Present production

I have started my Christmas preparations. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not going to make a lot of presents this year - I have had to many holidays being stressed out because of all the tasks I have given myself to finish before the event only to find myself completely knackered at the end and the holidays being over before I have had a chance to enjoy them. But I have made a few presents. These two make-up purses for my cousin's daughters. They are 10 and 13 and I hope they'll enjoy affirmation that I see them as "big girls" now of the make-up wearing kind ;-) So their little twin brothers (5) wont feel left out, I have made them each a drawstring bag with their names on, stitched in "glow-in-the-dark" thread, to use for PJs and toothbrushes when going away or for toys - whatever!

We don't have a very large family, I only have two cousins, and only one who has kids, so this means that a lot of the family presents are taken care of!
I'm making a "coffee-maker cosy" for my mother (you'll see...) + a couple of angels and that about does it when it comes to making presents this year, the rest will be bought. I do intend to finish my tree skirt this year though + make some christmasy table mats for myself. There won't be an awful lot of baking - just enough to make it feel fun, and that's about it I think. For now, anyway - knowing me I'll probably think of something I 'll just have to make one of the last days before Christrmas, but so far so good ;-)
Today is a dark and stormy day and the rain is pouring down, so there is no point in going out. Much better to keep my sewing machine company - I think I'll get started on those place mats...

I 've had a look around the shops and have been doing some research online for that new camera lately, and right now a Nikon Coolpix L3 or L4 are at the top of my list. I have also been considering a HP CM525 which is on special offer, but I'm not too sure - any suggestions? I'm trying not be sidetracked by those showy (more expensive) cameras by Olympus and Minolta which come in a choice of colours (always a soft spot for colours...) - it's the colours of my photos that should matter, right? Not the colour of the camera...

Bowls, boxes and more

I mentioned a while ago that I was to hold a class in making fabric bowls. The class went well, and in addition to the finished bowls I brought along I made some half finished samples to show each step of the progress. I put these away when I got home and forgot all about them, as one does... Recently they were "rediscovered" during the excavation of my sewing area and I decided to finish them. I even remembered to take a few pictures before I gave them to my friends at the quilt shop - they might bring in some more business that way - people see them at the shop and want to take a class... Crafty huh? ;-)
They are quite easy to make once you get the hang of it. I have used Fast2Fuse interfacing to make them sturdy and they are totally reversible.

We got enough time to make fabric boxes as well, and here's the one I made. Everything is from the books "Fast Fun and Easy Fabric boxes" and "Fast Fun and Easy Fabric bowls" by Linda Johansen (all my "students" have to buy their own copies of course!) I made several of these boxes last year as Christmas presents, so this year I'll have to think of something else - I have some ideas, the question is: do I have enough time? ...

I have promised myself to take things easy this year, no last minute sewing. I'm trying not to "overwhelm" my family and friends with quilted gifts, but luckily some of them really appreciate the stuff I make and to me that means they deserve it as well. I visited a friend of mine recently and found that the placemats I gave her some Christmases ago were torn to shreds - well, not literally, but they were showing a lot of wear and tear - proof that she has really used them and that they have seen a lot of spin cycles. She says she loves them, and the fact that I have spent a lot of time making them just for her. She is definitely going to get a new set this year. Wheras my mother's friend who got a tablecloth ten years ago and has never once used it because "it's too nice to be used" will not be getting another quilted gift from me! Most of the things I make are not art, they are made to be used and loved, and I'm not wasting precious quilting time on gifts for those who don't realize the time and effort that goes into these things.

And then there was nothing...

It was veeeery quiet for a loooong time...




I'm still here, though, but have not been in a blogging mood lately. Too much to do at work and little crafting going on makes it hard to think about a topic for a blog. But I have been doing some research, visited all my favourite blogs and tried to analyze why I like them so much. So far I have been very coy about myself and my surroundings, but I have realized that the blogs I like the most are interesting because the writers share glimpses of their lives with us, and maybe it's about time I start sharing as well.

If I have anything interesting to write about, that is... I'm still doing a bit of research into digital cameras (being a Scorpio I always do lots of research... - when I don't just throw myself recklessly into something, that is - I'm such a complex person... :-P ) , I would love to take better pictures - the on e I have now doesn't cope well with close-ups.

I have done a little crafting though - just finished a small quilt for my bedroom wall. I'll take a picture when I have got it up there and the light is better Right now my sewing area needs a bit of organizing (understatement of the year...) so I can find my sewing machine and get back to crafting again. So I'm off - see you later!