Happy New Year!

2025 is here! I don't know whether to be happy or sad. I am not looking forward to turning another year older next month. Nor am I looking forward to the divisive climate that will most likely prevail here in the US. Sigh.... I am looking forward to going to visit our son, daughter-in-law and grandson in CA a few times this year as well as meeting my new granddaughter. I am also looking forward to visiting with my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter here and in Boston a few times this year. Hubby and I have an awesome trip planned for this summer that I will tell you about when we return. This is a milestone year for me and for our marriage. I will turn 65 and Hubby and I will be married 40 years. I will tell you when those events are happening when they get closer. 

I have been slow to get started with my crafting this year. I don't exactly know why, but so be it. I spent some time the last couple of days cleaning my sewing machine and the area around it. I still have to sort and put away all of the fabrics from the quilting projects. Speaking of quilting, I am slowly starting to prepare for the next project. Remember that I am going to work on the EPP quilt "Windows Into My World". 

The initial prep for this has started. I had to print out 15 pages of templates and precisely tape them all together. I will have to cut them all apart again to have the pieces I need for the quilt, but right now I have a big template sitting around. 

Next I took out all of the fabrics that I had purchased along the way as well as some from my stash. I think I may need a few lighter colors or at least use a few of the lighter colors more than once. 

Looking at the photo above, I definitely have to delete some colors and use multiples of some of the medium and light fabrics. I have washed all of these fabrics, but I still have to iron them. 

I have added a lot of stitches to the Woodland Babies Birth Announcement.....some of them more than once. 

I was happily stitching down the left side of the tree trunk, across the bottom and up the right side when I realized that the stitches on the right were too close to the heart and weren't going to correctly match up. Sadly, my mistake was at the bottom of the left hand side so I spent a good deal of time taking out my stitching. You can see the remnants of the past stitching. As I went along though I would take out an area and then stitch the part of the trunk that makes a "V" under the heart. At least I felt like I was being productive and it was easier to check the placement of the bottom stitching. I have almost completed the replacement stitching.

Before Thanksgiving, I was trying to rush a mitten project for my grandson to use when he visited. I made one mitten, but didn't have time to finish the 2nd before they arrived so I went to a local children's resale store and was able to purchase a 2 pack of brand new mittens for him to wear. 

I have decided to crochet the second mitten now, just because the first one is so cute. I don't have enought yarn for the hat and he doesn't need it in California.

Hubby has requested another hat. He seems to have misplaced one of the two that I made for him a few years ago. He likes this pattern, but has asked to make it a bit longer than his current hat so that it covers his ears more.

 I happen to have some DK yarn that should work just fine. The hat will be black with a blue rim. I will be casting on sometime soon.

Here are two more crafty Christmas gifts. These are from my daughter and her family.

The reason I am showing you these is that I want to make a crocheted stuffed animal for my granddaughter who is due in March. I am thinking that the kitten will be a good choice. I have the yarn to complete it in my stash. 

I am looking forward to stitching Cinnamon House at some point this year. It is a companion to Pumpkin House that I completed last year. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our 4 day visit to Boston to celebrate Christmas with our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. Grammy and Grandpa enjoyed some quiet reading time.

We also went Candlestick bowling, which I am truly horrible at. It is surprising as I was on my high school bowling team years ago and I have always enjoyed a competitive game. Candlestitck is different though and I am older with a shoulder that doesn't move the same as it used to. We had a fun game though. Just enough to entertain a 2 year old on a rainy, cold day.

I am joining Kathy for the first Slow Sunday Stitching of 2025. I am also joining Frederique at the Quilting Patch. Grab yourself a cup of tea, coffee or cocoa and pop on over to their sites to see what other bloggers are stitching. 

Thanks for stopping by!