What I've Been Working On

The last few weeks I haven't been cross-stitching, but my needle has still been busy. I started this project last December, then set it aside for nearly a year.

Getting back into the spirit of the holiday, I dug it back out of my workbasket and got busy finishing this folky little hand appliqued and quilted wall hanging.

Now before you go and get all impressed, I'll have you know that I have only dabbled in applique quilting, and was able to figure this out all by myself. If I can do it, so can you!

Anyway, I had this idea last year, for a "something" to hang over my nativity set. A "something" that would depict the night sky and the star and the angels, as told in the Bible in Luke chapter 2 (the version that was read in my family every Christmas Eve as far back as I can remember).

Inspired by some circular motifs on an old fraktur certificate and an old wooden weathervane in the shape of an angel blowing a horn, my design was born.

My quilting stitches are large and primitive on purpose, because its much quicker and suits my impatient nature, and I like how they look.

I can't say that it is exactly how I would like it to be... the colors are looking too bright to my eyes, so I might tea-stain it to help marry them... but for a first attempt at designing a quilt, I would say that I did pretty darn well.

Once I get some dowel and hang it over my nativity, I'll snap some photos so you can see the set-up as I imagined it.