Christmas came early…..

So Chuck, my dear husband was in Albany this week and he delivered some Christmas presents. Nadine was the first to open her present – some back history – Nadine just moved into a new house, she is of course decorating it, making it her own. Nadine has an inspiration item that she is planning her room around; she loved the colors of this mug.

Nadine’s Dream Room

So my plan was to make her some pillows to get her color scheme started. I dug through my stash and this is what I came up with. Since Nadine opened these the other night I am able to share them with you.

Nadine’s Pillows

I downloaded the pattern for these pillows at this site: www.modabakeshop.com.  You can also find it here –

http://quiltingintherain.blogspot.com/search?q=Strippy+Pillow

The original pattern uses jelly rolls strips

Moda Jelly Roll

– for those who are not quilters – jelly rolls are fabric strips of 2.5” x 42”. They are sold in rolls of coordinating fabrics.

The next gift that was delivered went to our daughter–in-law Mari. Mari uses placemats on her table rather than tablecloths. This way you can see the beautiful wood of her dining room table. I made her 6 placemats and napkins. Here is a picture of the front and back of the placemat. The napkins are made of the same fabric as the back of the placemats.

Mari & Dan’s placemats

I made these by using a method called String Piecing. I had a lot of strips of Christmas fabric from other projects – I also cut some new strips to match the fabric that I was using. All six placemats are similar but not the same. I had used the same method to make the stockings that I posted earlier.

I really love making homemade gifts.  I am able to be creative and give a one of a kind gift.  I have several more gifts to complete.  I will post those after they are given.  That may not be until after Christmas depending upon when I finish them and get them delivered.

Enjoy the rush of the season.  Try to make it simple and fun – it isn’t about the best gift – it is about the best use of your time with those you love.

Be Kind….

Faith