Thursday, December 21, 2023

Updates and Ornaments

I've really fallen behind so I'm trying to squeeze in one more post before the end of the year. 

First, a couple updates on quilts; second, pics of my handmade ornaments from years ago :)


I laid out all the Y2K blocks I've made so far. I'm still enjoying this project! So quick and easy :)

Sometime in late spring, I started making 12" strips of 1" x 2" paper-pieced flying geese thinking I would sew them together end to end. Well, it only took two to make me realize that wasn't going to happen! 

So I combined the geese with 1" squares and finished them off with a leftover strip of floral repro fabric as the border with hsts in the corners. 

Now onto Christmas ornaments . . . 

These are my favorites. I made them in the late 60s early 70s and most likely found the directions in McCall's Needlework & Crafts, Woman's Day, Family Circle or Better Homes and Gardens. 

Christmas card cutouts with vintage ribbons and trims.

Gold cord glued round and round . . .

Clothespin dolls perhaps during the bicentennial?

We loved gathering and decorating milkweed pods and sea shells.

Made from powder puffs, felt, trims, buttons and cotton balls.
 

Spray-painted wooden spools decorated with sequins and trims. The egg is the only one left of 12 that I made for our very first (tabletop) Christmas tree which actually fell over! I had spent hours blowing out the eggs and adding glitter.  


And paint-by-number. 

Well, I better get busy decorating the tree! All of these will be on it along with others that I didn't photograph. So many heartwarming memories that make me smile :)

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas!  

 

Copyright 2023 Barbara Schaffer

7 comments:

  1. love your ornaments....those were great magazines for ideas...

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    1. Thanks! i loved those magazines. Always found something to make!

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  2. How nice to see a new post. Love your scrappy quilt projects.
    Thanks for the tour of your favorite ornaments.
    the old ones are the best ones :)
    Merry Christmas!

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  3. It's so much fun to revisit the older handmade ornaments, and yours are so lovely. Love the milkweed pods especially! Merry Christmas!

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  4. I love seeing the progress on your quilting. Your scrap creations really resonate with me. I hear you on the foundation pieced flying geese. Nice idea, right, but the reality is it isn't fun to make them over and over again. Nice solution. That is a great mini.
    So fun to see your ornaments and the memories associated with them. The powder puff ornaments are a new one to me. So creative. We have a couple of those paint-by-number ornaments on our tree that hubby brought into the marriage from his childhood. And the Christmas Card cutouts are very familiar. Love the milkweed pods. We are surrounded by those, but the idea never occurred to us.
    A fun post, Barbara. Merry Christmas!

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  5. I really adore all your handmade ornaments! Mine do not look as charming as yours!! The little quilt is so cute and such tiny pieces!
    Love the 25 patch quilt. Yay for progress. Merry Christmas

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  6. What delightful memories of Christmas past. Your flying geese mini is fabulous. I love how the background squares let those red flying geese be the star. Also the border fabric is perfect, hugging the quilt! Happy new year

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