Ten....

The final countdown to Christmas has begun. Wow! It always sneaks up on me. I've just sent out the final custom order this morning, and now can work on the projects that I want to give as gifts. I had hoped to finish all my orders on December 1, and each day that it took after that, one of my projects for my own giving pleasure got taken off the list. The things that I am not going to complete before Christmas are: cuddle size quilts for each of my kids, dolls from Wee Wonderfuls patterns for my girls, handmade ornaments, throw pillows for gift exchanges, potholders for stocking stuffers... the list goes on... and as I type this I am realizing it was a slightly over zealous list - even if I had gotten a December 1 start. Next year I'll start in June...

Since I am determined to enjoy this Christmas season (I'll relax, even if it kills me!!), I am only going to tackle projects from now 'til December 25 that I enjoy. And I'm not going to kill myself to get them done. There is a chance that a quilt top will be given as a gift, with the finishing touches to be put on it in the New Year. So there!!

Now for a glimpse at the final aforementioned quilt set, "Flannel Fields". The top is pieced entirely with the customer's sons' receiving blankets. Each quilt is very lightly quilted with straight lines, and then framed with a dark binding. The backing is flannel as well so the whole quilt is entirely cozy.

Now, you know I LOVE custom orders, right? (You DO know that, I hope!) I love making a quilt that I know is going to be loved, so it's nice to make one specifically according to somebody's wishes. But, although these quilts turned out really nice, I did not enjoy quilting with flannel!! It stretches much more than the quilting cotton that I usually work with, and there were times I wanted to throw my scissors at it :) ! So these flannel quilts may be one-hit wonders (well, there are two of them, so two-hit wonders). They did have a lovely drape and feel to them when they were finished, however - so maybe if I wait a couple of months I'll forget the frustration and try flannel again.

Now, on to the next thing - a quilt for my dad. He asked for a tv watching quilt a few months ago, but has been convinced that he is not actually getting it for Christmas. I'm hoping I can pull it off while keeping the promise to myself to enjoy the next ten days. We shall see.....