More Christmasey things

As the month of November approached I looked at my calendar and was quite pleased that it was fairly empty.  What has happened?

Really busy until the end of the month and then only about three weeks to Christmas!!  HELP.

However I am really pleased with my Studio as I have four WIPs (Works in Progress, not UFOs; they are at the bottom of the wardrobe) and I am able to leave them out and just work on them as and when I feel like it.  Of those four I have two that I cannot 'show and tell' yet as they are presents but I will give you a sneaky peak of November's Mini Mania.

This is a group that I joined on Flickr in September and I have shown you in previous posts.  November's is Churn Dash and to be no bigger than 20" (51cm) which I think is quite large.

Sorry LB, copied your idea of sepia!

Anyway this is progressing and will be finished in time but I cannot show you until the end of the month.

However, I can show you the next stage in making the Christmas Wreath, but as I discovered at group on Wednesday evening I was only given half the instructions so I have absolutely no idea where the original design came from and I am making a public apology if this is your design.

We have received two florists' rings and taped them together to make them rigid and this weekend I will put a small amount of toy stuffing on top and bind it in place with thin wadding.  It must not be too thick otherwise the fabric will not cover it.

The rings are 12" (30cm) and 14" (36cm) in diameter

In the last post I showed the prairie points being sewn into place and here is my finished ring of fabric -

I will finish it off tomorrow and must decide what to put round the edge and in the middle.  Decisions, decisions, but all should be revealed in the next post.

I can always tell that Christmas is approaching because my decrepit, neglected and very elderly Christmas Cacti always flowers.  I have had it years, forget to water it even though it is the bathroom and yet it struggles on.  How forgiving of it and this photo does not do it justice as the flowers have been brilliant this year.

Old ad gnarled but it still has some buds on it

BUT this year I was given one in January that has eclipsed the one upstairs -

It sits on the kitchen window sill and is absolutely brilliant.  It is entwined with an orchid that I was given a year ago and which has flowered continuously since;  I must be doing something right as I am not very good with houseplants.

At embroidery lesson (yes, I am still going and still doing my Mountmellick) I picked up a recipe for Apple Chutney and have now made two huge batches from the windfalls in my garden.  I did have a taste and it was delicious but should be kept for a month to mature - can't wait.

My Medlars have bletted at last and tomorrow I shall be making Medlar Jelly so the next post will have some finishes and I will show the latest photo of my embroidery so watch this space ........  BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.