Doing What I Can This Christmas Season...

Brynwood Needleworks - Socks In Progress

Even when I'm under the weather, I have a difficult time just sitting around. When I'm healing, I sleep most of the time, but I don't really just want to snooze through my recuperation. I'm trying to move around, gently, but I really have to be careful.

So, I decided it was time to find a gentle pursuit to keep my mind and my hands busy. I'm thinking socks, mittens and caps are on the gift list this year. It's a lot easier than sitting at my sewing machine, and unless I buy them this year, there may not be Grammie's Jammies. I know our grandchildren will understand, but it will be the first time in eighteen years that I probably won't be able to make them. (insert sad face here)

 

The most important thing is for me to completely heal, so I'll keep my needles busy as I knit my gifts this year. I know that, in the long run, they care more about Grandma's health than a pair of pajamas. I want to be here with them for a long time to come.

Jammies Done...

 I can't show full photos of the Grammie's Jammies than these bits

or I'll give away the surprises! Partial photos will have to do for now.

 

  I made the pants, and bought a coordinating top. The colors in the 

shirt really are in the pants. The blue is actually navy, and for some 

reason it shows brighter here than it does in my editing program.

 This set is flannel. I made the pants and a soft, sleeveless

 top, so I added a long-sleeved t-shirt as a warmer option.

Soft flannel pants in a brighter aqua, which I then paired with an equally soft t-top. The sleeves were too long, so I shortened them to  a 3/4 length. That should make it comfy for cool or warm weather.
Three sets of jammies done! I'm almost finished with my list and  will start wrapping later today. Tomorrow will definitely be a day of rest!

Grammies Girls...

I finished the Grammies Jammies for the girls yesterday. I did something a little different this year. Rather than sew the tops, I purchased the tops for all three of our grandchildren. I saw these soft and stylish sleep tops in the colors I needed, so I started with a finished top and added embellishments that would match the bottoms.

For Granddaughter #1 (with the dreamy hazel eyes), I purchased a long-sleeved Henley top that already had a little lace trim. I added a floral patch taken from the fabric I used to sew up the bottoms. I also have a second top that has short sleeves and I made that one "girly", too.

Granddaughter #2 (the little red-haired beauty) was easy. I added corgi appliques' to hers, cut from the same fabric I used for her bottoms. The tops are both short-sleeved, and I can see her wanting to wear hers day and night!

Grandson's jammies are nearly finished and I'll show those Saturday. I'll be sure to get pictures of all the items I've made before they get mailed out to their new homes. (I always do, don't I?)

I hope you have all your holiday shopping in order. It's getting time to enjoy the holidays, don't you think?

The Explorer...

I finished the second pair of Grammies Jammies and decided to start this gift before making the third pair (for our grandson). I'm making another quilt for a young man. This one is using some of the same fabric as the Dolphin Island quilt, but I'm using another main color for it.

Dolphin Island was primarily blues with the chart fabric. I'm using that fabric again, but using greens for accent colors. I've also introduced the nautical-themed weather vane fabric into this quilt, too. I'm calling it "The Explorer" quilt. I've chosen my favorite windmill pattern.

The fabric was chosen and cut, triangles assembled into squares, and I squared them up (all done yesterday). Today, I'll join the squares into the main windmill pattern, and then I'll add the borders. Each square measures 9" and the blocks that create the windmills will measure 16". It's going to come together quickly, so I should be quilting the "sandwich" together tomorrow.

I'll make that third set of jammies over the weekend, too. I'm telling you, the elves are having a grand time!

Fezzik Friday - 26 Weeks...

Shhhhhhhh. (whispering) I've been watching Fezzik grow. He's been eating and sleeping and running. All things that good puppies do when they're growing. This is one of his favorite places to rest when I'm in the studio. He wraps himself around the leg of a table that sits in the hallway outside my workshop. Not much gets past him while he's here. Even though he looks like he's completely kicked out-of-gear, he's ready to pounce at a moment's notice. And when this corgi is startled, he comes up barking his big boy bark!

