Sewing up a storm

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m struggling to post here. Not for lack of fodder – I’ve got loads of things I’d love to tell you about. It’s lack of time that gets me. Always.

I’m solidly in white rabbit mode, busy with Christmas gift making. You know, the stuff that I do every year up until 3pm on Christmas Eve, and swear I will do differently the next year, and then never do?  That.

We made card stock ‘stockings’ with candy canes and an invite to join us at church on Christmas Eve, and hung them on all the doorknobs in our neighborhood.

I’ve been making crayon rolls for the girls’ classmates at school:

and peppermint sucker covers for the Girl Scout troops:

I’ve made 3 baby dolls:

1 1/2 doll quilts:

And endless doll clothes.

There have been baby presents like burp cloths and pillows:

and of course some very special Christmas jammies.

I’ve made ‘something specials’ for the Angel Tree child, the mailman, the pastor, the significant others.

I’ve done potholders and placemats for my mother-in-law.

I’ve even got something on its way to Finland! {Arriving late, natch}

And what I just finished? The best gift of them all.

This is for my very dear Granny Goose-in-law. Her husband died 20+ years ago and she misses him terribly, so I used old pictures of them – printed on fabric, and sewn with love into a quilt for her. This is the present I am most excited to give this year, and I can’t wait for her to open it.

I finished it at 4:46 this morning, so you can imagine how tired I am right now. With 1 1/2 doll quilts still to be done today.

<sigh>

I’ve really enjoyed sitting down with a cup of coffee and mentally connecting with you again, dear readers, even if only for a moment. I will back again soon. Promise.

I just have to dig myself out first.

{Yes, it really is that bad.}

Warning – pictures aren’t for the weak stomached

In fact, my husband couldn’t believe I was going to share these with you, but hey, the story was too good for me to pass up. And the visuals just help it along.

Back in December, I was slaving away over Christmas gifts for the girls, sewing round the clock. For the first time in my life, like a complete idiot, I sewed my finger. The needle broke off, actually.

Chris wasn’t home yet (of course – don’t these things always happen when you’re home alone?). I wasn’t sure what would happen as I was still in shock, so I immediately wrote down my parents’ phone number and told Annie to call them if I fainted. Quick thinking, huh?

Then I went upstairs to prepare to deal with the situation. I got the peroxide, the rubbing alcohol, the tweezers…huddled over the kitchen sink, and then a glance to my right told me that my camera was nearby. I mean, it’s not everyday that a girl has a needle broken off in her finger, right? I mean, it went clear through and everything! I had you all in mind even in my time of crisis. I whipped out the camera, struggling to remove the lens cap without getting blood on anything, and managed to take a couple of quick pics for the blog. Which is right about the time my dear husband walked in and nearly fainted. He’s not good with blood. Or crises.

Anywho… he thinks this is totally disgusting and inappropriate to share, but to me it’s just fodder for the blog, baby. Of course it’s gross – in a really cool kinda way.

Needle protruding pictures to follow – you’ve been warned.

PS) I don’t know why I said ‘anywho’ up there – please forgive me. It even annoys me when people say that…somehow it just slipped out.