Ho! Ho! Ho! and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I have been thinking that I want to make another Christmas quilt, but though there are lots of patterns that I love, none felt quite right.  I had a spark of an idea the other night though, and I'm SO excited about it.  I started sketching on graph paper, which is what  I always do when I'm first fleshing out a design, and I was so pleased with it that I couldn't wait to make him!

Pictures can be deceiving, so let me just tell you that this block is small!  Santa himself only measures 5" x 12", and all the tiniest pieces and snowball corners (the silver belt buckle, and around his hands) finish at only a quarter inch!  This is all traditionally pieced, and I try to never sew that small if I can help it, but for this project, I knew he couldn't be too big.  

I was so happy with the way he turned out that I immediately jumped into my next idea, thinking that it would be just as straightforward, and boy was I wrong!

Rudolph was so much trickier!  I worked and worked to get the proportions right, and the hardest part by far was the angles of the legs- and those antlers!  Again, this block is traditionally pieced, and while Santa has just a few 1/4" pieces, Rudolph is full of them!  Just to put this in perspective, all of those antlers are in a tiny, 3" x 3" section!  Rudolph himself measures only 7" from nose to tail, and just 10" from antlers to hooves.  

I confess to almost throwing this block away a couple of times during the 8.5 hours it took to make him.  Yes, you read that right.  Eight. and. a. half. hours!  I'm so happy I stuck with it though.  Rudolph is going to make a great addition to my quilt.

Now that these two blocks are finished, the rest of the quilt should be much easier.  It will still be a little bit fussy, but it won't be difficult like this.  We are hosting a Christmas party on December 4th, and my goal is to get this one finished and hung on the wall in my den before then, but with Thanksgiving next week, and all of the other prep stuff that has to happen before the party, that is a lofty goal.

Last week's party was full of inspiration, both holiday themed and not.  Amanda at Quilt As We Go shared with autumn beauty.  It's perfect for getting into the Thanksgiving mood.

This fresh, pretty quilt is by Linda at kokaquilts.  Linda is in New Zealand, so she is feeling all of the spring vibes in her hemisphere right now!

And Deb at A Scrappy Quilter linked up this warm, cozy, scrappy quilt.

Okay, friends!  Let's get our party going!  But before we do, I want to let you know that NTT will be taking a break next week (11/24) for Thanksgiving!  BUT, be sure to stop by on Black Friday!  I'm gathering up the best sales and holiday specials from my favorite shops on the web, and I'll be putting it all into one special post.  And we'll get right back to NTT the following week, 12/1.  Happy Thanksgiving!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

NTT- Holiday Lights

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all.  I've been doing more secret sewing this week, along with lots of Christmas shopping and decorating- including our outside lights (which was a full weekend affair)!

We like to do the lights when we have a nice weekend, and when we have the time.  The weather obviously gets colder as November goes on, but it also has a tendency to be more rainy too.  Last weekend was breezy and sunny with temps in the mid-sixties, so we jumped on it. We have just a little more to do, and then they'll be all ready to turn on Thanksgiving night.  

With all of the secret book sewing, secret gift sewing, and holiday hubbub, I'm sad to say that there really hasn't been time for any non-secret sewing.  So, let's just jump right into the highlights from last week's party!  This awesomely scrappy quilt is by Sandra at mmm quilts-

DonnaleeQ shared this amazing quilt-

Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic shared this fun Christmas tree wall hanging, with the link to the tutorial!

And Leanne at Devoted Quilter showed off this temperature quilt stunner.  Definitely check out her post to see more detail shots of that quilting!

Okie dokie, friends!  It's time to show me what's been going on in your sewing space!  Let's party!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Christmas Sewing and NTT

Happy November, friends!  It is so hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us.  In fact, I've already started pulling out stuff to start decorating my Christmas trees.  I put up four trees, plus decorate inside and outside my house, and it takes awhile to get all of that done.  Since we are hosting family for several days at Thanksgiving, and then hosting a Christmas party the very next weekend, all of my decorating has to be finished before Thanksgiving.  So I have to start early!

Between the secret book sewing/writing and decorating, I also need to carve out some time to do some holiday sewing, and this week I did check a couple of gift items off of my to-do list, including these cute cloth napkins.

We use cloth napkins every day because it's so much less wasteful than paper, and because it's another way for me to enjoy fabric!  My everyday napkins are all green prints which match my kitchen, as you can tell by my KitchenAid mixer.  You can see my everyday set, as well as how all of my napkins are made HERE.  

Last year I started with just eight Christmas napkins, and this year I added another eight to the mix.  So, obviously there are more than eight napkins here.  In fact, there are sixteen.  These are 18" napkins, so a half yard of fabric makes two.  I'm keeping a set of eight for myself, and gifting the other set.

I love buying pretty Christmas prints when I see them, and this quick and easy project is the perfect excuse.  I have 24 everyday napkins, and that is a good number for our family.  We always have clean napkins when we need them, and not too many extra.  So next year, I'm sure I'll add another set!

What about you?  Have you started gift sewing?  Are you an early decorator, or do you wait until after Thanksgiving?  No judgment here either way!  With all of the negative things going on in the world these days, whatever you do, do what makes you happy.  

It also makes me happy to check out your amazing projects week after week.  This beauty is by Jan at the Colorful Fabriholic-

This amazing creation is by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color-

This colorful quilt was shared by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

 

And finally, Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room linked up this adorable quilt-

Okay, y'all!  Let's get our party on!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)