Relaxing Christmas is not an Oxymoron

I have to admit that this is the most relaxing Christmas I can remember. Ordinarily I cannot use Christmas and relaxing in the same sentence. I promise that I have not been sneaking sips from the champagne while hiding in the closet. I’ve done most everything I usually do for Christmas and more. Yet, here on the day after,  Boxing Day, I am not sitting in a shattered heap.
Ready for Christmas
Christmas  at Home
  So what exactly HAVE I done in the past few weeks? A couple of quilts, a stylish tablet bag for a 6 year old fashionista, alterations to a fancy party dress, and sock monkeys.  Let’s have a look:   Miss M is a friend who was kind enough to let me “play” on her quilt, which was no small project at 81″ (just over 2m) square.
Miss M's Full quilt - 81" square (approx 2m square)
Miss M’s  flower quilt – 81″ (approx 2m) square
    This is the completed quilt     She’s been very patient while other quilts have gone before hers and is pleased with the final results. She had made the centre arrangement up to the inside pink border and had already added the outside border but then decided she wanted it bigger. I removed the outside border, added the checkerboard & pink borders & reapplied the outside border after piecing.  
Closeup
Creating definition
Pebbles machine quilting
Pebbles in the border
    When it came to the quilting, I didn’t want anything to overpower the dynamic design so tried to keep it pretty simple. With my wonderful 50wt Aurifil threads, it was easy to add texture without distraction.     And then I had some fun with Miss I’s quilt that had an impressionist flair to it. It’s hard to show the quilting but I used three pantos to mimic billowing clouds, waves (3 sizes) and clamshells for sand. Curved piecing and binding made for an interesting challenge. These photos were taken after it was washed, with the cotton batting crinkling up nicely. We were both very happy with the outcome.  
Waves, sea, quilting
Waves of the sea
clamshell, beach, quilting
Clamshells on the Beach
Beach, quilting
Miss I’s Beach – 66″ x 86″ (1.6 x 2m)
 
Tablet, bag, quilted
Miss V’s tablet bag
tablet, bag, quilted,
Tablet bag interior
    I had a request for a tablet bag for a sweet 6 year old fashionista. The request was originally for something simple to protect it, just a pocket cover. But when I was putting it together, I just knew it had to have a handle to make it a proper bag. Every fashionista needs a nice bag. 🙂       Then I had a fancy party dress that I simply HAD to wear to the office holiday party.  I had to make some alterations to it because I couldn’t zip it past my waist.
corset alteration
Corset back
 
Me & the Mr before the party
Me & the Mr before the party
  Rather than putting in gussets & having to create integrated quilted panels, I decided to create a corset lacing up the back. The photos we tried to take of the back while I was wearing it didn’t come out very well but the final effect looked lovely!         And finally, an idea I had after seeing these online, ended up being the most popular gifts for my not-so-little monkeys. The looks of disbelief from my children when I told them I’d made them from their socks was priceless.
Sock monkeys
Sock Monkeys
 
sock monkey
N°1 Monkey
sock monkey
N°3 Monkey
sock monkey
N° 2 Monkey
  So why am I NOT shattered? I am surrounded by those I love, I’ve been productive but have prioritised properly so I don’t feel pressured, and a little something simple that I made gave great delight. Sometimes it’s not so important to know WHY something is the way it is but accepting that it just IS and enjoying every bit of it. I hope everyone has had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas. Let’s look forward to an equally relaxing New Year! 🙂 Linking up with: Whoop Whoop Button TGIFF Link a Finish Friday

8 thoughts on “Relaxing Christmas is not an Oxymoron

  1. Joanie says:

    The sock monkeys are adorable! Your children look as though they are loving them! Both quilts are lovely in their different and own way! This year I made some executive decisions to trim the to doing with Christmas! It was a relaxing and enjoyable one! I am happy to hear yours wa the same!

  2. Sarah C. says:

    Elita, you’ve had a lovely bunch of finishes but I’m even more impressed by your relaxed Christmas! What a great way to celebrate! Whoop whoop for you!!

  3. Ann says:

    Elita, What lovely finishes! Everything is so attractive. I think your quilting was perfect for Miss M’s quilt. Love the sock monkeys. Enjoy the rest of the holidays.

  4. Ms JJ says:

    Ooooh, these look gorgeous! You are a clever lass! I was never convinced by the red-mouthed traditional ones. Now I just must go and pilfer someone’s socks… This might help me recover from my teddy-bear induced trauma about making soft toys. Although since our household seems to generate endless pairs of non-matching socks, mine just might end up a little bit scrappy… But other than being totally impressed, I am particularly glad that you had a relaxing Christmas. Hope the chillin’ vibe continues! xx JJ

  5. LPC says:

    Yay! Relaxing Christmases are definitely the way to go! The quilting is beautiful, and I just love love love those sock monkeys!

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