Christmas placemats

This year I have been trying to use up some of the fabrics laying around in my sewing room and figure it would be nice to have some Christmas placemats.

So I when looking for a pattern and found the centre block called Christmas star by Rose Johnston. It's a paper piece pattern and comes in four sizes. I choose to do the 10 inch block.

Had some cream and black Santa fabric made exclusive to Fabricland that I used for the backing. Since I simply did a quilt in the ditch I figured I could make them reversible. 

I only had enough fabric to make two placemats but than again its just me and DH for dinners. I had a little bit of fabric left over so I made a little square to stick under something like a vase or table lamp in the living room. I used three of the fabrics for the front and the fourth(dark grey/black) on the placemat as the backing for the square pad. 

Binding on the placemats is the cream/pale grey fabric used in the stars. 

 

Christmas socks

So I decided to make myself a pair of Christmas socks. 

The yarn is from West Yorkshire Spinners Signature Sparkle 4 ply

Yarn is called Fairy lights sparkle

The picture of the socks doesn't give the true colour of the yarn as the colours look lighter than they are.

So I took a picture of the yarn which shows the true colours a little better.

 

Woodland Echoes quilt

 

A couple years ago I purchased the Woodland Echoes quilt kit in the ice colour story. It was one of the two colour ways the quilt store was offering it in a kit. Pattern/kit is from the Robert Kaufman fabric company and the pattern is free on their website if interested.

Finally found the time to sit down and make the top. Thank goodness for taking pictures as it helps you to see your mistakes. I found once it was all together that I had the two bottom corner blocks in wrong. Still need to give that area another press but will most likely to wait to do it till I am ready to quilt it. 

The kit the quilt shop made up left no room for error I found so thankfully I didn't make any.

Have the backing and the binding but will need to wait till my shoulder is a little more healed before I can tackle any actual quilting (Dr orders) but that's ok. It will be a wedding gift for one of my grandchildren down the road. In the mean time I have other quilt tops that need to be put together for oldest DS and 3 other grandchildren.

I did also pick up another centre panel in the winter colour stay thinking I would maybe do a pillow front from it. However I try to make a pillowcase from the left over fabric for the quilts I make and give. Since I am unable to I might just use the panel to make it.

Me and birthday knitting

 The bandana cowl is a gift I made for my youngest DD December birthday. Pattern is from Purl Bee/Purl Soho. I used Alpaca Drift yarn in frost. Using one ball and the yarn matched the gauge on same size needle as pattern called for. However although the yardage of the yarn was more than the pattern called for I didn't have enough to finish the pattern as directed. I ended up about an inch shorter in height around the back of the neck but that area is still long enough thankfully. Must remember if I make it again to make sure I have a second ball of yarn.

A couple years ago I made a hat and had picked up some extra yarn to make a pair of mittens to go with it. I had enough of the yarn left over to do a head turban. The turban is a you-tube pattern by The snugglery.

These socks are made from a basic sock pattern using yarn by The Blue Brick dyeworks. Yarn is eggshell-Killarney socks twin.