Favorite Christmas Card

Every year I pick out a Christmas card or cards that really stand out to me.  Below are my favorites for this year.  I love the MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT because of the boldness and the mellow red color.  The Volkswagen is classic 60's to me and dog driving seemed to add to it in a really way.   The girl in the red dress is sweet. I love, love her holding her the ornament.  In the background are the Beatles hanging out with the rest of the gang.  I bought that picture in New York for $2.00.   Below that is my friend Maria's family photo.  Lots of positive moving energy!

Happy New Year Project - Sweater Blanket

 A few days before New Years I always start to get anxious because I know there is a really good chance I will be stuck in the house for a few days and that equates to project. I had be saving sweaters that I had felted from a few years ago.  Four of them all matched in the same tone but different colors.  I cut the sweaters into squares and realized you really don't get as much as you think out of the sweater. I found a few more sweaters at some thrift stores and felted them also.  I had an extra sweater  left so I cut them into circles and hand sewed them onto the squares using different colors of yarn.  I thought it would visually add to the blanket. I had holes in my thumb that took a week to heal from pulling the yarn through both layers of sweater Ouch.  The squares were sewn together with a top stitch using a zig zag to catch both sides.  My stitches were  too big next time I make another  blanket i will tighten that up.  After the backing was put on I hand sewed the front to the back and the edges. I've always wanted to make one of these and now I have  and I am happy with the results.

The beginning.

Sewn on circle. Trying to be creative with designs.

Squares placed on the floor trying to come up with a design.

I sewed the sweaters together in strips.

Trying to get squares organized.

Sewing together on the machine.

Sewing it together in strips.

Chaos!!

Sewing it together with regular clamps used for papers.

Strip by strip.

Closer

More

I used Anna Maria Horner's flannel fabric for the backing.  It worked perfect except there was so much.

I ironed it over a few times and made a band that I folded under the blanket to reinforce the outer edges.

The band.



One of my favorite circles.

The year it was made.



Voila!

Front and back happy together.

















Chalkboards

I made these chalkboards and gave them to friends as gifts for their children and grand children.  All I did was use chalk board fabric, made it into a square and added a border around it to give it some life. Voila!