; design by Mary Ayres). Well, once I got started, my compulsive nature took over. Now there are six!

 I put my own twist on them, and I made them a little larger than the pattern (6 1/2" by 7 1/2"). Once I decide what to use for binding, they will get bound and I will hang them from little hangers using little clothespins. No, I am not keeping them all! : )
They are "big stitch" quilted--well, at least as big as I can stitch. After years of being programed to take tiny stitches, I find it hard to do big stitch, much as I like the look.

My Christmas themed Lamb For All Seasons (based on Lisa Bongean's Old Glory Gatherings pattern here) quilt is bound and hanging in its place for the holidays.


















For the first time ever I took my Mom's quilts off my quilt rack and put Christmas colored flimsies on it. The one in front is Practice What I Preach by Pam Buda. I started it at Pam's workshop last January.
The middle quilt is a log cabin star top made by the late Jill Reid. I need to get it quilted--I really love it over the back of my sofa.
The top flimsy is my Rocky Mountain Stars  based on Bonnie Hunter's Smoky Mountain Stars free pattern.

Maybe by next Christmas some of these will actually be quilted. And then again, maybe that is too much to hope. (Speaking of hope, I have Bob Hope's Lemon Drop Kid playing as I write. Love the old Christmas movies.)

The blanket stitching on my Spring LFAS is finished. I decided to add a chicken to this little piece. It has quite a beak--looks more goose-ish, if you ask me (which I know you didn't). Again, this is based on Lisa's pattern linked above.

 I'm still using the windmill blocks in red/blue/black and cream as my leader/enders. It is fun to have a project where the blocks come together quickly (and are larger than 3")! But since most of my stitching lately has been by hand, these haven't been multiplying rapidly.

I was going to try and post some Christmas decor, but it is late, I am tired and getting loopy, so maybe next time (though not a lot has changed since last year).
Until next time,
Janet O.