Not wanting to disturb my growing boy this week, I'm giving Mr. Man the day off. In case you're wondering, this is what I did in the studio yesterday...
I completely finished one pair of Grammie's Jammies yesterday, and nearly finished a second pair . These pajamas are sewn from a beautiful fabric called Dream A Little Dream With Me. Perfect for sweet dreams in soft pjs, don't you think?
I think our granddaughter will be happy to snuggle up in these sweet pajamas. If you'd like to see more of the fabric line or purchase some for yourself, you can click here. It's designed by Keri Beyer for In The Beginning fabrics. I like it so much, I may just have to consider a quilt in this line!

Fez will be back to share his regular Friday feature with you next week.

Missed It By THIS Much...

For my "Wild Hare" Wednesday post today, I want to tell you that my most recent "Hare" is planning a decor redux before Christmas.
I'm going to be purging many knick knacks and dust magnets from my daily view.

Some will be lovingly packed and stored, but most will be leaving Brynwood for good. I think I'll take photos of the "adoptables" and see what y'all think. I'm just tired of moving, dusting and being frustrated by clutter...a wild hare that I'm sure has some real teeth! (*"You mean, be'oind the rabbit, then?") I'll keep you posted on my progress.

On another note, I finished two of my Grammies Jammies yesterday, but at 9:30 last night, I was just too pooped to tackle the third. I'll be doing the third - and last - of my Jammies today. Darn! I was sooo close, too! Well, better to be fresh and not make any mistakes than to attempt something when I'm tired and make a real mess of it.

I did play around with my ruffler again, and couldn't resist making an extra little something. Man, don't you hate it when I'm vague? Yeah, me too, but it's not without a reeeeallly good reason. Some people check in to see if they can find out what their Christmas (or sometimes birthday) gifts are going to be. We can't be giving away surprises, now, can we?

I'm taking lots of photos as I finish my projects, and I promise - "cross my heart" - that I'll show you everything after Christmas. So, while I'm loving everything I did accomplish by the 15th...I missed my goal "by this much". I agree with my friend, Shell (from Tales of the Raspberry Rabbits), who left a comment on my post yesterday..."Next year, we start in July!!!" You've got a deal, my friend!

Be sure to visit Shell's blog for more "Wild Hare Wednesday" posts. Who knows what silly nonsense is overcoming the other participants these days!
* reference to a quote from a Monty Python movie. ;-]

The Perfect Gift This Season...

I spent part of Saturday choosing fabric, cutting out pattern pieces, and assembling the needed notions to start making my annual Christmas Eve Grammies Jammies for our three grandchildren.

In the afternoon, I managed to finish about one quarter of my fourth beaded scarf. I'm think I'm moving at a comfortable pace on that, too.

The reason I mention my project progress is because last night - following a day week of domesticity - I got all dressed up, put on my fancy, sparkling earrings, and then Handsome and I joined three other couples for a holiday get-together. Truth is, I was looking forward to taking a little break from my self-imposed deadlines.

Our friends invited us to dinner at their home in Punta Gorda (Remember Hurricane Charlie in 2004? P.G. is where it made landfall.) As a gift for Joanie, our hostess, I chose a Christmas cactus so heavily laden with blossoms that I was expecting them to burst open at any instant. They sure will offer an impressive display just in time for Christmas. I always prefer to give either an easy care potted plant, or something already arranged, for the recipient's convenience. While cut flowers are always lovely, this way the hostess doesn't have to stop everything to get them into water.

We had a wonderful dinner, easy conversation with interesting folks, and a thoroughly relaxing evening. I savored every minute of our first holiday gathering of the season.

I hope you're planning to set aside some time amidst the holiday hustle and bustle to count your blessings and be with family and friends. Remember, it's not about how much money you spend or the who gets or gives the biggest gift. I think it's about Time...giving it, taking it, sharing it, spending it, making it, savoring it. It's really the thing I love most about this time of year - and it really is the best gift of all.

Dixie at French Lique, TX blog is having a beautiful, bountiful 300th Post Giveaway. Her deadline to enter is this evening, so hurry over and get your name included asap! Tell her Brynwood sent you if you think of it. xoxo