'Tis the Season.....

It is now starting to look a bit like Christmas around here. Sort of. I am getting the bins of decorations out a little at a time.

Tessie has been watching carefully this year. Last year she wasn't much interested. I think that was because she really didn't know what to expect. This year she is embracing it with open arms..... She keeps wandering around the house, pointing at things and saying "Hmmmm, possible present for me.....". Then she sits down and puts that particular item on a list that is growing by leaps and bounds. She gets up, wanders on, dragging the list behind her and does the whole thing all over again. She has about half of my belongings on her "list of presents".

She approached me this morning very shyly.....Not our Tessie.... I knew it had to involve me making something for her. It did. She said sweetly, "Casey, if I pay you, would you make me a Santa Witch hat and a new Christmas apron." Since I had been thinking of doing that anyway,(Don't tell her that!) I enthusiastically joined the search for the right fabric. We found bright red with pin dot, polka dots and some of the fabric that looks like patchwork in a red colorway.

She wisely chose the pin dot for the hat. I made a cone shaped Santa hat....She insisted that it must have a brim. No self respecting person would wear a hat that didn't protect their nose from the sun! I finally gave up the argument and added the brim. I guess that is what she meant by Santa Witch hat.

I simply decided how tall I wanted the hat, drew a straight line down the material, then drew a semi circle at the bottom to fit Tessie's head. I seamed one straight edge with glue and turned it under. Then I ran a line of glue up the side and closed it into a cone shape.

Then I sat the cone on a double layer of the material and drew a circle around it for the brim. I cut a center circle out a bit smaller than the cone opening so that I would have an edge to glue the pieces together.

First I glued the top of the brim to the outside of the hat. Then I turned it over and glued that other piece to the inside with the right side facing out. That covered the edge of the cone.

About that time, Tessie came in without her old apron and announced that she was ready for the new one. There is no arguing with a witch that wants new clothes and wants them now. I grabbed the patchwork fabric and cut the skirt and bib of the apron from that. Then I cut straps and a waistband from the polka dot so that it would match her hat.

I glued under the two short sides of the skirt and one long side for hems. Then I did the same for the bib, leaving one side unglued on each piece.

I glued down a hem on both sides of the waistband and straps.

I gathered the waist of the skirt with needle and thread. I glued that and the bib to the back of the waistband.

She quickly pulled it around her waist and had me fasten it in the back. It fit. I glued one end of either strap to the inside front of the bib and then pulled the other end to the back and fastened them to the waistband.

After that was done, she condescended to "let"me finish the hat. I put on a band of fancy braid around the base of the cone. Then I glued bunka to the very edge of the brim to cover the raw edges. Then I put a knot of it on the tip top.

She grabbed it out of my hand before the glue was even dry. She plonked the hat on her head, jumped into a candle ring that was sitting beside us on the table and struck a pose......

She said, "Ho! HO! HO!!! Merry Christmas!". Then "OK. That's done. Now, what else can you make today? Are you up for starting Spiderwort Manor? If you start now, you might have it finished by Christmas!".

I walked out of the room laughing insanely. I heard, as I left. "Why are you laughing??? Don't laugh! This is serious! I want a new house for Christmas!"

As I seem to say so often since she moved in, "Don't hold your breath, Tessie!"

See you tomorrow.