busy holiday vacation

Well, this year for my Christmas vacation I sort of took it easy.  I just kicked back and rested my feet and did a little sewing.  I wanted to do some quilting and it's nice to sew during the day and show some progress quickly.  We go to Barnes and Noble Saturday mornings off and on. We usually pick up a few magazines and sit and have a coffee. It is just to expensive to buy them all so I can check them out and if I run across any I really like I buy it.  I've tried to be really choosy. I found one a couple months ago and another a couple weeks ago.   I made two small wall hanging from patterns .. One for Christmas and the other Valentines day.  

the Dreidel Delight was from the McCall's Quilting Nov/Dec 2011 issue. We aren't Jewish but I've always wanted to make one and just never found one I liked. I love the blues and it was a pretty simple pattern. We put up all kinds of holiday stuff at work.  I have a couple Jewish co-workers so thought this might be nice next year so we could all enjoy the holiday..

This one I recently found in McCall's Quilting Jan/Feb 2012.  This is one of my favorite magazines, Quiltmaker is one of the others. Thought it would be fun to make. What was a first for me was that you put it all together including the machine quilting and binding. Then you put the Hearts and stem. I always thought it would be a great way to put a wall hanging together.  It would be so much easier when you are doing the background quilting. Instead of quilting up to the pattern, stopping and going to the next line.  I think I'm going to try this with my next wall hanging if possible. No one sees the back so except to read the label the extras stitching won't matter.

This is an up close shot of the heart. The little hearts are double sided and attached down the center..sort of like butterflies..  It was a lot of fun.  The back is the same color as the border squares.    Making the wall hanging over my Christmas vacation was fun..Usually I don't get to anything I had planned.. this one was a success..

I also wanted to go to a couple movies. During the day it's a little cheaper but only managed to see one and it was great.  War Horse. I was a little sad in parts but it was done so well.