Sewing Holiday Parties

I was at a party today with a group of sewing friends and the hostess offered a special gift to the youngest person there. It turned out that the youngest was 51!

I remember thinking many years ago that there was no way I could ever make it to the year 2000 as 48, my age in 2000, was so ancient.

Now I was sitting in a room of bright, beautiful, creative women and they were all over that ancient age of 48.

How my feelings about age have changed!

But enough about age.

We're talking about Sewing Holiday Parties and, for them, its about the location, the food and the loot.

Most of the parties have been held in private homes and the hostesses seem to go all out to decorate to the hilt. Today's home was a prime example. There were towers of glittery ornaments and lots and lots of green wired ribbon bows everywhere. This home was so decorated that the wire mesh waste basket holding a standard green garbage bag had lots of the same green ribbon looped and draped all around the upper edge.

Now that's decorating.

The food for these parties ranges from packages of exotic cookies from the grocery store to dishes that have been in people's families for generations. I brought food from Sweet Sadies to a few (beans or brisket) and salads made from kits to others. I am so going to miss sampling all the fine eating of this season . Going back to lunches of peanut butter sandwiches will be a real let down.

The loot is the icing on the proverbial cake. Each of these sewing related parties has included a gift exchange of some sort. In general, those that participate collect some sewing related items and wrap them up. The participants choose one of the secret gifts or can steal a previously opened gift. The number of times a gift can be stolen is usually limited and its fun watching people trying to figure out out if their targeted gift will still be in play when their turn comes around to pick.

The party today had an unusual twist to it in that gifts were not swapped but each of us was challenged to create an apron using only stuff that we had on hand in our resource centers.

I created a reversible apron using a pattern in Lotta Jansdotter's 'simple sewing' book. The fabric was from Clothworks retired fabrics called 'Well Done'. One fabric had lots of cooking words on it like baste, saute and grill while the other fabric was full of cartoonish restaurant staff.

I received an origami apron done in a lovely peach and cream linen blend fabric. Here's a link to a similar creation.

With a week to go before Christmas, and two weeks before New Year's Eve I am partied out. I still have a couple of small gatherings I plan to attend but there are no obligations attached to any of them.

Little did I know when I started to get more active is various sewing related groups that my hoiday schedule get so interesting.

I wonder what it will be like next year?

I better start dieting now so I can enjoy the wonderful food even more that I have this year.