9 months early or 3 months late?

If you made some Christmas items this week, would you think you were 9 months ahead of the game (having them ready to enjoy this December) or would you admit to being 3 months late in working on Christmas 2009 projects?

I am in the latter group. 

Oh well, these items (and more to come) will be brand new for the 2010 holiday season. The candy cane is made of jumbo red and white rick rack and a fine gauge wire. I don't know the number of the wire, but it is very easily shaped. After intertwining the two rick racks, I laid the wire over it and zig-zagged by machine over the wire. A drop of Fray Check on the cut edges of the rick rack and a tiny bow almost finish the project. I will be making more after I buy more rick rack and will decide whether to leave them as is, possibly to use on Christmas cards that I will deliver to neighbors, or to add a hanging loop for ornaments. They would also be cute on packages. Hmmmm, I wonder how this would look made up as hearts for next Valentine's day, maybe in pink and white or all pink or all red?

 

 The second project yesterday was a Christmas purse. The finished size on this is roughly 10" wide, 8" high and almost 4" deep. The interfacing that I used was a bit too stiff for my liking and the purse sat open like a bucket until I tucked the sides in along their seams and pressed them with an iron. I added a button and loop closure. The larger print fabric forms pockets all around the purse, but they aren't very roomy. I will  change that if I use this pattern again. I would also make the handles a little longer. I've gotten away from long should bag straps, but I still like the strap(s) to be long enough that I can hoist the purse up over my shoulder if I want to do so. This handle is 7" tall from the top edge of the purse. Ten inches would have be better but I didn't have enough of the strapping to do that.

 

A friend of mine has been completing unfinished and never started projects that have been aging in her stash. She is my inspiration and I hope to have a few more Christmas items done by the end of the week. I am working my way backward through my pile of things to sew. I hope there isn't a baby outfit cut out and waiting for Chuck or Billy at the very bottom...considering they are both in their 30s now!

Oh, but wait...just like Christmas 2010 will be here and no one will know the candy canes and purse were originally intended for Christmas 2009, soon another little boy will be in life and I don't think he will care if a pattern is 30 years old! Two weeks from this Friday is the Little Prince's due date!