Ohh, this is one of my favourite Handmade Christmas items I’ve made this year…
Although it may look a little complicated to make (I didn’t make it seem easy by rushing through each step in the video! My bad!), I found myself on to making the next lil’ stocking with 10 minutes or so! Once I found my groove I was off producing, like a little factory!
Today’s little craft is a sweet little Hessian Bird Tree Ornament, the very same that I recently demonstrated at a Christmas Craft Night at my local Spotlight.
I forgot to mention yesterday, that the supply lists and instructions for each project will be in the description box of every video.
I hope that having them there will help you in making your own crafts at home!
This coming Friday, the 13th of December, I’ll be launching my little 12Days of Christmas Crafts series on my YouTube channel! Yay!
I’ll be uploading some fun and simple craft projects everyday of the 12 days leading up to Christmas.
In this little series, I chose a range of different crafts that contain the use of paper, fabrics, lots of hot glue and glitter, paint, natural resources and simple sewing machine work.
The level of these crafts range from simplistic kids crafts (with adult supervision of course!) up to some that are for the more experienced crafter/sewer.
In each video I’ve included easy step-by-step instructions along with where I found my inspiration! (Here’s lookin’ at you Pinterest!).
All of the videos are short’n’sweet and are visually informative.
So I hope you enjoy watching from Friday onwards (I’ll post each one on my blog as we go along) and create a menagerie of Christmas crafts this season!
I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog front over the past week…
But it’s been all for a good reason, honest!
I’ve come along so quickly in getting all of my Handmade Christmas goodies finished that I’ve taken up the chance to film a little Christmassy craft series on my YouTube channel. (Is it possible to feel dread and excitement over something in equal measure?).
I’ll be launching the series (fingers crossed!) Friday December 13th!
Oopsie! I’m not going to say to much more but be on the look out next week for a post fully introducing you to my radical festive idea which will include a nifty little highlights reel! (Ooooo-aahhh!)
I was inspired to get filming by my latest guilty pleasure purchase; a somewhat early Christmas present for myself (Why not?, I say!).
Canon EOS 600D
I’ve been self-training myself on all the in’s-and-out’s of this sweet little do-dad and I’m having SO much fun experimenting, exploring and creating with it!
Best purchase of the year in my opinion!!
Any-who, I shall be off.
I’ve got lots more filming and editing to do before I unveil my secret little project (which is not so much a secret anymore…darn it!).
Bing Crosby crooning Christmas carols at me? CHECK!
Hot summery weather outside? CHECK!
‘Tis the Season has truly arrived in my household (I’m still giddy at the thought that it’s December already!!) and I’m in ‘Make all the Presents’ mode!
I absolutely love this time of year!
I love the carol singing, the house decorating, the food (!!), making of the food, catching up with loved ones as well as celebrating the extraordinary love of God through the birth of Jesus Christ!
I also love the thrill and delight of making special one-of-a-kind somethings for my nearest-and-dearests; a simple present that has been made with love and creative festive spirit!
The day has finally arrived for me to show off my finished quilt!
The Happy Quilt
Better known as the Double Wrench Mini Block Quilt (phew what a mouth full!), I re-named this little treasure The Happy Quilt.
I came about this name while I was quilting it.
The thought struck: everything about this quilt just simply makes me happy!
They include –
The bright modern fabrics.
The choice of block.
The uneven quilting lines (I could never get them perfectly straight, even if my sewing machine depended on it!).
The individual characters each little mini block seems to hum.
The brave choice of finishing with a white (eek!) binding (I’ll regret that, I just know it!).
The fact that I used a lot of my scrap and bulk fabrics up (yippee – that means I get to shop for more fabric!).
That a majority of the blocks don’t match or perfectly join up at the seams or points (adds a bit of character I say!).
The size of the quilt: perfect as a lap quilt | perfect as a wall hanging | perfect for the bed.
I’m happy with the gamble I took on how I quilted it (I was prepared for some major puckering!!), with my patience and risk-taking rewarded with a brilliantly textured quilt!
It quite possibly will be my entry into the 2014 Sydney Quilt Show (we’ll see what happens between then and now!).
I’m happy that I simply stuck with it and just got it done.
And…the overall me-ness of the quilt just makes me happy (and there’s nothing wrong with that!).
So to sum it all up, I’m just totally smitten with this quilt!
But to be honest, I’m now feeling a little lost at the realisation that it’s finished and that I don’t need to schedule my time around getting it completed…
Unfortunately it’s time to move onto other projects and give life to another heap of fabrics, threads and batting! (I’ve got tonnes of that stuff lying everywhere!)
If you want to see more of the photos I shot visit this Flickr Set or alternatively, you can watch this video!
I do humbly apologise, but that was the only way I could explain what’s really happening at the moment…
You see, I’ve set myself a deadline…
‘The Happy Quilt’
This quilt must be finished by this Friday!
I’m so over seeing it lying hopelessly unfinished in my sewing room – it deserves to be finished!
And it needed to be finished yesterday!
Well no, not really – that’s just impossible!
‘Just Keep Quilting, Just Keep Quilting’
I have 25cm (10″) left of quilt surface to finish quilting (it seems like a little, but at the same time it’s a lot – if you know what I mean!) then it’s onto attaching the binding and label!
Then, and only then, can I finally say that this sweet-sweet quilt is finished and I can introduce it to you in its beautiful entirety!
Phew, if only finishing the quilt took as quick as it was to write about it!
The reason why I’m anxious to get it finished is so that I can dive (quite literally) head first into my Handmade Christmas plans.
I’m doing things a little different this year and will be buying a few things BUTthese bought items will be packaged/wrapped in ‘handmade’ and they will all be accompanied with a handmade card or swing tag.
I can’t wait to get started!
But this quilt needs to be finished first!
That last 25cm isn’t going to quilt itself (unfortunately!).
3and3quarters 