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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Working on ornaments


If it's December, it must be Christmas ornament time.  I've been doing personalized ornaments for at least 40 years and it's about the only holiday thing I'm compulsive about.  Don't care if I bake cookies or not, don't care if we're home or away, don't even care if we put up a tree (I love a real tree but it's physically difficult to wrangle it into place and decorate it -- so we gave that up several years ago).  A couple of years we didn't even put up outdoor lights and the world didn't come to an end.

But always Christmas ornaments; couldn't live without them.

I try to make each year's batch different from the last, and that's getting to be harder.  Although certain family members say they like sewed ornaments best, I enjoy trying out different materials. Since some ornament recipients read the blog, and I have to keep it a surprise until they actually open their packages, I won't tell you much about the plan this year except to show you some of the tools I am using.

Construction is complicated this year because of my bad back, which sometimes isn't happy when I stand up to work.  So for the last couple of days I have been doing a trash-TV-ornament marathon.  I'll watch TV for a while, working either on the sit-down part of the ornaments or on a sewing project.  At the commercial, I'll hit pause and go in to work at the workbench for a bit.  Sometimes I can get three minutes in before I have to go back and sit down, other times a bit more.  Usually by the next commercial I've recovered enough for another couple of minutes of work.

At the moment I am all caught up on the sit-down finishing, so the big pressure is to come up with enough stamina to do the stand-up part.  I estimate I still have two or three hours of stand-up, and several more of sit-down, so I'm starting to get nervous.  Hoping for a good day (that happens every now and then) when I might even be able to work for more than a few minutes at a time.

But I'm only an hour of work away from getting the international packages in the mail, which takes the worst of the pressure off.  And fortunately about half the ornaments are for local delivery, so I have until December 24 to finish.

In past years I have made an offer to my faithful blog readers: leave me a comment and I'll choose one of you to receive a personalized ornament.  That has been fun, so let's do it again!  Entry deadline is Sunday night before I go to bed.  Don't leave it till the last minute; I might be really tired that night.

21 comments:

  1. Great tradition! Would love to see some of your past ornaments. Do you keep one for yourself or give them ALL away?

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    1. I do always make one for myself, in addition to those for others. Here's a link to past blog posts in which I talk about and show many past ornaments. CLICK HERE


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    2. Thanks, Kathy. I think you may have inspired me to start a new tradition--usually we buy annual 'special' ornaments, but I may start making them!

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  2. I promise to love one if I get one.. Mine live all year on the bedroom curtain rail, as we don't do a tree either

    HH

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  3. Merry Christmas, Kathy! Sending you wishes for a strong back to finish your projects on time.

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  4. been there, can't stand for long moments either...go to Amazon and find an adjustible, padded stool with a back; it's so worth the investment. and it's nice to know there are others out there who don't do trees (I've had some guilt issues about that!). We have a 2ft 3-ringed stand that holds the ornaments that fits nicely on the end table during the season. hope you and your family have a great holiday!

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  5. I feel your pain -- I struggle with back injuries from multiple car accidents. My problem the reverse of yours -- I can't sit for long stretches. I'd love to win an ornament from you!

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  6. So sorry for the back issues. Ouch! I really love this idea of making ornaments. Now that everyone has a stocking, I might have to start doing this myself. Thanks for the chance to win!

    sew4given AT aol DOT com

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  7. Merry Christmas, and hope you get your stamina back soon. Please count me among those who would cherish a Kathleen Loomis original!!!

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  8. This is a great tradition. I would love to receive one of your ornaments. And I would love to see some of the past ornaments so will check the link above.

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  9. always on pinpoint when you do the unveiling! take care of yourself

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  10. I am so sorry about your back. It is hard to be kept from doing the things you love. You sound intrepid about it though. I'd love an ornament.

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  11. I hope your back eases up so you can finish easily. I would love to win one of your ornaments!

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  12. I'm so curious now to see this years ornament! Such a tease to see the tools! Could be anything!! I'll check out the link above to see the past years. Thanks

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  13. Can't wait to see what you are making with those tools! I, too, adore ornaments. Good luck with your back, and I'd love to be a winner of this giveaway. Happy Holidays.

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  14. I always enjoy your blog and will continue to follow you for as long as you post. Love the photo suites and the insightful passages. And I would cherish an ornament from my favorite blogger.

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  15. I would love to have an ornament from one of my favorite instructors ever. Fun to see the tools!

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  16. Count me in.... it has been years since I have had a new ornament.

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  17. I marvel at your energy and productivity. Now that I know we share the interference of a pesky back, I marvel yet more. Your work inspires me to keep trying to make things that may someday be art. At 73 I may run out of time, but I can't quit. Thank you for all you do!

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  18. Yikes! Take care of your back -- can some of these be "Happy New Year" ornaments? That said, I am quite curious to see what you've made.

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  19. I, too, have suffered greatly from a back injury that flared up when I was pregnant with my second child. The memory of the 2 years surrounding that time (the last bit of pregnancy when my foot went numb, the birth, and into her toddlerhood when I was still carrying her or stooped over in some fashion) is veiled with pain. Chronic pain changed how I mothered her and my older son, it changed my personality, it changed how I moved. I feel like I’m just now becoming myself again after 7 years of physical therapy, chiropractic care and daily exercises (I’m 2 steps ahead of the surgeon, for now). I had the opposite issue in that I couldn’t sit, only stand. All this to say, I’ve been there and I hope you receive the care you need to heal and strenthen. I look forward to meeting you in Philadelphia this spring, as I’ve followed your blog for a long time. It’s one of 3 that I check weekly. Merry Christmas and I’m sending you good thoughts. Oh, (the point here) my husband and I used to make handpainted wooden ornaments each year, with moveable parts and customized labels. Then we had children, and ironically, that halted all production of such a magical effort. Maybe again soon.
    Take care, Amy

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