Quick Extra Christmas Gifts

 By now, you know about my fetish for quick sewing gifts.

These clothesline bowls still do not bore me. They have infinite design possibilities. With fabric and thread, each bowl takes on it's own personality. Made of simple cotton clothesline, these rope bowls are much admired which makes my heart beat in gladness.

When I start each bowl, my biggest thought is what color. Then as I wind the clothesline in on itself, ideas for what it will become, start playing through my fingers. I love the loosening of creativity. I tend to copy more than dream up projects. These clothesline bowls teach me of my creativity, that sits there, waiting for the right project. That something I view as simple, provides much enjoyment for the recipient.

 My mom and dad stopped off with a christmas bouquet for me.

My co-worker, who has worn these tights the past three christmas seasons, was told by customers that her snowflakes, weren't, ahem, snowflakes. Let me know if you see it too.

And, finally, my shining moment of Christmas cheer was with Santa.

Flying Potatoes And Tutorial

Two more gifts finished.

And the extras put into the etsy shop. (Yay! me).

I still need to finish an outstanding purse order from five weeks ago. The fabrics are cut out and interfaced - there's a procrastinating slug inside me about this project. However, the 12 hour days are now scheduled and not merely an emergency. It needs to be finished today.

These microwave potato bags are a must-have if you want restaurant quality baked potatoes in a quarter of the time it takes in the oven.

Dear hubby's last one finally gave up the ghost after three years of continuous use.

It caught fire. Which is alarming. But expected.

Even though I use 100% cotton materials in these bags, this is a known hazard.
These bags produce the moistest, fluffiest baked potatoes. The minimal risk is worth taking instead of using an entire hour to bake potatoes in a traditional oven.

If you want to make your own, I've written you a tutorial at the bottom of the post.

 Look who walked into work the other day? One of Santa's elves!
Is this not the cutest outfit - she even styled her purse with a pompom.
Delicious. (fred meyer stores!)

 Canby's Light Up the Night commenced Friday night with a parade featuring Santa texting? Well, he's not driving...

They formed up the parade right outside my workplace. Since I couldn't get out of my parking lot, I enjoyed the excitement. Small town parades. Big smile

 I found some wine for gifts featuring a biplane from a local vineyard. Be still my heart.

And, finally, my son sent me this photo of his girlfriend's mom's chickies wearing their best outfits sitting on Santa's lap.


Potato Bag Tutorial:

Cut from 100% cotton fabrics;
Try to use cotton thread.

11" x 22" Main fabric
11" x 22" Lining fabric
11" x 22" Warm & Natural 100% cotton batting


Make a quilt sandwich of Lining fabric face down, batting on top, and them place Main fabric face up on top. Quilt as desired.

Trim to a rectangle of 10.5" x 21.5".

Serge(overlock) the short ends. Or, use a tight zigzag. Or, make it more work - fold under twice and stitch.

With Main Fabric face up on table, fold down top serged edge 4". Fold up bottom serged edge 7" (or so). The serged edges will overlap 1 inch.

Baste where overlap is at the side seams. This keeps the top edge even when serging in the next step.
Serge side seams. Or you can use your tight zigzag to finish the edges. Knot off serger tails and trim.

Turn and enjoy:::

Anything polyester has a lower melting point than cotton. Try for 100% cotton.
The bag gets old and breaks down which is why it eventually catches fire.
Do not leave microwave unattended.


MICROWAVE BAKED POTATOES

Wash potatoes, pat dry. Do not prick with fork. Place up to four potatoes in bag and put in microwave on Baked Potato settings.

Marion asked in the comments how many minutes this takes as she doesn't have a baked potato setting on her microwave? I think it's about 5 or 6 minutes. You might need to experiment - adding 45 seconds until you get the fluffy just right.

Keep potatoes inside bag until meal is ready to stay hot.

These bags make the fluffiest baked potatoes with just the right moistness.

Taildragger Christmas

I finished my last week of overtime at the day job and now just need to 'survive' Christmas!
I took a job transfer to the community where I live. Two of the benefits will be Less Hours and a Three-mile Commute.
I am ever hopeful this will stabilize my work hours (feast or famine), giving me more time for my other life.

And more sewing.
And more creative journeys.

Time for family and friends.

Time for taking care of my health needs.

I have lots of goals for this next year including a much needed formal business plan that involves my other life. I am excited to embrace the new year with some important decisions behind me.

Reindeer Cam:
This one is pretty cool. Watching the reindeer eat in preparation to their big night.



Also a video from Rovaniemi, Finland; This is where Santa really lives - contrary to most US citizens' belief in the North Pole.






An interview with Joulupukki (Santa Claus)
In Rovaniemi, Finland.

I've been here and I also had the wonderful opportunity to see the reindeer races!
I tried to go back when we were there last summer but couldn't figure out the logistics of being in two places at once! (lol)

The Ultimate Christmas Yard Decoration

{Images proudly stolen from somewhere.}

Santa and His Airplane

Here in Canbyland, we believe that Santa delivers all the goodies from his airplane. Tossing appropriate presents over the side of his open cockpit biplane, the toys, book & games all find their way down the chimney with Santa's patented  Magic Dust©  and arrange themselves under the tree. The tree, of course, is decorated with our favorite airplane ornaments.

Christmas tree farms abound around us and while the cityfolk come out to Merrywood for ponyrides and $75 Nobles, we drive about 1 mile to the next street over and get ours for two bucks a foot. Always amazing, our 10 - 12 foot Grand or Noble ends up costing us $12 - every year.

A few years back at a neighborhood Christmas party, a few of my neighbors were hotly debating the 'environmental greenness' of getting a fake tree next year instead of the huge hoary impact of cutting down and throwing away a perfectly good Doug Fir or a Noble or a Grand Fir.

Just the day before the sound of a helicoptor was overhead for hours, ferrying trees to the baler and the semi. Seasonal workers scurry faster than I work trying to keep up with cutting, trimming, baling and loading the truck. These seasonal workers depend on the income these tree farms produce and just so you know -- THE TREES ARE GROWN AS A CONSUMER CROP which employs many OREGON WORKERS.



Of course the FAKE tree sheds no needles. It gives off a clearly neutral scent of old tinsel.  For those of us subject to environmental ethics and allergies, this plastic product is made in China, employing workers at less than I spend per hour on chocolate and has a few extra heavy metals encased in the needle manufacture as a bonus.

How is one to pick?