Would somebody jab me with a candy cane! Here is is the season of Joy and Goodwill, and I am not in the mood. Let's just say that I am having trouble finding the Christmas Spirit. What does this say about me, as a person? Now the guilt comes for not wanting to dive into all the frolicking. Sigh.
Here is the thing: I just want to stay in my sewing room all day and make quilts. Big quilts, little quilts, I don't care. The truth is I am full of Joy and Goodwill all year long! I love my family, I love my friends, and I love doing for others. What I don't love is shopping at any time of year. My husband will tell you that he has to beg me to go to the grocery store! Currently we only have two grandchildren small enough that we can buy them presents. The rest are teenagers (and Becky), and my holiday spirit goes like this, "Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas, here is your check!" I do love them all tho, and I think the check makes them happier than me trying to buy them clothes or just the right music CD. Perish the thought!
Probably what this says about me is that I get excited about different things than I did in the past. For example, I made a little doll quilt and I love it so much that I want to fly through hoops in the sky! Does that sound a little extreme? Well, quilters, and other people who love their work, know just what I am feeling. Call it a "break-through", call it a "runner's high", call it the "Christmas Spirit"! Haha! We all know that different people enjoy different things. This thing is definitely me!
Meet my newest doll quilt, Lil' Smokey. I take a bit of pride in the fact that I have never named a quilt after food. It is a challenge sometimes, but I have resisted! So no, this quilt is not named after little sausages! Rather, I tried to incorporate smokey colors. Of course some sparks had to be added as well. I like the contrast. I hope you do too! Something that I really enjoy about making scrap quilts is mixing new fabric with old, and combining fabric from different designers and manufactures. It is like cross pollinating! I love the result! Wouldn't it look fitting lying on a humble manger.
So Christmas comes and Christmas goes. It seems like it always comes sooner than I want it to, but once Christmas actually rolls around, and the REAL Spirit of Christmas engulfs our home, I hate to see it leave. We all know that the Grinch was right when he finally admitted that "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store". So maybe there is still time for Patchville to be touched by the magic of it all!
24 comments:
I'm in the same boat with you. But I try really hard NOT to feel guilty. The memories and merchandisers make us feel that way -- Halmark is the worst! LOL Last time I looked there was NO Normal Rockwell among the nativity scene, nor shopping malls. Just enjoy what you WANT -- I ponder spiritually of the reason for the season and keep things very simple for our Holidays. Add my Dh birthday a few days before Christmas and I make THAT a special day. Getting older slows us down and our sewing is something we can still do so very well. Enjoy, and no guilt allowed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OExXItDyWEY
You may enjoy this song "Line to see Jesus"....
Your newest doll quilt is spot on adorable!!!
I will accept presents in lieu of a check.
:)
Is that what you wanted to hear?
That quilt is so pretty. Does "Doll Quilt" mean that it's very small?
It seems little, but maybe the patches are just big.
HMMMM - Marcie, I could have written this post! I completely agree with everything you said. No, I'm not feeling Bah Humbug just not feeling the Christmas Spirit. It's just not there this year. I'm not fighting it, in fact, I'm just going along with it and trying not to feel guilty.
I love your new lil quilt - it's adorable. If you were closer I'd come sew with you. :-)
BTW, my hubby has to beg me to go to the grocery store too - ICK!
I hear ya! I seem to be ok till I have to wrap gifts...makes me tense and irritable :-/ January is such a relief :-)
Love the video Quilt Hollow posted!
Grocery shopping is just a torture no matter how you slice it. You have to handle everything SO many times by the time you get it home and put away. I always want to eat out on grocery shopping day *lol*
As for the season, the best thing to do is just not stress over it. It will happen whether we decide to grace the mall or not. As for me, I prefer it without the trip(s) to the mall. Hubby and I determined some years back that the best gift of all is the gift of time. We try to make sure there's plenty of it year round, but particularly when things get hectic.
I do love your L'il Smokey (looks like sparky, smoldering embers to me) and I funny understand your elation over it's completion. You exude true Christmas spirit each and every day, I'm not one bit worried about you.
ooops.... should read: "fully" not "funny". Geez.
Well! That quilt does look like glowing embers on a mountainside; you think up the best names ever, Marcie. You are right, the teen-agers I am sure love getting money, so you're fine there. Sigh, shouldn't say this, but I liked Christmas back in the 50s.
Oh my gosh but L'il Smokey is delightful. You do design the best quilts!!! The very bestest. :) *karendianne.
I LOVE your doll quilt!! The variety in it is marvelous. It has a very old look to it - like a "make do" quilt from a long time ago. I agree with Karendianne - you make the bestest quilts!
Christmas definately doesn't come from a store!! You're right about that.
I agree, not much Christmas spirit floating around here yet either. I am almost done Christmas shopping and dread going back out to do more. I would rather be a hermit right now and lock myself in my sewing dungeon also. The little quilt is adorable!
Apparently lots of us hate to shop! The only shopping I enjoy is the quilt store. I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet. Maybe this year everybody will get a check. I don't think that's a bad gift - maybe unimaginative, but I enjoy getting one - more money for the quilt store!
I right there with you...love your new little quilt!
It is an adorable little quilt. You are quite right to be proud of it.
Bless your heart!!!! You are singing my song! And it's obvious from the comments we are not alone. I love your little doll quilt, but most of all I love how we can still find joy in doing and creating and giving in other ways that don't involve shopping or malls or even grocery stores!
Oh I love little smokey! The colors are so wonderful! and the name is just too cute! I love it!
Great post that I can totally relate too! I'm having a hard time being holly and jolly too...but I know it will come. I love your Lil Smokey quilt so much! It's just awesome!
I didn't even begin to think of the little sausages but now I won't be able to associate anything else with your quilt! LOL!
Hear, hear---I think you have published a post for quite a few of us quilters out here in blogland. :D I only have the lights on my tree, just got the tree day before yesterday, I did bake a batch of oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies and some sausage balls today. I hate shopping, don't want to shop, I just want to blog hop, laugh at the pups, and play in my sewing room. I haven't been in such a sewing mood in YEARS---so why can't I just do what I want to for Christmas? We don't have any little ones so..... :) I LOVE LOVE LOVE your doll quilt, Marcie!! Love EVERYTHING about it!! I want to make one too. :D
Thank you for this post, Marcie. I couldn't have expressed my thoughts any better. Happy Holidays, dear friend!
Love the post to go along with the new pattern! I too hate to shop but it's a necessary evil sometimes. I especially hate shopping for clothes for myself! I'd rather do anything in the world than do that.
I adore your new little quilt!!
One of my favorite Christmas songs is That Spirit of Christmas by Ray Charles. I want to have the spirit all year round!!!
you said exactly what I feel! I made a lot of gifts and was full of joy with that, the bought ones I never feel as though I've done/gotten enough no matter what I get/do. whatever I can do at homeis great, shopping is the pits-especially clothes- except for fabric shopping.Somehow I have to keep my mind on Jesus and just not worry about the rest. Thanks for the wonderful quilt pic-I LOVE scrap quilts and for putting my thoughts into words.
Add me to the list of quilters lacking the spirit of the season this year. Your words and so many comments could have come from my mouth as well.
I try to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, and part of that involves simplifying gift giving. Our time with family is most important to us, not how many gifts we carry through the door.
We quilters have generous hearts 365 days of the year, and so in a way we're celebrating the spirit of Christmas every day.
Love your little quilt.
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