Cabin Fever Christmas 2011

I spent a delightful evening with a special group of friends that has become one of my favorite gatherings and I think for all of us during the Christmas season.  Most of us have known each other for 20+ years through quilt classes, stitching guilds & quilting guilds.  Our members have evolved over the years with some leaving and others added, but the majority of us have bonded together through the good, the bad, the beautiful and some very difficult circumstances.....as time brings those things into our lives.

 For our Christmas party our hostess makes a wonderful wild rice soup and the rest of us bring either a treat or appetizer.

Back:  Robin, Helene, Anita, Mary, Pat

Middle:  Dee, Karan

Front:  Pam, Sheri

We were missing Tricia, and Chris for the pic.  Tricia came at the beginning, but went to her daughter's Christmas concert and then stopped back later and Chris unfortunately fell and is laid up with a cast....not fun!!!  Know that you were missed.

We used to have Secret Sisters for the whole year and unveil them in December.  But we quit doing that several years ago. And now we just do something fun and little for each other at Christmas.  So I thought you would enjoy seeing the loot I brought home from this evening of fun.  There is a potholder, crocheted dishcloth, tiny clip on flash light, Bunny mac & cheese, hand lotion, decorative jar with candy, M & M's, Rudolph scissors, candy coated popcorn, 2 pairs of holiday socks, snowflake lantern, photo frame ornament, Christmas dish towel, and a giant Christmas pen....that I thought no one should be without...hee hee.

We spent some time remembering all the really beautiful things that we have in our homes that came from the hands of these very creative women.  Each one is an amazing talent and I enjoy the company of everyone of you.

Merry Christmas, Girlfriends!!!

Christmas Cards

The house is pretty much decorated for Christmas.....I am down to the tinkering stage....which pretty much lasts until I pack everything up till next year.  I wanted to share with you some of the things I do with Christmas cards.

As you know I have a hankering for all things vintage and especially paper ephemera.....not so snobby that I exclude modern reproductions.....a lot of bang for you $$ in my book.  In past years I have used the bathroom mirror as my canvas and using plasti-tak......put up my very favorite vintage looking cards and postcards around the outside edge of the mirror in a collage style as a frame.  But since I have a framed mirror in the remodeled bath....that won't work.  So decided to use my collection of flower frogs to display some of them on my window sills.  Let me just say, if you have wide window sills....I am jealous.  Isn't that silly, but I like making little display vignettes, but my "little, teeny, weeny window sills limit that.  Bummer.

The Silver Fox and I have exchanged the most beautiful Christmas cards almost every year and I have saved everyone of those.  So I have a huge stack of them and I enjoy having some of them displayed each year.  The side board in the the dining room with a piece of plate glass cut to fit the top is the perfect spot to show off some  special paper or textile items.  So here you can see some of my favorite cards that we have given and received. Of special note at the bottom of the photo is a horse drawn carriage....a beautiful laser cut card.....now look at the other end of the side board.....there is the same card....mirror image.  That year we bought the same card for one another, isn't that a hoot!!!

This is the Longaberger tray that I pretty much keep on my kitchen table year round and again it has a clear protector in it.....so it lends itself to more display space and tucked underneath are several more cards from one of us.

Then I have a special affinity for shaped cards....here is a sweet little coffee pot from one of my quilt friends that I have in a flower frog and looks like it belongs to Susan Branch.....isn't her artwork, but pretty much looks like her with a tiny little painted birdhouse with a real shingle on the roof....also made by a very talented quilt friend, as a party favor.  Don't you want to be included in that party, where the hostess has gifts for all her guests?  :)

The rest of the Christmas cards go into my gift wrapping basket to be cut up at some point into gift tags for another year.  I used to use decorative scissors to cut out various shapes including some of the sentiments and titles if there was enough white space on them to use as a tag.  But since getting a die cutting machine, they look pretty professional using the many dies to cut various shapes.....very fun and simple to do.

You might want to make up a little gift wrapping basket to keep your supplies in during the month of December, so you aren't wasting time assembling/putting away each time you wrap.  Don't you like my Christmas gift wrap scissors.  A very fun little gift from one of my quilty friends.  Then my fav tape holder for wrapping, which you wear across the back of your hand and it pulls out just the right strip of tape.  I've been known to pick up lots of refills for this puppy during the after Christmas sales.....just a thought.  :)  You can't see it, but there is a ribbon cutter tool in there and then my "bag-o-tags."

Here are the remainder of our cards to each other.

I love this little container made from Christmas cards.  I don't know if this was made by my Grandma K. or her mother.  I am thinking Grandma K., as it was at their house for as long as I can remember.  It is a nice little container with a flip type lid all crocheted together with pearl cotton.  The cards are layered with some clear plastic, which is probably the only reason it has survived.

Just in case you just don't have any vintage looking cards....here is a cute Santa to start a collection with or to add to what you already have.  Would be very cute printed out on card stock or a heavy presentation paper and cut out around the shape to display in a flower frog on your window sill.....enjoy!!

Send me a picture.....I like mail.  :)

Pillowcase Tutorial

I have been making pillowcases for people that I know that are going through serious health issues the last couple years.  They are so simple to make......here is my favorite method.  I use my 4 thread serger and can probably whip one out in 15 minutes.  But if you don't have a serger, your sewing machine will work fine using a straight stitch and a zig-zag stitch if you have it, or if you machine does not do a zig-zag stitch, then pink the edges with some pinking shears.

To make one pillow case you need 3/4 yard of one fabric and 1/4 yard of a coordinating fabric.  I always pre-wash my fabrics prior to using them as well.  I have my fabric trimmed so the cut edges are even and I laid both fabrics out as shown on top of one another because I need to trim the width of both pieces, they need to be identical.  When you add the band to the top of the case you will see this is very important.  I trim off the least amount of fabric to make it even usually cutting off most of the selvage edge.

Sew across one short side and one long side of the body of the pillowcase with right sides together.  Sew the band across the short side, also with right sides together.  If you are using a sewing machine, use 1/4" seam allowance and treat them as written above.  They are shown like it will be finished only wrong sides out.

Take the pillow case band fabric to the ironing board and press the seam to one side, then take it fold it half wrong sides together matching the raw edges together, this will make a circle.  Press the folded edge.

Place the folded band inside the pillowcase body right sides together and all the raw edges even.  You should have 3 layers of fabric.  Pin matching the seams and folds, it should fit perfectly if you trimmed both pieces to be the same width at the beginning.  :)  Sew this seam to attach the band.

I secure serger tails with fray check or tack them down in the seam allowance.  This shows the pillowcase all sewed together, take to the ironing board and press the seam allowance of the band toward the body of the pillowcase.  Then turn it right side out using a bodkin or point turner for the corners, do not use scissors.  Press the outside edges so it lays nice and flat.  It is ready to give away.

Folded and ready to mail.  I tied a matching ribbon around it too.

I  hope you enjoy making these.  They can also be made from flannel and polar fleece too, if you want cozy ones.  They make great gifts.