Hand Crafted Christmas Decor

Our cards and tree will go out and up on the weekend. This week, I pulled out the Christmas decor and hung it around the house.

Itty Bitty Tree

I have several Christmas wall hangings that Martha made. First, is the "itty bitty" pieced tree that hangs in my studio year around. My friend Martha made it and it hung in her entry way. Many of the items I stitch, I gift. Seeing this in my studio makes me smile because she was a gifter too!

Log cabin wreath

Second is the small log cabin wreath she stitched. I believe she made a bunch of these and sold them at a Christmas bazaar.

Angels

Third is the angel wall hanging. Martha loved sparkle. She quilted this with metallic thread to accent the silver in the printed border fabric.

Close up view of an angel

She used yarn and embroidery stitches to embellish each face.

Scrappy Christmas quilt

My husband's mom quilts too. She made her son and her daughter a Christmas quilt. It is hand quilted. The pattern came from Better Homes and Gardens. She enjoyed pulling scraps to make each block. Most of the applique is raw edge machine stitched.

Close up of a block

Many of the pieces are tiny! It took a number of years to complete as she put it, "her lifetime project!"

Gingerbread man

One year, her quilt group decided to make gingerbread wall hangings. She made one for each of her grandchildren. She used reclaimed fabrics and embellished the project with buttons and trims from her stash.

Close up view

She said she had fun making each one. This one hangs in my daughter's childhood room. It hasn't fit into a suitcase yet to fly over the pond.

Santa's Sleigh

When I began quilting in 1980, I gifted projects as I finished them. The second quilt I kept for myself was Santa's Sleigh. I made it in 1996 and it is one of the first decorations to adorn the wall after Thanksgiving and the last item to stow away after New Years Day arrives.

Stockings

I posted about stockings that I repaired and stitched this year. These did make it into the suitcase and are hanging in London waiting for Santa to come fill them.

Christmas Santa

I made a Christmas wallhanging for my grandmother. She had moved from Oregon to California in a part of the state where it wasn't practical to have fresh evergreen wreaths. She hung this in her entry way so any visitor saw it first and last when entering her home.

Close up view

My grandmother liked to paint. She purchased a kiln and made many ceramic items, Eventually, she dabbled in china painting. She had a knack for capturing an expression if she were painting a face. I tried to give this Santa a personality which tickled her.

Angel

I also made a wall hanging for a friend as a secret pal gift. It hung in her home for many years until she needed to downsize. She called me and asked if I wanted it back. Every quilt, I gift, I let the recipient know that if wears out, I'll replace it. If it is no longer of use to them, they can give it back. The latter is how I came to have this wall hanging returned to me. 

Santa tree skirt

Over the years, I've made a few tree skirts. The first one I made, went to my youngest brother and sister in law as a Christmas gift. Since then, it is an item I've given when my nieces and daughter have married. This is the tree skirt my youngest daughter will receive when she marries.

Close up

I've even made a few hexagon holiday ornaments. I've finished three so far. Two will be going in cards and the third, I'll keep as "seed stock" for next year. I plan to make a few more ornaments next year to gift to my grandkids. It takes me about three hours to make one ornament. In the end, the effort is worth it!

Hexagon ornaments

Posting about my Christmas decor was goal number ten on my December list. This time of year sure seems to come and go quicker each year. I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!