I am working on several new projects for this holiday season, but nothing is ready to show yet. I will be working on our quilt-along this afternoon, the next step is tomorrow. My weekend sale online orders from all my favorite retailers are coming in for new projects for the blog, thread and fabric should arrive this week. But for now, refill your coffee cup or tea, and settle in for some fun time on my blog as I do a review of my Christmas in July event along with some previous season ideas with links to the projects. You might be here a while today, LOL!! We had great fun in July and had a number of wonderful prizes from my favorite vendors, and yes, we’ll have more events like that next year. Do you have a quilter on your gift list? This Sewing Kit is easy to make, has no hand sewing, and can be used for jewelry too! The link has a full tutorial.
My original design Christmas Mini Quilt fits a table top stand, and the post has all the instructions to make it. The ornament pattern is embellished with little pearls at the triangle corners.
My Christmas Trip Around the World quilt goes so fast, that I made it from beginning the cutting to finishing the binding in just over a week – and that was around my work schedule and social commitments!
You have cards to send, so here are some card stamping ideas for your Christmas card list. Stamping Christmas Cards.
Are you into wool applique? This is my original design, Christmas Wool Penny Rug and the post has a free pattern download.
Christmas Cookie Cutters Ornaments are easy to make with buttons and ribbon roses.
An integral part of most of my tablescapes are quilted runners or table toppers. One I use over and over is the one shown in the picture below, a simple hexagonal shape with rings of alternating values and colors in red, green and ecru. The pattern is free on My Patterns page. While you are there, please take a look at my other patterns, your purchases help fund the blog costs. I hope never to have the obnoxious ads I am seeing on other blogs these days, moving animation on every single photo in a post, flashing ads on sidebars and popups, hello bars at the top and popup bars at the bottom, and some blogs with all of those at once! Monumentally annoying.
If you would like to do another runner, here is a link to the quilted runner I did last Christmas as a quilt-along. Christmas Star Runner
This year I published my first purse pattern, The Charleston Bag. Of course I had to have it in Christmas colors! For the month of December for my readers, the pattern is reduced to just $5. The Charleston bag is a roomy purse with an inside pocket, completely finished by machine, no hand sewing! I was carrying it yesterday while shopping for some crafting supplies, and several ladies commented on it.
Need some ideas for the guys on your list? Gifts for Guys will give you some different ideas from the usual.
I love giving Gifts From The Kitchen too. This post has my Double Dutch Chocolate Brownie mix recipe with a downloadable pdf of this recipe with others along with printable gift tags.
We are finally getting some much needed rain this morning, and I am enjoying the gentle patter and cooler temperatures. It is hoped this rain will help the firefighters, particularly to keep the fires from spreading although it will not be enough to end the drought or to extinguish the fires going now. It is a great day, however, to curl up with a good book. I did some cozy Christmas mystery book reviews last year, here are some holiday reads you might enjoy too. Cozy Christmas Reading If you haven’t heard that term, a cozy mystery is one without overt violence, no foul language, and the intimate scenes are left to the imagination.
Just for fun, here is my Christmas Tablescape from two years ago. This post has a recipe for Shrimp Avocado Remoulade, along with the plan for the quilted table topper. I found some new chargers for this year and I have an idea for a totally new tablescape using things I already have in a new way.
And one last project, a Holiday Pine Cone Hanger to use those big cones you might have sitting around. I gave this one away, but I’ll be making another one for the veranda this year.
I hope that gives you some things to enjoy to get the season started. I’ll have more projects and ideas very soon, and our Scrap Dance Waltz continues tomorrow. I am revising the math for those that are doing the two tone Christmas option, and I’ll add that to the post tomorrow.
Are you getting started on Christmas?
Sharing
From My Carolina Home 
OMG, I have been looking at all these wonderful projects, thank you for the free patterns! I am definitely going to make those brownie mixes and your tablescapes are gorgeous. I have more to see, so going to look at more of those posts. Your blog is so much fun!!
wonderful projects – your cozy books are the type I call Agatha Christie books – I used to read a lot of hers – anyone could read them and just sit and relax – not wake up with nightmares and not be embarrassed to have a child pick up the book and read a love scene – as a kiss is a kiss after all not an R (or X) rated event.
