Holiday Hand-dids

Now that the family Christmas celebrations are over, I can finally share with you a glimpse of what has been keeping me really, really busy the last few months...

There were 5 different pincushions made for the sewing women in my family. Each quite different from the other, and I only took pictures of one... I think I had intentions of photographing them all together when they were finished, but well...

I made 36 mini bags of Peppermint-scented rice and flax for the nieces, nephews and classmates, and 12 adult-sized bags of the same. My kids love to keep theirs in the refrigerator, so that they are cool at all times and ready to soothe bumps and bruises. I heat mine up most evenings to help my chilly bones get warm.

There were 7 tents made for little ones to play in, and 1 crocheted blanket for the Grandma whose own hands have crocheted many, many blankets for Kids and Grandkids over the years. My sister made sleeping bags for each of the kids to go with their tents.

I hand-quilted 2 play mats for baby boys to roll around on,

and bottled 5 containers of my home-brew.

Along with several jars of my Green Tomato Chutney.

And last, but certainly not least, 1 personalized My-First-Sampler kit for an almost-9-year-old niece. Complete with a design made just for her, hoops, needles, a pincushion, fabric, thread, and enclosed in a vintage sewing basket. Here's hoping she likes this new stitching experience!