Finished - Christmas Sew Along Mini Quilt

Yay!  I did it!  I kept up with a sew along!  Admittedly, it's only been a wee one, but I kept up and it's finished.

Isn't it sweet?  This is Pretty Fabric and Trim's A Little Happy Sew-a-long project all stitched bound and on an expectant hanger.

Since my hanger didn't have clips like the one Sarah used, I just made skinny tabs and stitched them on before my binding so I could slide my wires through.  Worked a treat!

This little sew along took place over five Fridays and provided me with a focus for about an hour's sewing each weekend (maybe a tiny bit more on this last week).  These bit size pieces were just perfect for me at this time and I can now appreciate the feeling of having a finish.  Truthfully, I enjoyed every stitchy second of this project!

It's not too late for you to make one of your own.  The blog posts are all up on the Pretty Little Fabric and Trims blog, starting 30 September 2016.

Oh, and not that I want to be an enabler, but I did spot on IG just a day or to ago a little peek of a Christmas BOM that is in the planning.  If you like the look of it make sure you are watching Sarah & Penny's blog and IG for the reveal, whenever that might be. - I have to pretend I never saw this ;-)

Christmas Wallhanging Sneaky Peek

One of my plans for November was to create a festive replacement for my Welcome Wallhanging ready for displaying next month.

The thing is that the plan in my head is totally not what's going on here.

Somewhere between drawing little sketches of snowmen and Christmas trees and cutting out bondawebbed fabric letters, the design became something altogether different.  While I still think the snowmen and trees would have worked a treat, this year I really need to remember that what Christmas is celebrating is actually beyond amazing.  Immanuel - God with us, then in flesh and now in spirit.  It is beyond my abilities to describe how humble this makes me feel.

I hope you won't feel that this is preachy in any sense.  In fact, it's very personal.  Life is good, but it's tough (as I know it is for many of you too) and, of late, very confusing and over and over again in the past few weeks I have felt the need to remember that no matter how it feels, we are not alone, there is always Immanuel.

I had another wee go at sketching applique for this wallhanging.  It's a bit dodgy in more than a few places but I think I'll get away with it.  I indulged in a smidgin of satisfyingly simple hand stitching for the 'Immanuel' and I even tried out one of my sewing machine's decorative stitches as the edging of the hanging and the tabs. The design is obviously very simple but it was fun mixing these elements to create just what I wanted.

Apologies to those of you who had to steady yourselves at the sight of my fabrics with the gold, but I'm a traditional Christmas colours girl and I like a wee bit of sparkle too - gasp. A bit of bright, festive red and cream and gold and sometimes a wee bit of green too just seems to speak warm and cosy Christmassy-ness.

So, I'm safely checking the festive wallhanging off my November list.  What about you, are you adding any new homemade decorations to your home this year?