Another Big Finish!

I finally got this thing done! Think I started it in my first year of quilting. I saw a similar tree shirt at a local quilt shop. It was being offered as a one-day class. The pattern was free. I would only have to pay for the class. The original one had rooftops and trees around the edge, with Santa and his reindeer in the centre. I fell instantly in love with that skirt and signed up for the class, even though it would be held on a Friday morning and I had to work. I decided to play hooky. About a week before the class, I went back to the shop to buy my supplies. To my great sadness I was told that the class had to be cancelled, because the person who was to teach it was not available. I was devastated. I was so looking forward to making that skirt. At the time (these were my early quilting years) I was very intriqued with Debbie Mumm fabrics and patterns. I bought a Debbie Mumm Christmas pattern. I seemed to me that I could make my own skirt, using Debbie's patterns. I had no idea how to go about it. I had never done machine applique or anything round, but I decided to try it anyway.
It was too much for me that first year! I drew all the applique pieces and cut them out of fabric. But that is as far as I got. It was already long past Christmas by then and I decided to finish it the following year. Over the past years I have brought it out occasionally and tried to decide what to do with it. I didn't have very interesting fabrics at that time and the ones I used just weren't talking to me. One year I cut the circle and ironed everything on. But the next year I found that most of the little pieces had come off. The task of sewing down each piece seemed like a daunting task. I sewed a few down and left the rest for another year. When I took it out this year I gave a lot of thought to what to do with this skirt. It would be easy to just leave it in the bottom of the UFO bin, but that was not my goal this year! I decided it needed to be finished. And it needed to be under a Christmas tree! So I fixed and re-applied and sewed and quilted. And now it is finished and I am satisfied. It really didn't turn out too bad after all! I am going to give it to my DD. She is going to have a real tree this year and I think she would love to have it.

I also worked on several other UFOs over the past couple of weeks. (They are presents, so I can't show them yet.) But even when I have to finish long overdue items, I just can't keep myself from starting something new. I think its a common quilter's affliction! I found a lovely free pattern on the Internet - the Nine-Patch Christmas Scrap quilt. It looked very easy and I already had lots of 2 1/2in. strips of Christmas fabrics cut out. It was just a matter of putting it all together. I am not finished it yet, but I am close. I don't want this to become another UFO for future years. Not this year! Not when I am trying so hard to clear out that bin! Felix likes the bright Christmas colours. He is my helper. He keeps me on task and sits with me while I sew.
Oscar seems to like the quilt too. In facts, he looks totally mesmerized by it. But then he always looks kind of dopey! Mimi hasn't come to find out what I am doing. She has a different agenda I guess - sleeping and eating and sleeping some more.

And just sitting regally in amongst the plants in the solarium. As is befitting royalty!