Christmas Lists again!

I was too busy making this

this,

and this

and then eating them, to put together a post at the weekend updating my list for

 

So, I am only just getting around to it now. 

There was a lot of baking and not very much sewing going on in these parts recently, so my Christmas Cake is now made and safely stored away but there aren't any other finishes to be ticked off the list. 

I did get to make a start on the pyjama trousers, the fabric is all cut out and ready to sew up. Whilst I was at it I also cut out the fabric for the BBQ apron too, but sadly that is as far as that has got too. The pyjama trousers need to be finished for Sunday as that is our youngest son's birthday and I would like to give him them as a birthday present. I am thinking that as well as making the pyjama trousers, I might have a go at appliqueing an appropriate motif to a plain t-shirt for a pyjama top. 

Last year I found this moose cutter in a wonderful shop nearby, Re-found Objects, it has the most quirky products imaginable. I can always guarantee finding something that will take my fancy. 

So, I am toying with the idea of using this as a template for the applique, needless to say it will depend entirely on whether I can find the time before Sunday :)

I have searched through all of my recipes and recipe books and cannot find anything suitable for the biscuits I wanted to make for my brother. I will not see him before Christmas so will have to make them long enough in advance to send, but all the recipes I have only have a shelf life of up to a week, so I am going to scrap them from the list and think of something else to go with the relish and chutney instead. All suggestions welcome :)

So, here's how the list looks now.

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two One Liberty and linen jewellery roll for my sister-in-law
• One Triple Zip pouch for my sister-in-law MADE
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother SCRAPPED!
• Something to go with cheese! 
• Meat rub, BBQ apron and oven glove for my b-in-law - apron cut out ready to sew!
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son - cut out ready to sew!
• Appliqued pyjama top for youngest son

 If you have classmate gifts to make this year, you will definitely want to check out Erin's post for Making Christmas, her Lollipop Nose Critters are adorable!

Hope you are making more progress than I am :)

New to Me in October

It's the 25th of the month, which means you know what is coming in two months time!

Less worryingly it also means that it is time to link up to

There hasn't been a lot of new activity going on in my little part of blogland, although hosting a voting competition was very definitely a first for me :)

Responses from the prize winners suggest that winning a competition was a first for some of them too!

I can't wait to do it all again next year :)

My other first this month was much messier than sewing, as my daughter-in-law and I treated ourselves to a cupcake decorating class a couple of weeks ago. Instead of dressmakers pins it was rolling pins that dominated our afternoon.

We learned a number of different techniques and surprised ourselves at the standard of our finished cupcakes, not quite Great British Bake Off admittedly, but certainly much better than we had hoped for at the start of the day.

Needless to say they didn't last long on our return home :)

So, what have you been up to this month?

Link up your New to Me posts below and share your triumphs and/or disasters.

As ever please help to spread the word by linking back to this post in your post and/or adding the blog button to your sidebar.


Check out the other links and leave a comment along the way. The emphasis of this link party is to celebrate the trying of something new, whether it works out exactly as planned or not, so a little encouragement here and there would not go amiss! 

The link will remain open until October 31st so if you haven't already tried something new you still have time :)

An InLinkz Link-up