more show and tell

Now that the holidays are over, I can share some of the holiday things I made for gifts, mostly for family. I made several felt ornaments, following the directions of Judy Coates Perez in the most recent Quilting Arts Gifts issue. They were really fun - roving, panty hose, felt, beads - wow! Here's a photo of the felted balls in progress. I made a bunch with felt leaves and beads. I didn't have any green felt, so I dyed some white wool felt scraps that I had. I had the roving around, too - I thought it was pretty but hadn't done anything with it yet - so I didn't have to buy a single supply for this project.

After a while I got tired of doing the fanciful fruit ornaments, so I made a couple with buttons and beads.

I also made cloth shopping bags for gifts, using an existing bag as a pattern. It was easy and fun. I used corduroy that had been given to me, so it was "free."

Here's the amaryllis from Trader Joe's, that bloomed just in time for Christmas day!

I also wanted to share the "Cats on My Quilts" notecards I made, featuring my quilts and my two calico cats, Matilda and Olive. I gave some out as Christmas cards (using red card stock) and I also sold some when I was at the Bowers Museum last November.

Last of all, I wanted to say that my "A Dance to Spring" quilt is ready to mail off to jo so that can be part of the "Spring Forward" special exhibit. This exhibit will debut at Road to California in January. It may be a bit premature to show it all now, but I'm hoping a detail photo will do for now. It's inspired by a tiny photo of my mom, who was dressed this way for May Day in the mid-nineteen-twenties.