making christmas

stack for s2's quilt

 i've had this crazy idea brewing in my head for about a month. i was considering my wips, which include a quilt in various stages for 4 of my 5 girls (2 that just need binding, one flimsy, one nearly finished top) and how my boys both really want me to get their quilts made. i have all the supplies for the boys' quilts and the patterns picked out. d4 already has her quilt and starting a 3rd new one would be too much, but i have all the flowers from her quilt that i could make into a pillow sham for her bed. that could count.

my idea is this: why not have a quilt finished for each of the kids by christmas?! it's a completely ambitious goal, admittedly probably not feasible. but if i'm ever going to have a christmas where i do give each of the kids quilts, this would be it. i love that idea! imagining them all cuddled up with their own mama-made on christmas just warms my heart. it'd be gift of a dream come true to myself, really.

pull for s1's quilt

there is a making christmas blog hop going on to get us sewers motivated. maybe, just maybe i can do this. the only way to find out is to start, i guess. i just don't want to almost finish and then have to gift a partial quilt to one of them. my mom was famous for giving fabric and a pattern or a half finished project as a christmas gift. it's a standing family joke. one of my siblings even claims to have received the same fabric and pattern for pj bottoms 2 or 3 years in a row! i have always said, "that will NOT be me!" this is holding me back from attempting it. my other hurdle is that i would like this to be a surprise and how do i manage that with all the kidlets around the house watching me sew all the time?

i'm going to give it a go! here is my list, then:

d1, "plus a diamond" quilt - needs binding

s1, wonky log cabin quilt - not started

d2, "taite" - needs binding

s2, "bandwidth" quilt - not started

d3, "twirly" quilt - top 75% complete

d4, pillow sham with "at last" flower appliques to match her quilt

d5, "paris daydreams" - a flimsy

at the very least, i need to get the kids thinking and moving on their gifts if they are going to do any. we've scaled christmas gift giving way back around here. it's just not where i want the focus of the holiday to be anymore. but they do so enjoy giving to each other and since i made them do a handmade christmas for each other 2 years ago, they have bought into the idea. last year they did their own making without any prompting from me at all. i just need to give them a nudge so they have time.

also, we do a cousin handmade ornament exchange on my husband's side of the family. that needs to be considered, too.

christmas, here we come!