"Merry & Minty" and Two Project Bags

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! I intended to write this post early this morning, but I was busy finishing a Christmas present. Wait . . . that's a big fat fib . . . I was just starting the piece. My neighbor had liked the quilted wall hangings that I had made for my cousins' last year, and so I wanted to make one for her this year. Unfortunately, I had not been able to get my act together. . . covid inertia . . . lack of motivation. She came to the door this morning with a gift for me, and in return I showed her a stack of oddly shaped, cut up pieces of fabric. I promised that her present would be completed soon. :-)

Above is my most recent cross stitch FFO (fully finished object), "Merry & Minty." Brenda Gervais had offered a four part free chart on her Facebook page, and I dare say cross stitchers around the world have been stitching it. I know this because I watch Flosstube videos on Youtube, and it appears to be a wildly popular chart. (Note: You do not need to belong to Facebook to download this chart.

I have also complete two vinyl project bags for my cross stitching. Don't you love this Christmas fabric? I receive emails from Cotton Weeds Quilt Shop in Freeport, ME, and last month they had a sale.  I took a look online and found this fabric. It’s perfect! I always stop at this lovely shop on my way to one of my favorite vacation spots, Boothbay Harbor. If Freeport sounds familiar that is because Freeport, Maine, is where you may visit the flagship store of L.L.Bean.

On January 1st, I'm starting a cross stitch piece that will last a year recording the temperature each day on a tree. So, of course, I needed to make a tree themed project bag. Rather than go into details about this cross stitch project here, I will show you my progress as I go along. Quilters will be familiar with this concept as there are various “temperature” quilt patterns.

Besides choosing my fabric, I love making the coordinating zipper pulls. This is one of my favorites.

Speaking of quilters, have I got a tip for you!!! This morning I got a small area of sticky stuff (technical term) on my iron. What was I to do? I know there are many ways to remove this junk, but I had an idea and so I grabbed one of these sheets. Wow!!! It worked great. First I put the sheet down and then ironed over it. The iron was on a low setting. There was still a tiny bit of residue, so I picked up the sheet and rubbed it on the spot which returned my iron to its pristine condition. I was quite pleased with myself and wanted to share this tip with you.

One of the reasons that I got a late start working on the gift was because I was watching an old Christmas movie, "All Mine to Give" from 1951 on TCM. It was one of the saddest movies that I have ever seen. If you want a darn good cry, this movie is for you! You can find it on various streaming services but please be sure to have a full box of tissues beside you. Even sadder, I looked up information on the movie and found it was based on a true story. Overview: after the death of his parents, a twelve year old boy on Christmas must find homes for his little brothers and sisters. What a tearjerker!!! If someone had come to my front door, I would not have been able to answer as I had cried all through the last part of the movie!!!

Last Saturday, we had a blizzard; tonight we are expecting very strong winds and lots of rain. The newscasters and weather people keep reminding us to have our devices charged, flashlights ready, etc. as power outages are expected. The electric companies already have their crews in place all over the state. According to tonight's news, about a third of the country will be suffering the effects from this storm. Selfishly, I hope that we do not lose power as my freezer is stuffed within an inch of its life. At least if the power goes out, the temperature tomorrow will be in the balmy 50 to 60 degree range. Merry Christmas to us all!

This is longer than I thought it would be but let me leave you with a few photos of the creche figures that I inherited from my aunts. Usually, I display them on my fireplace mantle, but this year I displayed them across the piano top where they are less crowded. The book, A Dream of Christmas Eve, on the left is one that I have had since childhood. It is a richly illustrated story of our Saviour's birth and incorporates a visit from Saint Nick to the stable. The story is told in rhyme form.

 

That's it.  This is a difficult time for many this year. I wish you peace and may you all be safe, healthy, creative, and happier in the year ahead.