h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas!

Our dinner went well, and I got a couple of nice gifts this year. K's folks gave me much-needed flannel pajama pants, black dress socks and plastic kitchen whisks.

K gave me a book, and a neat beaded thing with elephants on it, each elephant about the size of my fist, and a tiki thing which holds tea lights and has a little water fountain.

K's aunt made me a gorgeous patchwork quilt!!

I've uploaded photos of the elephant and tiki things, and of the quilt. For the quilt, I included a close-up of the pretty batik border as well as a shot of the fabric on the back. When I opened it, I actually got a bit teary- homemade gifts from artistically-inclined people always make me feel special.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ofelia.payne/ChristmasStuff2008?authkey=7sqRx1UNdNQ#

Did anyone else do anything special or receive a special gift?

What a lovely quilt! Must be extra nice with a cat on top

As long as it doesn't get clawed! He's already checked it out- the quilter's home has three dogs, a cat and a smoker, so I had to wash it last night, and Herman was sleeping under the drying rack.

Wow!!!!!!!! That is a BEAUTIFUL quilt!!!!!!!!! Too cool!!!

I got some cute monkey slippers which I will photograph or scan in later this week.

I'm looking forward to seeing that- I sure do love monkeys!

Those elephants are lovely and the quilt is totally fabulous. I really wish I had the patience (and skill) to make one.

I got a tiny porcelain Rosina Wachmeister cat (to go with the others I have), a fantasy novel that I've never heard of (a new trilogy to get into), some earrings, a couple of pretty necklaces and socks. We all make sure that we all receive socks for Christmas. I can't remember how it started, but each birthday and Christmas we get socks.

The best thing has been no fighting and at home for 24th, 25th AND 26th for the first time since the Gruesomes were born.

The elephants are very pretty and the quilt is very special - I wish you good health to enjoy.


I got a beautiful silver bookmark among loads of other stuff but our most precious gift this Christmas is my new great-niece Marsha born yesterday. I really must learn how do put photos up on the iterwebbythingy ... I'd love to share.

Oooh, congrats, Fizzymouse!

And that *is* a fabulous quilt! It even has actual quilting, which I'm always too lazy to do.

Yes, congrats Fizzymouse! That's wonferful, I hope mom and baby are doing very well.

Sounds like everyone had a lovely holiday. I like them more nowadays- when I was a kid my mother really overdid it, and overwhelmed us with gifts (then treated us like dirt the rest of the time) so it wasn't as special as nowadays.

Books and bookmarks are fantastic gifts, I love getting books. I don't know K pulled it off, but the one he picked out for me was one I really wanted a lot.

One or both of us always gets socks, too. Though apparently the kids (read: K, his sister and the cousins closest to us in age) used to always get undies, so it's become a running gag, regardless of what's in the package, to exclaim "underwear!".

I have neither the skill nor the patience to quilt, either. K's aunt and her oldest daughter make gorgeous quilts. They were working on one before dinner Thursday and I actually asked, not knowing I was about to receive one, if I could commission one (they both said it's no fun if you're paid to do it, but I hate asking people to "make me one", if you know what I mean).

K's sister got me some knitting needles and a few skeins of pretty yarn, though. A co-worker and I discussed recently that we should quit working through our lunch hours (and it's been too slick and icy for me to go jogging with my other co-worker), so we're going to park ourselves in an empty conference room, when one is available, and she's going to teach me to knit. Then we can knit on our lunch hours. Wish me luck!

Oh Fizzymouse, babies are always a lovely but especially at this time for some reason (rubbish date for a birthday though!)

Mala - if you don't quilt properly, how do you do it?

True, the birthday kind of gets lost in the general celebration!

I'll usually not do as much quilting - it's not needed with modern batting anyway. Or if I'm *very* lazy, I'll do ties...

But the one I made recently worked rather well, because I sewed the squares directly onto a fleece blanket which was the batting and back both at once

My next quilt will be more complicated, though. I plan to do a Paul Klee picture, either "Doppelzelt" ( http://www.iatwm.com/200508/SammlungRosengart/klee_sails.jpg ) or "Eros" http://www.meisterhaeuser.de/bilder/kl/pw_h_klee_eros.jpg

you're too ambitious!
I'm doing (although it's a duvet cover, really) a Mondrian for Gruesome #1

Maybe I could do it as a "proper" quilt.

Hmmm, a duvet cover is easier to wash...

The quilt I made for my sister last Christmas had a duvet for a filling, and ties instead of quilting.

how does that work? Ties instead of quilting?

I've always wanted to make a proper quilt - but I don't have the patience.

At strategic points (mine were the corners where the patches joined, or at least some of them, as it was made from small pieces), you pull some yarn through with a darning needle, stitch it through all the layers a few times, and then make a knot at the top, leaving a bit of both ends dangling so it won't unravel. You can also sew on buttons, but they tend to be uncomfortable to lie on.

Merry Saturday everyone! (ok, so a bit late - sorry!)
Huge congrats to Fizzymouse, what a lovely present to have

Well it sounds like we all had a nice xmas and got some fab presents. PC, I love the heffalumps and the quilt - so pretty! I was lucky enough to receive some clothes for the gym, a new gym bag (can you spot the theme?) and a couple of books - one on photography and one on growing herbs - among other things.

We had xmas day with just us and the cats and then the family descended on boxing day, 6 grownups and a baby! Lots of jollity (sp?) was had by all, and tonight we are going out for a curry with friends.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday gang.

I got a Che Guevara bag and a tartan umbrella.

Merry merry to each and every.

That sounds very ! Is it a messenger-syle bag, or what? (I have a drab green messenger bag with a Red Star on it that I got at the Army-Navy surplus when I sold some stuff)

(I'd half a mind to ask for a new umbrella- mine keep breaking!)

I never see the point of an umbrella. You can't walk with someone if you have one each because you take up more than the pavement, and I find it impossible to share one.

Although some of them are really funky - tartan sounds fab

I find I often need one to get to and from work- the office to the train station, mainly. It's about a quarter mile; and almost a mile from my train to home. Umbrellas are nice then. If they don't turn inside-out and/or collapse at random and give you huge blood blisters, which my current umbrella has done twice in the last month.