It Was a Merry Christmas!

I had a wonderful time Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We are so fortunate to live close to many of our family members. My gifts included one wrapped by the "dogs"...and it looked like it! He said he made them touch the paper as he was wrapping! And two others were beautifully wrapped giftsbut they were things we already had sitting around the house or hanging in the closet!  You know THAT closet..the one where all the old stuff you never wear goes. I love to open presents and have actually said "I don't care what is in there as long as I get to open presents."  So my husband did that as a joke. I laughed until I cried! I did get actual gifts too.

My last few days have been spent finishing table runners, making scarves and of course grocery shopping. At our TOPS Christmas party I saw two beautiful scarves made with a bobble yarn. As it turned out it was carried by BiMart,a chain of stores dedicated to small communities. I picked up some skeins and made last minute Christmas presents.  Aren't they pretty?

I'm looking forward to getting my cutting table back (it has been used as a wrapping table for the last week) and I'm anxious to sew again.  I think I'm having withdrawal!

I've already committed myself to some on-line fun for 2011...two different bee groups, one Block of the Month group that includes embroidery, a UFO group where we made personal pledges to attempt to decrease that stack of "Unfinished Objects" and a fun challenge to do a quilty project, any size, each month with a primary color chosen by the mediator. But because of all this activity I made myself sit down last night and write down my commitments. I"m not trying to make this "work" but I want to be organized. I'm realistic. I know I will want to do other new quilts and patterns as I'm inspired by my fellow quiltmakers so I've also made a "Bucket List". This list includes pattern types that I would like to try...Snails Trail, a Flying Geese quilt, a quilt that includes birds of some type, etc. My thought is when I'm inspired by new pictures on Flickr or in magazines or books that I can only make new quilts if they are, in a broad sense, on the "Bucket List".

Do you think all this planning will keep my obsession in check?  Do you think I am being realistic? We will have to see as 2011 progresses!

Now go sew!
Toni