Christmas exchange cards

 

These are the Christmas cards I made for my 2023 forum exchange. My original plan for enclosures with the cards didn't work out, so at the last minute I opted for a Pumpkin Delight recipe. It's a new recipe I got from my sister-in-law which is very good, so I hope some of the recipients give it a try. Most, if not all of the cards were actually made at the end of the year, 2022.  They are machine embroidery redwork designs. Some of them I embellished with felt-tip colored markers.

Knit French shopping bag

 

One of Leslie's friends admired the French shopping bag I had made for her quite some time ago, so I made one for the friend and gave it to her when we were in Alaska at the end of December.

• Placemats for Shirley

 

 

I made these placemats for my friend Shirley at the end of 2023 and sent them to her for Easter 2024. Since it's just she and Dan and they don't entertain, I just made two of them. I think she's just using one for a centerpiece for her table though. It's the Tulip Border in Watercolor design from Embroidery Library stitched on woven placemats purchased from Target. 

NICU donation blanket

 

I knit this donation blanket for “Knots of Love”
using their Braided NICU Blanket pattern,
leftover Puzzle yarn with size 10 needles.

Floral wreath (poinsettia) cross stitch ornament

This floral wreath (poinsettia) cross stitch ornament is from The World of Cross Stitching Special 2023. I thought it was so pretty I just had to stitch it.

Old School BOM quilt (UOF from 2021)

 

This is my UOF block of the month quilt from 2021 finished in 2023. I used the 1 to 3 quilt as you go method from Pattern Poole and an end-to-end quilting design on my embroidery machine.

Old School Block of the month - Pat Sloan's I Love To Make Quilts

How To Quilt As You Go: My 1 to 3 Method (No Sashing pt 2) (youtube.com)

Machine embroidery (shown on back)

Back of quilt - scrappy

Machine embroidery (shown on front)

Minky/Cuddle Throws

Minky/cuddle throws for Iris and Sonja (Christmas 2023) – Machine embroidery corners to hold layers together - I Used this video to make a couple Minky/Cuddle throws for Iris and Sonja for Christmas (2023): (159) How to Sew a Self-Binding Blanket in Cuddle® Minky Fabric - YouTube

I used machine embroidery designs in the corners to hold the layers together (hearts on Iris' and dragons on Sonja's).

Fabrics from Sunflower online

Vinyl project bags for gifts

 I made several vinyl project bags (10) – 4 for Emelie's family (Emelie, Matthias, Julia and Valentin) and 4 for Leslie’s family (Leslie, Anders, Iris and Sonja), one for Kathy and one for myself. I used an online video tutorial, and they went together smoothly. These were for Christmas, 2023.

Leslie's

For Matthias

For Sonja, Valentin and Emelie

For Anders, Julia, myself and Iris

 Kathy's

Border print table runner

 

This is a table runner I made for myself with a border print. It's based on this tutorial:

(77) 60 Degree Ruler by Creative Grids - YouTube

Christmas Door with cross stitch motifs

 

I found this Christmas door picture frame at Ben Franklin Crafts and hunted for cross stitch motifs to fit the apertures. I finally found the perfect set of 6 Christmas motifs by Erin Wasilieff (Erin Elizabeth Designs). They are Holiday Collection 1, 2 and 3. This is a UFO project that I started in 2022 and finished in 2023. It seemed like it took longer!

Knit hat and scarf for wine bottle

 

I thought my wine bottle cat needed a Seahawks-themed hat and scarf. This was a quick knit with yarn from years ago. The color is called "Legion of Doom".

Sonja's Storm at Sea wall hanging

 

Sonja’s Storm at Sea ~ This quilted wall hanging was made to copy the design as Sonja had colored it in on paper. It was her birthday present for her 8th birthday in November, 2023.

The wall hanging using batik fabrics

 

The label

This is Sonja's coloring page

Cross stitch woodland animals calendar

 

Over a long period of time, I stitched these woodland animals for a calendar for Val. I've made similar calendars for the granddaughters. The designs were offered as a SAL through Lakeside Needlecraft. The designer is Durene Jones. 

The hangings were completed with a Kreative Kisi machine embroidery design with the cross stitch appliqued to the front.

 

Cross stitch ornaments

 

These cuckoo clock ornaments were made for my grandchildren for Christmas 2023. The times on each clock represents the time of birth.

Crafting with grandchildren

 

Julia's Pillow

Valentin's Pillow

I made this beluga whale
messenger bag for Sonja.
Somehow, I don't have a picture of
the fox one I made for Julia.

Sonja saw my little fabric
scraps and decided to make
these "little books".

God's Eye wall hanging

This wall hanging was made with God's Eyes made by Leslie's family on our camping trip in 2021. I finally hung them on this driftwood I found in Lake Chelan in September, 2023.

Embellished sweatshirt

 I embellished this sweatshirt for Merwin.

Valentin's Pillowcases

 Here are all the pillowcases I made for Valentin, gifting one a month in 2023.