I CAN'T BELIEVE ANOTHER MONTH HAS PASSSED!

We've been having fun!  DH and his friends have been busy bringing Christmas cheer to local nursing homes, rehab centers and senior residences, playing music, telling jokes and having fun interacting with the residents.
In our community, we've had a Christmas sing-a-long, and decorated golf cart parade, food and toy drives for the local community, and we have caroling planned for Sunday evening, with 22 homes to visit, to let our neighbors know that we are thinking about them too. 
My southern quilting group has been busy, with large and small finishes being shared each week.  We had a great potluck lunch last week - everyone brought delicious treats to share.
Along with our friends, we have had several visits to various parks at Disney World, enjoying the holiday entertainment, especially the annual Candlelight Processional - always wonderful!
Lately, holiday baking has been taking center stage.  I made 4 loaves of cinnamon raisin fruit bread - 2 were delivered to neighbors, baked chocolate mint cookies, ginger cookies, marizpan bars ( my Mother-in-law's recipe), peanut butter oatmeal cookies, I have pastry made for mincemeat tarts, and I'm baking a large batch of dinner rolls.
Now on to the important information - Quilting!
I have been staying up to date on the CQA's 52 blocks in 52 weeks, and of course I've been playing with different layouts for the future quilt.  
A person in my quilt group was giving away unfinished projects that she has lost interest in finishing.  I saw a cute pattern to make small table mats, so I used her already cut pieces, re-cutting to make the outer ring, and finished these 2 small projects, and gave one to the donor of the fabric!

I pulled out a panel that has been waiting a very long time in my stash.  I found some coordinating fabric prints, then headed to Electric Quilt 8, to play with various ideas for setting the panel.  I decided on hourglass blocks in bold colours to surround the panel, then 2 borders and scrappy binding.   I  pin-basted and machine quilted, using a variegated thread.  I enjoyed sitting and hand stitching the binding to the back while watching a Christmas move with DH.  This will be donated through my guild's community quilts program in the spring.

I have also been working on my Jewel Box Stars quilt, as part of the Quiltville leader and ender challenge for this year.  I cut block kits from my scraps and strips during the summer and fall, sewing the pieces into block quarters while working on various other projects.  When I finished the top, DH, my pin basting assistant on larger projects, prepared the quilt for machine quilting.  So far, I have completed the SITD, to stabilize the quilt top, and I am about 1/3 quilted with a green twist thread in the 4 patch areas.  I plan to complete the quilt before the end of the year so I can count the yardage in my annual stash report statistics!
Now back to baking dinner rolls, and the final batch of Christmas cookies!  Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season with family and friends.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  6.375 yards

Fabric used year to date  31.25 yards

Fabric added this week  47.75  yards

Fabric added year to date  53.75 yards

Net used 2019  -16.125 yards

What a huge amount of fabric to add in one week, but it isn't all my fault!!!!  I did pick up some fabric to make my "52 blocks 52 weeks" blocks, and I am making a checkerboard rails quilt (Bonnie Hunter pattern), to use up lots of my 1 1/2 inch scrap strips, and needed black and white fabric for the checkerboard pieces, and I picked up 2 yards of striped fabric, for use as binding.

I also made a quick stop at my favourite local shop to pick up a bit more fabric, more black solid, and a beautiful print that I plan to use for a new quilt pattern.  I also found some sweet pink print flannel to use on the back of another quilt for our granddaughter.
 

The remaining yardage came as a gift from my southern quilting group.  We meet every Wednesday from 11-3, and have fun making quilts and other sewing projects.  Many work on their own individual projects, but I also provide patterns for easy beginner quilts, and this year led the group in 2 mystery quilt projects.  

We went out for lunch on Wednesday, along with some fabric therapy at 2 different fabric shops.  We do this every year before we all head off to our northern homes for the summer.  It is always a bit sad, but we'll all be together again in November or December.

I received a lovely card, signed by all the quilters, and a tote bag filled with fat quarters!  They all know that I track my stash, and there was some evil snickering as the fabric was passed around for all to admire.  Of course, this has moved me into the red again this year!  Now I have to ramp up my quilting, and get back into the black again.......  Too many projects, and too little time. 

I managed to complete another quilt in time to add it to my "used" yardage!  I started with a panel designed by Nancy Halverson that had been lingering in my stash.  I also had a leftover all-over print and coordinating floral stripe, from a project I made in 2000! I us!ed the stripe to make a mitered border, which I demo'd to my group, and used a pretty floral flannel for the backing.  

Since I am a fabric pre-washer, I'm off to serge all the raw edges of my new fabric, and sort it into loads of like colours.  Since I donate almost all of my quilts, I like to make sure that any loose dye is out of each piece, and that any shrinkage happens before I use it in a project.  I've had some big surprises over the years!