I have completed the front of this hanging. All that remains is to sew the back on it. It's another Jerome Thomas pattern, one I found in the Winter 2021 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine. There was more sewing on this piece than what I initially imagined.
My Christmas Robin hanging:
I modified the pattern slightly by changing the colors and making the bird a European Robin (aka "Christmas Robin"), as can be seen by comparing to the original pattern colors:
Sadly, they stopped printing Primitive Quilts magazine a year or so ago but offered a pdf subscription to replace the print version. Now the pdf subscription is no longer available and they offer a pattern club instead. Rough times for print media, I guess. It was my favorite quilting magazine of all. I'm glad they haven't folded completely!
It's been a lovely holiday season so far. Put up most of the decor around Thanksgiving, and spent December sewing ornaments and other decorative objects along with making chocolates and other goodies. I had the neighbors over for dinner on Monday. Yesterday saw the tourtiere filling made and I put it together this morning. It's delicious, as always. I must mention that the Christmas cake I made last month is fabulously delicious! Oh, la la, I'll be making this cake again! Recipe here: Christmas Cake .
The dining room tree (don't mind the mess, I was sewing a bunch):
The kitchen tree:
The living room tree:
The Santa collection:
I put the village in one of my bookshelves this year. It saves space and looks theatrical this way. The books that are normally on this shelf are in the cabinet below for the season.
It may be recalled that last year I worked on a set of ornaments depicting the twelve days of Christmas as set forth in the famous song from the 1780s. I was not able to get them all completed then so I took up the project again a few weeks ago.
They are all finished now. The last one to be sewn is the leaping lord, although in my book he's not the twelfth day figure, he's tenth. (The order of the gifts have undergone considerable re-ordering over the years and there are several different versions.) Also finished this year is the dancing lady (day nine).
These were really fun to sew and were an excellent exercise in patience and small stitching. The figures are only about 5 to 6 inches tall. As always, picking out colors was most fun.
The patterns were purchased from Larissa Holland of mmmcrafts. I deviated from the printed instructions by omitting the use of Stick n' Stitch stabilizer. Instead, I embroidered freehand. I also used the barest amount of glue only when absolutely necessary, opting to sew whenever possible.
Although most of these were posted last year, I'm going to show all twelve, now that they are a competed set.
Now that the 1870s Howe sewing machine is running well enough to be functional, albeit it needs more cosmetic restoration, I'm working on the Wheeler & Wilson No. 1 sewing machine from the 1870s. It is older than the Howe and probably dates to 1872. It is unusual in that it does not take a straight needle, it's needle is bent into a curve! Also setting this machine apart is the fact that it does not sew fabric from front to back but from left to right. That part takes a certain getting used to. It's a whole new ball game, but quite nice!
Wheeler & Wilson is the company that made my No. 8 which I've shown before:
There is still a lot of work to do on the No. 1. The bed is in rough shape and needs lots of TLC. I'll be working on it a little bit at a time. The bobbin is also in really bad shape, it was very badly rusted. I've managed to get rid of the rust but it is quite pitted. It works, though, and that's the important bit because they are not easy to obtain. The cabinet also needs some work.
In this very short video, I'm showing it sewing a short length. There is still some troubleshooting to be done for the bobbin and the way it sits in the bobbin case. It needs to float correctly or else the upper thread will not flow around it causing a failure to make a stitch. If it's seated too tightly the thread will get stuck between the bobbin and the clamp. But I'm heartened to be getting any stitches at all, so there's confidence it will end up running smoothly over time.
In this very short video, the 2 small drawers that reside in the cabinet are removed so I can clean them. The No. 1 getting it's feet again after who knows how many decades:
It's been a busy month! And it's going by quickly, but coming up will be a few posts about my Christmas decor and baking. Also on the docket will be updates on my projects.
I finished the angel and she's pretty. I used gold metallic thread and a bit of red metallic thread for a touch of bling. She is after all, an angel. (The metallics don't show up well in the picture.)
I found another of this designer's (Jerome Thomas) patterns in the Winter 2021 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine and have decided to make that one as well.
* * * * *
Some will say it is too early, but I took my Christmas trees out of the closet this week. They are not decorated and won't be until next week, but I wanted to get them set up so I can decorate whenever the spirit moves me.
There are three trees, one in the kitchen, dining room, and living room. I usually get a real tree for the living room but due to rising costs decided to buy an artificial one this year. I like that artificial trees come in 'slim' designs. The one I bought is only 3 feet wide. I used to have an artificial in NYC and when I moved here, made sure the tree was loaded up on the truck. A few years ago I went down stairs to get the box containing the tree and much to my surprise and chagrin, the box was empty! Whether the tree was taken while in NY or was taken during the move, I know not. (I had it stored in the basement of my apartment building, a shared space.) It is a mystery!
Our weather here has been cool but mild for this time of year. We are having a string of days with highs in the low 40s and lows in the upper 30s. That makes it hard to provide heat because the stove does not do so well if the outside temp is over 40. I lit the stove tonight but did not do so last night. It's fine by me, it means I'm not going through wood at the moment; and it's less work.
I bought a hot water bottle a few weeks ago. It's the best purchase I've made in a long time. I fill it with hot water before going to bed and place it where my feet will lie. No more cold feet while waiting for the sheets to warm up! They are a big deal in England, an acquaintance recently related that the latest thing over there are long, skinny hot water bottles which one can cozy up to. Cool. (Or shall we say 'hot'!). I love simple solutions.
The temperature dipped low enough for a fire a few weeks ago. The 9th, to be exact. Low 20's F overnight. It always feels good to light a fire for the first time of a season. The enveloping warmth and coziness brings a smile to my face. In the spring it feels like winter will never let go and I wonder how much more stoking the fire I can take. But in the autumn, it's just the opposite; full of romantic notions and the joy of fulfilling basic needs.
Several preparations are underway for the festive season, soon to be upon us. I made a Christmas cake the other day. Full of fruit (36 oz. worth!), full of spirits (brandy, marsala, port), full of spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves). Oh the house smelled so good during and after it's five hour baking. It's all wrapped up now and sitting in a tin until Christmas. I can't wait to taste it!
I used a recipe from Marion's World. The written recipe is in the description box of her video, but do watch it, she's such a delightful person and her channel is fantastic.
I purchased a new Amaryllis bulb this year and contrary to last year, I have planted it on time! I also have the bulb from last year which grew outside all summer. It looks like it's doing something as well. Also this year are three Paper White bulbs. It's going to be glorious when they're all in full bloom.
(l to r) Geraniums brought in from the cold, the new Amaryllis bulb, Paper Whites, the old Amarylis bulb.
I've been steadily sewing, mostly holiday projects. The Santa ornament is finished:
The angel is well underway and will be finished this week:
I have started to applique the pillow cover. This will take a few weeks:
And the only thing remaining on the snowman table runner is a bit more embroidery on the scarves:
A few years ago I bought a book at one of the local thrift shops, just a few bucks. It's a book of Christmas cross stitch patterns. I've never done cross stitch but I want to. When I got it home I found a project that someone had started, folded up and stuck between the pages. It will be a postman delivering Christmas packages when done. I sent away for embroidery floss in the colors needed to finish it and away it all went, up stairs in the room which houses all my craft things (which looks more like an attic at the moment). I brought it down stairs the other day and am meaning to tackle it. Since it's already started and a fair amount of stitching has already been done, I think it will be a good project to start with.
As I write this post I'm enjoying the aroma of Balsam Fir incense. The holiday season is indeed around the corner!
