Serendipity In Quilting & Other Stuff!: December's Crafting

Our online quilt group (SQTG) just finished up a Secret Santa gift exchange. Photos of the gifts received show that this exchange was a huge success, and hopefully this exchange will continue in the future. Our exchange hostess went above and beyond her duties. She would send us e-mails to encourage, and remind us that the SS clock was ticking downwards to mailing day. She has a collection of "stuffed bears"; at least we are thinking they are stuffed (LOL), that she said were watching us and keeping us on track and would visit us if we were not doing what we were supposed to do. She has a wonderful sense of humor and I know we all enjoyed her e-mails immensely.

So, I received this wonderful gift from my Secret Santa all the way from Canada:)

In all the many, many years of sewing I have been doing, I have never had a proper pin cushion. I think the one I have is the old "tomato/strawberry" thing that I had in high school. I am no spring chicken, so that was a while ago. LOL I just love this one, it is so "handy"....... (Secret Santa, if your following me on my blog, I will think of you when I put my pins in, in a good way, not like a voodoo doll way. LOL!!!!!!) Also a really cool Japanese Christmas printed fabric (can't wait to make this into something), mug rug, a thimble key chain, a red dress pin for woman's heart health, and a crocheted heart. I have a friend who's grandparents were Danish, and she told me that they had hearts like this hung on their Christmas trees.

I was a SS for a member of our group who lives in Florida, this is what I made her.

This was so much fun to make.

For some crazy reason, I always seem to come up with wanting to make something at the last minute..... I started with wanting to make my youngest daughter (Monica) an apron. I have a neat looking apron pattern that I wanted to try and I already had the fabric. Then, I decided that I should make her children, my two granddaughters and grandson one too. So I looked up on the internet how to make those dishtowel aprons for them. But, I didn't want to make dishtowel aprons, so I made a pattern upgrade. I wanted them to be lined, so I kept upgrading until the last one was less time consuming and more what I had in mind.

Then, 2 days before Christmas, my husband asked if I had Jennie's apron done yet; that would be my second oldest daughter. Let me backtrack.......... I had gone to the fabric store with my oldest daughter, Sarah, and she helped me pick out Jennie's fabrics and Monica's children's fabrics and linings. Well, I couldn't just do the one family members an apron and not do Sarah's and 2 of my other grandchildren, right? You see where this is going...............way to much sewing to get done before Christmas. LOL

Back to the 2 days before Christmas and Jennie's apron .....So, I said to my husband, why not, I whipped out Jennie's apron in a day, a full 8 hour sewing day. Came out pretty darn good. This is the finished apron front and lined back. The ties are one long piece that goes thru the sides, around the neck to fit, around the back and long enough to tie in the front like a chef's apron. I guess I didn't take a picture of the finished apron. DUH!!

My daughter, Sarah, had bought an apron from the Ikea store this last summer, so I fashioned Jennie's from that one. It is long, the pocket is split into 3 different openings the width of the apron. It really is nice. So, only 3/4 more to make.

Next month's SQTG challenge......hmmmmmmmm oh what will it be?