Glad you are getting some rain. I saw the news last night about the fires resulting in evacuation of Gatlinburg & surrounding areas. Hope the rains help those fighting the fires. Loved seeing your Christmas decorations & projects.
Thanks you.Love seeing your Christmas decor .Today ,here is r a reinning day.
Hi Carole…hope your turkeys came back and ate the pumpkins. Thanks for your lovely newsy blog today. Everything you said, all your inclinations and creativity were just perfect matches for me! So glad to have found you! I think this is just the second blog of yours I have received. Totally appreciate your take on fewer ads on the blog (they make me crazier) and love the list of books to try. Made a list to check at the library! We have the same trouble finding shows to watch on Netflix that do not give us nightmares. Just started watching the Gilmore Girls and so far are enjoying. Thanks for the free patterns also…I am fairly new to “quilting” and am attracted to table toppers and runners and mug rugs as projects, (read smallish so not so intimidating) so these are totally perfect. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that the fires are put out soon. Yours is such a beautiful part of the world! We have lovely memories of visiting both the smokies and the seashores!
Best, Linda B St Louis
Good Morning Carole! Oh, such lovely gifts these will make! I will definitely be making the Christmas Star Table Runner plus, the Sewing Kit and the Holiday Pine Cone Hanger. How wonderful that you shared all of these excellent Christmas gifts to make, which can be changed into gifts for anytime. I hope to have a blog post up today and post pictures in Flicker. Hopefully, I can get all of my Half Square Triangles sewn together today. Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful projects to sew and or create gifts for loved ones for Christmas! Have a fabulous creative day!
I was just reading about the fires and the massive evacuations. I hope more rain comes. Lovely Christmas ideas. Down here, we have had a few cooler mornings, but tomorrow is officially summer. I do like the idea of something on or near the front door, so welcoming.
Wonderful ideas, Carole. I’m working on some of the felt candle mats and I have 19 quilted candle mats I’m working on. Today I baked two kinds of cookies because I’m participating in a cookie recipe blog hop next week. So I wanted to take pictures of my progress making my Santa Snowflakes so I’ll have my post ready on time. We got our Christmas lights strung around our garage and house, we are decking out in blue this year! I still have to put my white snowflakes in the windows and my outdoor wreath still needs some silver balls put on it. I haven’t felt real well the past week or so, so a trip to the doctor yesterday proved that I have a sinus infection. So, now I have to take my antibiotics and get well. Wish I felt better so I could get some more decorating done, but not today. Thought I’d just spend some time reading blog posts and enjoying what the season has to offer.
What a treasure trove of great ideas – I’m off to check out the gifts for guys – that’s always a tricky one!!
Ummmm … thinking about getting started! =) I remember your doing this last year and how handy I thought it was. Thanks!
I’m barely thinking of Christmas yet, but thankfully I don’t have too much preparation to do as we keep it pretty simple. Step one will be to make sure that all cards will be written and posted within the next week.
Hi Carole. I am glad that you posted all these projects. Last year Brenda and I made the Christmas Star Table Runner and have been wanting to make another. Mine was gifted to a dear friend last Christmas. I can’t wait to make
I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was good even though I was sick for 3 weeks with an upper respiratory infections. I FINALLY am over it and now Brenda has it…but I didnt give it to her. lol
My youngest daughter also has it now too. I hope she gets over it fast.
Thanksgiving my youngest daughter and her boyfriend and his 11 year old autistic son went up to some waterfalls and he proposed to her!!! I am so very happy for her and him and they are thinking May 20, 2017 for the wedding date…Whats almost as awesome as her getting married is I WILL Be a Grandma (Step grandma is just as good as a biological grandm a to me) I have 3 daughters ages 34, 36, 39 and none of them have kids. So Im very excited.
Luv your blog with interests from A to Z…..I’m a new quilter and I’d like your input on what quilting thread to buy for machine piecing…..your comments stated you purchased some during this past few sales days, I was too overwhelmed to choose….any info is appreciated thanks!😄
Aurifil is the best for piecing, it is strong and thin and won’t change your 1/4-inch seam allowance so no need for the “scant” stitching. I find it much easier to use the 1/4-inch foot to get consistent seam allowances, but thicker threads change that measurement. Not much, but just enough to result in sometimes cutting off triangle points. It is a bit pricier than other threads, but it is so worth it!!