On the first day of Christmas…. Oh. that was yesterday. Today is the second day of Christmas. Am I behind already?
24 years ago I began making a set of 12 days of Christmas ornaments for my daughter, one a year. They are counted cross stitch — not my favorite to do — made from a pattern in a Leisure Arts folder I purchased way back then.
I was doing quite well until the ninth day of Christmas when Larissa was 9 and I started back to complete my undergraduate degree and then go on to seminary for graduate degree and ordination.
Larissa turned 25 this year and guess what? I finally finished the last four of her ornaments through this past year. Here is the completed set:
I ran out of lace and wasn’t able to get some that matched exactly for the last four, but it’s pretty close.
They are backed with velveteen–green or red on every other one–and have a thin layer of batting in the middle.
While I was at it I made a fabric envelope using the FREE instructions for the Flexi-bag on Sue Bleiweiss’s Fibre and Stitch for the ornaments to be stored in.
It’s approximately 12 inches square.
This was the first time I really did any quilting with my new Bernina with the stitch regulator attachment (BSR). I made a few mistakes and learned a few things, just trying it out. I especially learned that you need a LOT of thread. But running out of red caused me to use white and lime green to echo the flowers I started with in red, so I think it actually turned out better than if I had not run out of red. I don’t know if I would have thought to use the other colors otherwise. I really like the idea in the Flexi-bag instructions for drawing, satin stitching, then cutting a decorative edge for the flap. Much more interesting than just a straight edge. I added a snap at the lowest curve just to hold things in place. Here’s the inside:
I’m planning to make a bunch more of these Flexi-bags in different sizes and fabrics to have on hand for gifts and gift bags throughout the next year.
It will give me a chance to practice more on my machine quilting with small items.
The samples in the Flexi-bag instructions are done with hand printed fabrics and when I get better at it, I’ll try doing that. But for now I’m going to use up some of my stash of commercial fabrics.
Thanks to Fibre and Stitch for providing great ideas and instructions! As if I needed more projects for 2008!!! On the third day of Christmas….Hmmm. What’s next?
The flexi bag looks great! Great fabric combination, nicely done!