A Top and Another New Project

I didn't expect for it to take all afternoon and most of the evening to get the Wiggle Time top together, but it's done. It measures 60" x 74", which will be just right. This evening I found a piece of flannel in my stash to go on the back, and tomorrow I'll try to get this loaded on the longarm sometime in between running errands.  

This pattern was fun, fast and easy to make; and I'll be using it again, probably more than once. The other thing I really liked about it is that there are no seams to match except for the block seams when you're joining the rows--four in each row. Easy peasy!

Advent Calendar Day 3 - today's giftie was a pattern for a mini quilt and a half yard of fabric. Surprise, it's the project directions for the charm pack I opened yesterday, and the red is for the binding for the mini quilt and three mug rugs.  

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to get started on this project right away. Except for the handles, the six cups are made, four for the quilt plus two mug rugs.

I like these colors a lot. It's a departure from the typical Christmas reds and greens and seems to be the fashion more and more these days. And they're not really Christmas-y, so I could use the quilt and mug rugs all winter. 

The charm pack, like most precuts, had pinked edges; and you know what a mess it makes when you take them apart. I have a new tool for cleaning up the mess! It's a desktop mini vacuum made by Odistar. I LOVE this thing! The picture is a little blurry, but it's a handheld device with brushes underneath and some suction. It is perfect for vacuuming up all those tiny bits on the cutting table that otherwise might wind up all over the floor. You can also use it to vacuum up the dust on your keyboard; and it occurred to me it will be perfect to vacuum up all the dust that comes out of a new puzzle box. I'm sure I'll think of some other uses.

This is what the underside looks like. It comes apart easily to empty the contents of the vacuum and to clean the filters.

These things come in seven different colors; and there are two models, one that uses batteries and one that comes with a USB charger. I got the ones with the charger for just $12.98. I thought these would make great stocking stuffers, so I bought four of them. 

I checked Amazon today, and they've  gone up in price by a couple of bucks since I bought mine. I've noticed that the prices on Amazon fluctuate all the time for the same item; so if you're interested, I'd keep checking back to see if the price comes back down.