Finish my UFOs

I've been thinking of all of my UFOs lying around the house and have challenged myself to get them finished and out of here in 2011. Hopefully this blog will help me accomplish this. There is nothing like accountability, so I hope some of you friends who check in occasionally will keep my nose to the grindstone this coming year. Since most of my projects are for charity, it goes along with a thought one of the women at church said yesterday, "In 2011, may I be fruitful for Heaven." I feel my purpose in life is to glorify the Lord and be His hands and feet here on earth to touch others with His love. I pray that all of my fleece blankets, quilts, and embroidered toys and angels will touch the recipient with the Savior's love.

The end of my Christmas stitching

With two days until Christmas, it is about time that I'm finished with my stitching! The wind is howling and the temperature is ffffrrreeezziing! It feels like Christmas!

This year I made Sonia Showalter's Christmas Angel to include with many of my Christmas cards. It was a chore for me rather than a fun thing to do the cards this year, so even though I was very late with them, they are all sent. PTL! I wish I were able to send all of my friends a stitchery, but that is impossible. One friend always gets snowflakes from me because she loves snow. Another friend got Sonia's nativity angel set because I hadn't given them to her before for some reason. I guess I can chalk it up to a poor memory or thick fibro-fog.

My SIL asked me to make a fleece blanket for her son who is in dental school at the Univeristy of North Carolina. It really was to be a birthday gift, but Hancock's had trouble getting in the fleece at the store. I finally ordered it on their website and had it shipped here. The finished product was mailed yesterday, along with some scarves I made from the remnant.

I can't think of anything else that I did creatively, other than baking a few cookies yesterday. That was an improvement over last year when I didn't get any baked. This year DH helped me and we'll be baking his favorite, pfeffernuesse, this afternoon when he finished a woodworking project downstairs.

Merry Christmas!

Gracie

Another set of Christmas placemats & napkins

I finished up another set of the placemats and napkins. This set is for my SIL in Maryland. She and her DH came for a visit to celebrate my DH's 65th birthday, so I was able to send them along right away. The color is a bit off since they are really Christmas red and not pink,

I also finished a red set for my SIL in eastern Ohio, but I forgot to take pictures. I praise the Lord for His attaching my head to the rest of my body. Who knows where I'd leave it!

More angels

I have a dozen free-standing lace angels ready to go in the mail tomorrow heading to New Mexico. Nathenia Roberts of The Country Needle has generously given free angels for many of us to stitch. She is currently working on a Christmas tree to sell at a charity event and has asked her group members to send her completed angels. I will be busy between now and Christmas, as most people will be, so I will be glad to get thes on their way.

I've also mailed a Sonia Showalter angel to a woman who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Sonia's design is the perfect choice for this purpose. She has also been very generous with her Yahoo group's members; this is my chance to pass along the blessing.

Here are pictures of these completed projects.

Another project completed

I hadn't had nice, matching hand towels for my bathroom, so I bought some towels while on vacation. I just embroidered an "A" on the three of them. It is a freebie I got from SewRN's Cameo Embossed alphabet on Sew Forum. The green thread matches the ribbons in the designs on my shower curtain. Even the boss likes them!

Another picture

I figured that while I was on a roll I might as well post another picture. My machine is stitching lace angels in the background while I am posting. Nathenia of The Country Needle has asked for stitched angels to decorate a charity tree she is putting together, so I'm making a few to send to her. When I'm finished, I will let you see them before they are put into the mail.

With six sisters, my DH decided that I should embroider napkin and placemat sets using Christmas Pine designs from Sonia Showalter for four of them. I can't decide what to do for the two single sisters, but eventually I'll figure something out for them as well.

Until next time, may the Lord's abundent blessings be upon each of you!
Gracie

Back to work!

After a summer of travel to northeast Brazil, Ohio, and Kentucky, I am back to work. My progress is a bit slow for now since I have gotten myself into a full fibro flare. OUCH! It seems that every joint and muscle in my body is screaming.

Christmas is fast approaching, gifts need to be finished, and other projects have been on hold for much too long. Judy, I know you have been wanting to see what I have been doing, so here it is!

As little gifts to give to my friends in Brazil, I made personalized Marie Osmond free-standing lace angels and bookmarks from Embroidery Library. I also squeezed in time to finish a blanket for Project Linus and an apron to give as a present.

I'll post more pictures later.

Blessings!
Gracie