Pieceful Life

I Like Thursday

It’s time for another I Like Thursday post as I join up with my other blogging friends and LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color. I don’t have much to share today, I’ve been pretty busy sewing and not doing much else! Just for fun, here are the recent holiday quilts I’ve made. 

Ringed Star, a block pattern from Block Party by Marcia McCloskey - piecefulthoughts.com
Christmas Tree pillow using pattern from The Seasoned Homemaker - piecefulthoughts.com
My finished reindeer pillow, using the Geometric Reindeer pattern designed by Quiet Play Designs - piecefulthoughts.com
My Santa House pillow, from the Rainbow Neighborhood pattern recently released by mmmQuilts - piecefulthoughts.com
Gnoel, a quilt pattern designed by Hunter's Design Studio - piecefulthoughts.com

From the left, the Christmas quilt block will be taken to our quilt group Christmas party tonight, and will go home with whoever wins the blocks after the drawing. The tree pillow is now happily residing in one of the rooms at our church. The reindeer pillow and house pillow are both residing on my loveseat. The gnome quilt was given to my SIL for her birthday. I have a few more Christmas items I’m sewing – I’ll share photos when they are done and gifted. 

This week LeeAnna asks what are our favorite Christmas foods or treats. I don’t have any photos of the foods I like, but one that I used to make every Christmas was Swedish Tea Ring. This recipe is pretty close to the one I usually make. I used to make four of them at a time, filling two with cinnamon and sugar, and two with almond filling. It’s a little nod to my Scandinavian heritage. Since BigJ is Czech, we often make Vomacka, a creamy potato soup with green beans. The key ingredient is the cider vinegar! We use his grandmother’s recipe, and it’s so good – comfort food, for sure. 

Owl bodies, pattern by Ann Wood Handmade.- piecefulthoughts.com

In between the holiday sewing, my daughter and I are making owls using the Dastardly Owl pattern by Ann Wood Handmade. My owl is on the left, and Molly’s owl on the right. Now that the body is completed, we will start to add eyes, ears and feathers. Both of us are hand sewing the owls. My owl (yet to be named), will join Harry the Crow in my sewing room. 

In the evenings, we’ve been doing a lot of reading. I read my usual average of 6-7 books in November. This month, I’ve been reading the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers. I took a break from that series, and just finished this book. 

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan, a nice read - piecefulthoughts.com

This is Jennifer Ryan’s latest book, and it’s a good one. If you enjoyed her other books, The Spies of Shilling Lane, The Chilbury Ladies Choir, and The Kitchen Front, you will enjoy this one just as much. Women gather together to “mend and make do” as the war goes on. Even though the books are fiction, I learn so much about actual history that took place during the war. 

The Weekly Wilbs

The Weekly Wilbs, snuggled in while I read - piecefulthoughts.com

Of all the things I do, other than scritching his ears, Wilbs likes it best when I read. Laps are just the best spot for a warm, snuggly snooze. 

I like Thursday, don’t you? I hope you are enjoying your day! 

Wendy

22 Comments

  • marissthequilter

    That’s an impressive line-up of Christmas quilts. And you say you have stitched more for gifts. I am surprised you still have time to bake Christmas treats. Thanks for spicing up my Thursday.

  • Katherine Duquette

    The crows are visiting us here in Albuquerque now. I think of your Harry while watching their antics. The owl has a lot of personality especially in the eyebrows. Thank you for sharing, I can’t wait to see more.

  • Rochelle Summers

    I like the fabric you chose for your owl. It has lots of movement. The “Wedding Dress Sewing Circle” was a very good book. I’ve enjoyed all of her books. Your Christmas quilting has been so colorful and will surely bring joy to all who see them.

  • Carol in Texas

    Our book club read The Kitchen Front as our November book. It was very interesting and informative. I need to try some of Ryan’s other books. Right now I’m trying to read Lessons in Chemistry on a friend’s recommendation. I’m not loving it so far. I have Louise Penny’s 7th book in the Three Pines series as a backup…..i may give Lessons a rest and travel to Three Pines for a bit! We watched the two-part Three Pines on Prime……it put my husband to sleep! I liked the actor they chose for Gamache. It was okay. Not up to Longmire on Netflix in Peter’s estimate!!!!! Hi to Wilbs!

  • Helen

    What a festive little grouping of Christmas sewing projects! I’m not sure whether I’m encouraged to be more productive or depressed that I’m not so productive! I’ll try for the being encouraged! I do like that you are such a prolific reader. I suppose I forget to count reading a book as a productive activity. Maybe I’m okay!

  • Diann@ Little Penguin Quilts

    You’ve been busy sewing festive items lately! I’m looking forward to seeing your owl, too. I enjoyed The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle! At first, I wasn’t sure about some of the characters, but they evolved into people I really liked as the story went along!

  • LA Paylor

    I used to make lots of 3 d fabric things…. you’re making me itch to make another something. I looked up both recipes and that soup… well it may be made this week. I might have to sub wine for the bouillon cubes, heh heh. Petting wilbs as he sleeps, wish Milo would lie next to me but I suspect he fears I’ll reach in and pull out more ear hair
    LeeAnna

  • rl2b2017

    Hi Wendy! I wish I was reading a book with Wilbs nice and snuggly on my lap. I can’t wait to see your owl. You’ll have to come up with a name . . . how David (Harry & David) or Hermoine if you’re an HP fan? {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

  • Sue Hoover

    Those owls are going to be fantastic! Very interesting pattern and twice as fun when making with a friend. You’ve been really busy making Christmas-y gifts. Hey, Wilbs!

  • Kathleen McCormick

    So many wonderful Christmas goodies. Can’t wait to see the Owl and your other goodies! Those books look like fun. I was a huge history buff, but have read less of that in the last few years. I will add this series to my kindle list. OH, and the food – yum. Need more soups in my life, so I will take a look at the special one!

  • Su-sieee! Mac

    Wilbs’ color is so very beautiful! The other week I had a dream of an orange kitten. Maybe that will be the color of our next cat one day. You’ve got me wanting to make an owl. 😊 Cheers!

  • Jocelyn Thurston

    I enjoyed seeing your array of projects there, all so neat! Swedish Tea Ring, Almond filling, creamy Potato Soup making my mouth water, Wendy. Love the owls in making too! Of course, Wilbs knows a good thing when he finds it- a loving lap.

  • texasquiltgal

    I can almost feel Wilbs in my lap. 🙂 My kitties rarely snuggle with me and I long for them to do that. “Just for fun” sewing is the best, and I love seeing all your goodies in one post. That soup sounds excellent – I’m off to explore both recipe links.

  • Eva

    Managed it to find the receipt from you… and I think I try to do that green balls.
    And hope in January we find an gymnastic blog hop to loose all the pounds on the hipps that just jumped on? I did not invite them in December but they came by accident…. And you are right, who can resist a good cooky as an assistant to tea or coffee. The owls will be a wonderfully project. The gnomes!! Sooooo nice!
    Hey Wilbs, please give me a big smile and move a little bit, do some crazy things … not only sleeping…. Search the little gnomes in the house that come in at christmas time… like Tom & Jerry…
    Wishing you all some minutes for a good tea or coffee while workinf down the long todobeforechristmaslists….

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