Christmas Quilt Along & Challenge...Scheduling Time

 

I decided in the interest of all the other things I need to pay attention to today that I needed to set a time limit on working on my Christmas Quilt Along project for today.  I also find that turning on a timer, whether an alarm, a familiar old movie or a CD increases my productivity.

So...in the DVD player went a pseudo-Christmas movie,...Love Actually which is has been watched enough times that I am now able to"watch" with the top of my head and not be distracted from the task at hand.

Yeah, I could do without the F-Bombs & the nudity...but I love a couple of the storylines in this patchwork movie, and the soundtrack gets me moving!  Who doesn't love Hugh Grant dancing through the Prime Ministers residence to "Jump" by The Pointer Sisters or watching Jamie and Aurelia fall in love in spite of their language barrier???  My favorite though, is when Joanna, following a typical childrens school performance, begins to sing just those first few bars of All I Want For Christmas and knocks the breath out of the entire audience.

So anyway...back on track here...  

Up came my two little cuddlers, Shooter & Maecee for their midday Doxie-Pile nap.  The pile is created in their efforts to see who can maneuver themselves into being the closest to me before they drift off to sleep.  They cuddled me right into the left corner of the loveseat under my OttLite. From there I began working away with pattern, cotton, wool, fusible web, chenille needle & perle cotton.

I broke into the BOM package that my quilting partner in crime and I are sharing to make the mini version of Lisa Bongean's Warm Winter Blessings and cut out two sets...there's still plenty left for my friend to get at least 2 more sets out of...even three if she plans well. 

Notice that the layout on the left is a bit off-kilter and the coal buttons are rather wonky...

Mr. Lefty is for the Quilt-Along while

Mr. In Balance will be used in the completion of the actual mini quilt. 

Next I thought I'd share what the larger version quilt block looks like in relation to the mini quilt block.

And lastly...this is how much I was able to get done in two hours...from the insertion of the movie to it's completion and watching (listening) to a couple of the bonus features included on the dvd.

From opening the package to cutting backgrounds, tracing, fusing, cutting appliques and getting started on the blanket stitch to hold all those itty-bittys in place.

I'm not going to tell you where we're headed with Mr. Lefty yet...

we'll save that for another day...

Now it's time I pulled birdzilla out of the fridge...

I'm more than ready for a Turkey "Sammich"!  Think I'll add a little avocado for a treat!

 

In the meantime...do whatever it takes to get you in the spirit...

be it a viewing of White Christmas or blasting Mannheim Steamroller on the stereo

or partaking in a turkey sandwich with hot apple cider and a cinnamon stick!

I'll return to tell you more about my Christmas Quilt Along & a different maybe not so Christmas-y Christmas movie next month!

 

Doing What I Love...

 

Nancie Anne