If your holiday season has been like mine, there has been absolutely NO time amid the hustle and bustle to simply sit and enjoy the season. That changed in the last 24 hours. All my traveling was complete and I had time to attend a Christmas Eve service with my husband and two of the kids. It is always nice to enjoy evening services and I especially love a candlelit church. Nothing like the beautiful music and Christmas story to remind us of the reason for the season!
Before last night however, I was rushing to complete all my handmade gifts and decor. I got them finished just under the wire and thought I would share.
First up is my Thanksgiving table runner. I got the idea via Lauren’s post and will definitely try this again for other holidays. For my runner I used some leftover burlap and cotton from my son Brett’s Halloween outfit. Nothing like using up scraps instead of letting them languish forever!
Next up is my first completed quilting project…a Christmas tree skirt! I love decorating for Christmas and have enough ornaments for several trees but never had a tree skirt until now! I followed this tutorial from Brown Paper Packages and am super happy with the end result. The total cost was around $30 bucks so my DIY version was much less expensive than many I have seen in catalogs. I also learned a lot and am already planning more quilting projects.
I promise not all my recent projects were for me. I actually did complete a few gifts this season too. My next door neighbor, Shannon, loves to bake and can always be counted on for yummy apple pies. While working on my tree skirt, the middle circle got cut out so there is room for the tree trunk. Instead of throwing away the center, I finished it with bias tape and gave it to Shannon for Christmas. This “pot holder” is pie sized so she can sit pies on the counter to cool without ruining her counter tops.
In addition to sewing, I also managed to complete a few knitted gifts. I finished a drop ribbon scarf for my Mom’s friend Janet and a silk and wool sweater for my Mom. Forgive the less than stellar photo below but this was after a few glasses of wine. I should get bonus points for matching the gift wrap ribbons and sweater color though!
I hope your holiday season was full of family, friends, and handcrafted gifts!
My Modern Vintage 