My Favorite Project from 2019

Lots of bloggers do a review of their projects for the year.  I didn't make a lot of things this year, but there was a lot of variety in my crafting.  I sewed, quilted, crocheted, and knitted.

My favorite project this year was my knitted ribbed ear warmer.  They are easy and cheap to knit and so useful.  Since the middle of September, I was able to knit 12 different ones in different colors of acrylic yarn.  I gifted 3 of them to dear daughter and kept the others for me.  These easily my favorite project this year for their usefulness and ease.  I'm pretty proud of the way I figured out how to make them double thick without using someone else's pattern.

I'm still knitting these.  I just finished a black one yesterday and I'm starting a beige one tonight.  These are fun, warm winter accessories that I needed and was able to make.

Christmas Has Come And Gone But I'm Not Done Making Decorations

I can't believe how many cute ideas I found to distract me this year.  I'm still working on several projects that are Christmas related.  I'm afraid that I will be Christmas crafting into the New Year.

I did manage to finish dear daughter's table runner, some small  tree ornaments, and her star garland, but I'm still working on the decoupaged cookie plates, my table runner, some fabric covered Christmas tree forms,  and a star garland for me.  My star garland may go up after I finish it and stay up all year.   Here is a picture of dear daughter's garland on her China cabinet.  She added fairy lights and it looks pretty.  I love the way this turned out and the stars are so easy to make. 

Other things I want to make are felt tree ornaments.   I found this picture on the internet and thought these felt ornaments were adorable.

I saw this picture a bunch of times for different ads.  The day I took this picture they were advertising Hobby Lobby craft store.  I have not been able to find this picture on Pinterest with a link to instructions or patterns, so dear daughter I made our own ornaments with green felt in the shape of a Christmas tree and we beaded them for her co-workers.

I also want to make some string art.  I found a string art star with instructions here.

As usual, I spent too much time watching YouTube videos showing items made from thrift store finds and I saw some interesting wood burning ornaments being made by using 4" wood rounds that you can get at Amazon.

One person was walking through a Antique store or 2nd hand shop and I also saw something I have to make.  It's a paper garland made from hymnal pages.  It's super simple, fan folding the pages and gluing a bunch together to make a long piece that you wind around a piece of twine.  I don't have a good picture of it but I took this screen shot from the video where I saw it.

I have looked on Pinterest and all over the Internet for a better picture or even instructions but could not find anything similar.  I fell in love with this garland, so much so that I bought a Baptist hymnal on Christmas day for this project.  I have the glue and twine.

I don't know when I'll finish Christmas decorations, I just hope I finish before next Christmas.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Merry Christmas everyone.  I'm still crafting, but I probably won't be finishing anything new for the next week while I take time out to celebrate the holidays.

Jute Twine Crocheted Stars

   So I made seven of the white cotton stars (that's all I could get from one 120 yard skein of Peaches and Crème Cotton) and I took them to dear daughter's home and we ended up making a garland to put on her china cabinet in her dining room.  She added some battery operated fairy lights to it and  loves it.

   I am now making seven more stars in jute twine to make another garland to layer with the white star garland.

    This is what they look like in jute twine.

Breaking Out My Crochet Hook

Saw a crocheted star that I had to have.  Used my size H hook and some Peaches and Cream white cotton yarn.  Used the tutorial here.  Each star took about 15 to 18 minutes.  This was a fun easy project.  I'm going to make more.  Of course these will go to dear daughter for her Christmas tree.

Clear Cookie Plates With Holiday Fabric Decoupaged On Them

I wanted to make four of these for the holidays and I ran out of time.  They will be ready for next year.

I'm using the dishwasher safe Mod Podge and it needs at least 28 days to cure.   I'm also using the tutorial on youtube found here.  The person doing the youtube tutorial mentions that you can cure it by baking it in the oven for an hour, but I'm not 100% sold on that so I'll just let my plates cure for 28 days.

This is the first plate.   I'll share the others as I make them.

Easy Christmas Ornaments Made And Ready To Gift

Dear daughter is getting these.  I used the tutorial at Patchwork Posse.  She had a fussy cut ornament tutorial and the link is here.  These took me about an hour and half to make from first cut to last stitch.  These ornaments are double-sided.  I put the same picture on the back of each of these.

I Made A Quilted Christmas Table Runner

   I have been planning this table runner all year.  I made this one for my dear daughter.  I am going to make a second one for me. 

    Trying to find the best block to use in this table runner took me almost all year.  I knew I wanted to use solid pieces of the pretty Makower fabric alternating it with a pieced star block, I just couldn't find one a block I was in love with.  I finally found a block in one of my Civil War quilting books.  I found the New England block in "Civil War Sampler" by Barbara Brackman.

     Here is a picture of the runner out.  It's 84 inches long and 12" wide.

    I think the New England block looks like a Christmas gift wrapped up and it still has star points.  I love it.  The book only includes cutting instructions, so I was careful with my piecing.

    Here are the individual blocks up close.