2010

I found Christmas very overwhelming - so am very glad it's done with now. I try to keep my participation to a minimum because I find it so stressful, and while it helps, I cannot avoid presents/lunches with colleagues/Secret Santas/shopping etc completely. But I gave it a really good try - I have bought less this year than I ever have and do not have a huge credit card bill to look forward to (well, no huge-er than usual).

I also decided to make gifts this year instead of buying. I don't seem to have any pictures of the goods, though. I made tea towels (waffle weave with a band of fabric across) and pot holders in co-ordinating fabrics. Hundreds of them, it seemed. All given away, along with a selection of cranberry and white chocolate shortbread, gingerbread trees and cowboy cookies. Of which I did take pictures.



The idea for these is from Bakerella. I did try a batch with M&M's, but I didin't like the way they looked when I cooked them - the M&M's melted and looked too "messy". Plus, you can't get the only pink packs in Australia. I had to make a couple of test batches (because the US measurements are different to here) and make adjustments to make sure they would work. Luckily, I have a boy (and his mates) to eat all the test runs. I used walnuts instead of pecans, and added more chocolate chips.



I'm still going with the Joseph's Coat quilt, but I want to see how the blocks are joined together before I do much more. Not terribly happy with how this is going together, it doesn't seem to fit very well and I'm not sure if it's my drafting or sewing that is the problem. Seriously thinking of changing to machine applique instead. We'll see.



I have been home from work for a week, and still have another week to go. I'd been planning in my head a new quilt project (something with hand applique, so it's portable). Started it, got bored, moved onto something else. ( I'll get back to it when sewing starts up again and I need something to take with me)


Underneath all that fur is my new project - pinwheel blocks in 4 sizes. I just wanted to do a lot of machine piecing, and a pinwheel border on a quilt caught my eye. Easy, mindless sewing of triangles. And I want to use stuff I already have and not buy more fabric.

Coco is going in to be clipped on Monday - her coat is getting matted and she won't let me near her with a grooming implement of any sort. She looks like a shorn sheep when all the hair comes off. A shorn sheep with fur boots on.

ps - this position perfectly blocks the lower third of the TV from my line of sight when I am in my recliner. Coincidence? I think not.