Sunday, December 20, 2020

Christmas decorating fun

I love seeing our Christmas tree full of ornaments bought, inherited, received and made over the years. It's also the time when those Christmas runners, placemats and wall hangings get to come out and shine.

Adding to our Christmas decorations

Each year I try to make a little something for the tree or the house. I found the tutorial for the Christmas bell - the bell was supposed to be made of "sheer paper cloth" but I used organza backed with light stabilizer instead. The stabilizer gave the organza a crispness without removing the translucence. For the three-sided bell I used organza with dots and hearts on two of the sides and then embroidered the third side with a star. I hand-stitched the sides together and added the bell through it. If you're interested, the link to the tutorial is in Related links below.

Three sided Christmas bell
The embroidered side of
 the Christmas bell












I also made a snow frame. I started with a meditation stitched piece that I made last year, added an extra piece of fabric to make it wide enough and then added a couched snowman, snow and extra stars.

Snow frame with Christmas tree and snowman

For the Out of the Box Fibre Artist group, I made a Christmas postcard. It was dropped off on November 30 and should have arrived to it's new home by now.

The postcard was 4" x 6". The background is a fluffy fabric that I hand dyed in very light green. I used a pink cheese cloth to outline the tree and then couched some green chenille yarn. I used a Murano star bead for the top. Behind it I attached a small piece of yellow silk to add a little pop of colour. There are also many seed beads within the tree.

In the background, I used a white silk thread to embroider the snowflakes. I like the subtleness, like an impression of flakes. Instead of cardstock, I attached interfacing and then added a white backing.

Stylized Christmas tree postcard

Christmas postcard

Decorating the workplace

It's so different from previous years. This was my office in 2018. My colleague and I had a great time decorating with things that I had brought from home.

Adding colour to our 
workspace (2018)


Decorating the office plant (2018)























This is my present workplace - our dining room.

Working from home, in my dining room (2020)

It certainly is a lot cozier and the commute is very short 😊 I also love that Chevy is always near by!

What I learned
    Chevy in my studio.
  • I loved the idea of making the bell decorations but once I was done, although I liked it, I didn't feel the need to make more - which is a good thing because I still have way too many projects on the go!
  • The snow frame is on my window ledge in my studio. It's so lovely to look at while I'm writing this post. The couched yarn and backing makes it just a little too thick for the frame so I had to tape around it. Since it's for my office, I don't mind but I'll have to remember this if I ever make more as gifts.
  • I'm really not missing my physical workplace. It's so much easier to concentrate in my quiet dining room. You can see that I'm not trying to work in my studio - that would be a recipe for disaster...just too many distractions there 😊. 
  • Today I took pictures of my studio - it's pretty much finished. I'm hoping to write the post this week. Here's a teaser....
Related links

Linking parties

I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties, including with Muv for Free Motion Mavericks until Tuesday. On Thursday, please join me for the next Free Motion Mavericks. Your project doesn't have to be free-motion quilted to link up! Put Your Foot DownOff The Wall Friday Beauties Pageant, Peacock Party, Patchwork & Quilts, Oh Scrap!, Slow Sunday Stitching, 15 Minutes to Stitch 2020Monday Making

12 comments:

  1. I am working in the corner of my living room, and like you, love the zero commute. Your winter pieces are really innovative. Thanks for the link to the bell tutorial.

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    1. Thanks Karla, it sure is a very different time in many ways, but the commute really is lovely...I like being able to pick up my cup of coffee on my way to turning the computer on. By the time the coffee is done, my computer is ready for me :-) I hope that you fun making a bell.
      Take care.

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  2. Your little bell is sweet and so is the snow frame. The Christmas tree postcard has lovely detail. How lovely is your home and how fabulous you get to work there surrounded by its lovely ambience. How comfy Chevy looks resting on the sofa. Love your Christmas tree. May you enjoy a lovely Christmas, Andree.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Kim. Since I'm a home body, staying at home to work is not a hardship and I love being surrounded by the people, animal and things that I love. I hope you have a lovely Christmas Kim. Take care.

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  3. Very fun holiday projects. I really like the snowman frame. Working from home has some perks, but I've found I really prefer being in the office. Have a very happy holiday.

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    1. Thanks Kate. I hope that I never have to go back - and with luck, because of the work that I do, if I do go back, it will be only on a part-time basis at the office. I hope that you also have a great holiday. Take care.

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  4. Nifty bells. And, boy howdy, what a difference a year makes! Merry Christmas.

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    1. Thanks Bonnie. It is incredible isn't it. Who would have thought? I do hope that things get back to the real normal eventually, even if I hope to keep working from home. Take care and Merry Christmas!

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  5. Les décorations de Noël sont bien différentes cette année...Je viens seulement de mettre quelques guirlandes, mais pas comme les autres fois. J'aime beaucoup tes clochettes !
    Joyeuses fĂȘtes

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    Replies
    1. Merci beaucoup FrĂ©dĂ©rique. Je suis heureuse que les dĂ©corations Ă  la maison sont les mĂȘmes que celles de mon travaille cette annĂ©e. Nous ne sommes jamais trĂšs sociables, donc le temps des fĂȘtes ne sera pas trop diffĂ©rent dans notre maison. J'espĂšre que tu passeras de trĂšs belle fĂȘtes.

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  6. Hello Andrée,
    Your decorated office plant is hilarious, but at least you could save time this year and decorate your office and home all in one go.
    Love the snowman.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Muv. It's important to have a lovely work space, at home or outside. I'm really glad that it's in my home at this time.

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