First post of the New Year...FINALLY!

I think I am finally "over" the holidays...the tree came down yesterday and we have finally put the Polar Vortex behind us.

We had a great holiday season...I actually had all 6 siblings together at one time for a few hours at my parents' house.  I was so overcome with ho-ho-ho that I forgot to organize a picture.  You have to realize that along with these siblings come nieces and nephews from 12 months to 24 years of age.  That's a whole lot of craziness contained in a single moment of time.

I spent 10-11 days in Alabama and really enjoyed the mild temperatures...maybe that made all the below zero temperatures and wind chills even harder to deal with during the Polar Vortex. 

We received a fresh layer of snow today...sigh. 

Look at this quilt stand that my Dad designed and made for me in his wood shop for Christmas!  Isn't it fabulous?  
 

Now here it is with a quilt on it...a quilt that his mother (my Grandmother) made for his sister (my favorite Aunt).  He wanted to make it big enough to see almost the WHOLE quilt.

I just love the antique glass door knobs that he used on it.  I am hoping that it will just fit at the foot of my bed, although that is not a very good place to show it off.  

Unfortunately, my second-floor bedroom doesn't get a lot of traffic. Right now it is in the living room while I play with it.  I may need to rethink its location...

I could only fit a small project in the car for the holidays, so I took a music block and the center medallion for my parents' anniversary quilt to hand applique when time permitted.  After Christmas I put some stitches in, and since coming home I added the last two little bits...a fat squirrel and a bluebird carrying a banner.

They will benefit from the finishing embroidery...there are a lot of details missing.  ALL the hand applique has been finished on the center medallion (and the next music block!), so my portable project will now be all the embroidery embellishments.

Now that the holidays are over, the big push to finish the hand quilting of the first music quilt is ON, baby!  That is my home project...it is just too big to take anywhere.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year...I hope to catch up with blog reading and answering emails soon!

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Staring at my tree...some more...

More ornaments as I sit in a dark room and listen to carols...

I went through a pompom phase about 20 years ago while making ornaments...

I love the ones my daughter made, especially the ones with pictures of her on them...

I made these yoyo trees last year...

I bought these 3 gingerbread guys and gals from Etsy a couple of years ago...I love how twisted they are!

I made this one for my daughter...I have strung tiny letter beads on the back that spells her name...

One of my little egg chicks actually on the tree...

Another Riley original...

One of the first ornaments I made...

Again, pompoms...I even made the little stick xylophone...

Another one Riley made at school...

Back when I used to cross-stitch...

 Snoopy!

Mary Jones' beautiful Redwork...

 Snowman made from wooden beads and a wooden tiny spool...

More of my pompom creations...I made these in 1986!  I loved gluing stuff to plastic candy canes...I called these "William Tell bears" because of the tiny apple on his head.  He is holding a tiny book.

Another blast from my glue-gunning past...

Mary Jones does the nicest stitching/embroidering...

I hope you are enjoying your holidays!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

Staring at my tree...

 Ola Rosselot made this beauty, along with the next 2 snowmen...

Sandy Morgan made this pineapple block...it is TINY!

 I made this reindeer 100 years ago...at least...

I also made the next 4...

Barb Flynn made cinnamon "cookies" for everyone in my family...

When I worked in the research lab, a good friend Chen and his family made these beautiful origami lucky ball ornaments...

Cheryl Grajewski made the woven heart...

Chris Jones made Frosty...

I made the chicks a couple of years ago from egg shells and pompoms...

I made these up several years ago...I call them "Alabama reindeer" - they are made from raw peanuts...

Jo Watson made me a Weasley ornament...

Marilyn Agin made this crocheted snowman...

I am honored to have one of Ellen Taylor's whimsical Santa's (with a blown egg for a head)...

And Judy Endres made the next two...

Then a couple from Margit McPhee...

Marilyn Lange made the cardinal...

MaryLiz made the folded ball...

I made the next five...

My tree is very eclectic, which I LOVE...lots of variety and lots of homemade by me or by friends.  I love to just sit and stare...

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)