Tree-Sticks and Gift Exchange

The six new apple trees arrived from the Big Horse Creek Nursery in Lansing, North Carolina. It's always shocking to see how tiny these whips are. DS and I planted them in their prepared holes and now I keep reading their descriptions over and over as if I will be tasting the apples in a few months instead of several years. Raising apple trees teaches one patience:


Oh my, the Little Quilts Employee Christmas Party was last night and I tell you, it was so much fun. The best hospitality and a high level of chattering and laughing. It's so wonderful to have everybody gathered together in one room. We did a gift exchange of a "little quilt" in honor of Little Quilts Shop's 10th anniversary and you should have seen the miniature masterpieces that traveled the circle for all to see. This is what I made:


and here is what I received; the creator teaches two classes in these lovely embroidery and crazy quilt stitches at the shop. Isn't it breathtaking; all hand-done in the most gorgeous silks:

Be sure to enlarge it.

Tonight is our Jo Morton Christmas get-together, where we will do our journal cover gift exchange. The merriment continues! I just wish all of the classes could convene at the same time. The two daytime classes get to do that, but oh woe we dayjob folks cannot join in and must wait for darkness to meet.

Oh, the horror. After writing this post, I turned around to see this. Oh, Jack, get off the gift!

Then things got even worse:

Never fear, no gifts were injured in the posting of this blog. The embroidery is safely stashed away from Cats Who Look for Cushions.