Christmas String Placemats.

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Norma Hanson

I am on a mission to work through my Christmas scraps by making some placemats.

These string blocks were pieced and trimmed to 7.5 inches square before sewing 6 of them together to make a placemat.

I like my place mats on the larger size so there is room for the plate, cutlery, and glass without the glass having to sit on the edge of the placemat. This placemat finished at 14.5″ x 21 inches.

Ready for Christmas dinner!

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Norma Hanson

This year was a very special Christmas for our family. All 12 of the members of my family were able to celebrate together on Christmas Day! We did have to wait for two members of my family to get off work before we could eat our turkey dinner, but the important thing was that we were all able to be together.

To commemorate this occasion, we took a picture. Well, actually, we took several pictures! It took some time to get all 12 people to be looking the same way, not be talking, etc. We were a bit challenged because of limited space in our living room, but we managed to get a decent picture in the end.

Pictured, standing in the back row, left to right: my husband, myself, my son, my son’s finance, my daughter’s fiance, my daughter, my nephew, and my brother. Sitting in the front row, left to right: my niece, my dad, my mom, and my sister-in-law.

Years ago, (I am not sure how many exactly, let’s just say many years ago) my mom and I were at a local quilt show. My mom spotted a table runner that she just loved. She purchased the kit and I brought it home. I pieced the top right away and then the project sat on the shelf….for years. While going through some things in my studio before Christmas, I came across the unfinished table runner. I decided I would finally quilt the runner and then surprise my mother with the finished product in her stocking at Christmas. My mom was surprised when she opened up the runner–truth be told, it has been so long since she purchased the runner, she likely forgot that it existed!

I also came across a runner kit that I bought from the same shop during a shop hop one year–poppies instead of sunflowers. My kit is still in the plastic. *Sigh* Maybe I will finish my table runner in 2012!

Patience Corners Christmas Quilt – Flimsy

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Norma Hanson

My Patience Corners Christmas quilt is finally finished to the flimsy stage.

This quilt finished at 95″ x 107″.

The inspiration for this quilt was Finn — http://finnleah.blogspot.com/. I started this project in December 2006 shortly after Finn’s post about her Patience Corners quilt. http://finnleah.blogspot.com/2006/12/as-per-normas-request.html The scrap fabrics are all from my stash — many leftover from larger projects — and the border was one of my bargain purchases at Liquidation World in December 2007. http://silverthimblequiltingarchive.blogspot.com/2007/12/stash-busting-efforts.html

Thanks for the inspiration Finn!

Patience Corners Christmas Quilt

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Norma Hanson

I finally finished putting together the blocks for my Patience Corners Christmas Quilt.

Next up…………….a red inner border and a poinsettia outer border.

I want to start a new project as a reward for finishing this one so the borders will be going on soon.

I am back to working on the “reward” system. 🙂

It isn’t Christmas until the train comes to town!

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Norma Hanson

Greeting the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train (http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/General+Public/Holiday+Train/default.htm) has become one of our families’ Christmas Traditions.

The CP Holiday Train travels across Canada stopping at many communities along the way to share a short Christmas program and to collect money and non perishable food items for local food banks.

This year the weather cooperated–it was a night without wind, rain, and snow.

These are some of the pictures I took of the decorated rail cars.