Feeling the Christmas crunch

Christmas decor 03

I started my career as a journalist, which means I like a good deadline. It also means I’m a procrastinator, a bad habit that bites me in the rear every holiday season.

The gifts are bought, most of them are even wrapped, my cards have been mailed, but I haven’t even begun the handmade presents. My house only looks decent because of previous last minute holiday finishes.

I used to make quilts every holiday, but after trying to finish three in one year I was scarred and haven’t made a quilt as a Christmas gift since. But I still have a few handmade items I make each year. As of yesterday I had the following items on my must finish by Christmas list:

  • Holiday throw pillows for the couch
  • Christmas stocking for my new nephew (this is the sixth stocking in as many years … there is a lot of procreating happening in my family)
  • Christmas dress for Angela
  • Finish longarming the next fabric exchange quilt so I can bind it in the 10 hours I will spend in a car this weekend

Christmas decor 02

I managed to finish the pillows last night (which have been cut out since October by the way) just in time to lean on them while watching Star Wars. My husband has us watching all the previous movies before watching the latest release. The most exciting thing about this for me, is I found a mug that reads, “Quilters always press to the Dark Side.” I bought it. Oh and just so you know, there’s one corner of binding undone on the quilt hanging on the couch.

Today I tried on Angela’s Christmas dress I made her last year which was a little on the big side then and she’s a little on the small side. Small victory, it still fits, and she only wore the satin plaid beauty I spent hours making once, so unless I’m WAY ahead of schedule I will not be making the velvet vintage 60s toddler dress pattern I had planned.

The Christmas stocking is probably on tomorrow’s agenda after my daughter’s bedtime. It is scary how much I can accomplish from 7 to 10 p.m. knowing that is the only uninterrupted time I have all day to work. Oh, and I’ve had the fabric for the stocking since Black Friday and I still need to make a baby quilt for this nephew. I’m failing in the aunt department.

Longarming the quilt is a tricky business. The longarm is not at my house so I have to both not be working at the day job and have care lined up for my daughter. With a husband who works second shift, the stars have to be perfectly aligned for this to happen. The good news … I’m off at 2:30 tomorrow and it is Angela’s afternoon to go play with other kids at day care. That’s just enough time to finish what I need to do on the longarm.

So the Christmas crunch might not get me this year. How are you doing getting everything finished up before Santa arrives?

(Visited 44 times, 1 visits today)

You might be interested in

Comment (4)

  1. I got everything done before my surgery. So I have nothing that needs to be done. Working on some unfinished things that don’t have a time table.

  2. I’ve got 3 Crossbody Sling Bags, that I just washed the fabrics for last night. Hope to get them cut out tonight!
    Then I have to still figure out what I’m doing for my Father-In-Law, and my middle son’s fiancé. After that, I’m done.

  3. Christmas has come and gone, too fast. I never made the crunch. My 2 middle son’s wanted hand made orniments again this year. I am still working on 2 quitls, that I make by hand,, I don’t own a sewing machine.

    The good news is, I know what most of the family wants for next year. So I can get started on those now. Maybe, I’ll have them ready for Christmas.

    Happy New Year, everyone. May 2016 find you well, happy and loved

Leave a Reply to Beatrix Anselm Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *