Murphy - American Homestead Christmas 21 Felt & Fabric Projects for Homemade Holidays

Publisher: Amy Marson Creative Director: Gailen Runge Art Director: Kristy Zacharias Editor: Lynn Koolish Technical Editors: Ellen Pahl and Amanda Siegfried Cover Designer: April Mostek Book Designer: Christina Jarumay Fox Production Coordinators: Zinnia Heinzmann and Jenny Davis Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi Illustrator: Tim Manibusan Photo Assistant: Mary Peyton Peppo Style photography by Nissa Brehmer and instructional photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 DEDICATIONFor those who share my American homestead:
Robert, Katie Rose, Brennan, and Mia the Wonder Dog.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSMany thanks to my family for all the Christmas memories we have created through the years.Thank you to my friends who share their thoughts on my projects, laugh with me at our Me Time sessions, and always share their Christmas cookie recipes.Thank you to the wonderful world for the endless inspirationthe work of artisans, ancient and contemporary, influences me every day.Thanks to National Nonwovens and Timeless Treasures Fabrics for their contributions to this book.Thanks to C&T Publishing: Amy and Gailenit was so much fun to talk about ideas at Quilt Market (I still think the ornaments would look great as sugar cookies); Roxane, from whom I learn so much about the industry in our always-informative talks; Lynn, who answers all my questions; Ellen, who makes sure that what I write about my designs is correct; April, for the lovely cover; Christina, who makes everything look so beautiful; and everyone else at C&T Publishing who contributed to this book.And special thanks to the residents of my American homestead, Avalon. To Robert, my Mr. Wonderful; my children, Katie Rose and Brennan; and Mia the Wonder Dog. Christmas is a magical and enchanting time of year. Its when we have a chance to celebrate with friends and family and catch up with people far and wide through Christmas cards. We relive special times from the past by telling the younger members of the family stories from the old days, and we have the opportunity to start new traditions.

I grew up in a small town just outside New York City, so I was lucky to be able to experience both an old-fashioned quiet town and the bright lights of the big city. When I was young, my hometown had a thriving downtown filled with shops and restaurants. The streets were festooned with lights and holiday decor, and the shops would stay open late so people could shop after work. For us kids, it was so fun to see the town decorated and often covered in snow. The sidewalks were bustling with people, and you could stop to chat with friends and neighbors. It all added to the excitement of the season.

At home we baked cookies with our mom. I especially loved the Swedish spritz cookies made with the Mirro cookie press; we loved to make all the different shapes and then decorate them with colored sugars and sprinkles. By Christmas day, we had Christmas from around the world on our dessert tablewe would exchange baked goods with friends and family, and we got to sample the favorite recipes from so many cultures. A short train or bus ride would take us to New York City. Manhattan during the holiday season is wonderful! Sidewalk vendors roast chestnuts, the windows in the big stores on Fifth Avenue are beautifully decorated, the tree is up at Rockefeller Center, and we can watch the skaters below. The highlight of the Christmas season in New York is the Christmas show at Radio City.

Back in those days, Radio City was a movie theater with a stage show. You bought a ticket to enter, and I suppose you could have stayed all day if you wanted. We would time it so we could watch the stage show, see the movie, and then watch the stage show again. My favorite part was the living Nativity with all the live animalscamels, donkeys, and sheep. The huge stage of Radio City was filled with people and animals, and even along the side there were little areas filled with more people and animals. The song O Holy Night was my favorite, when it got to the part with Fall on your knees,
O hear the angel voices,
O night divine! the entire cast would fall to their knees (and in my memory the animals would too, but I cant confirm that).

Just thinking of it can still bring tears to my eyes. We were lucky in my family because most of my cousins and aunts and uncles lived in the same small town. We grew up with family parties at all the holidays. As time went by, things began to change. My brother, for example, hosted an annual Christmas Eve family open house. As a fundraiser, our town began selling luminaria kits, and on Christmas Eve almost everyone in town lined the edges of their property with the luminaria.

It was stunning. Then I grew up and it was time to start my own family traditions. For me, Christmas is centered on the home. In our house, the decorations come out after Thanksgiving. The cards start arriving, and we hang them in swags around the house. I think we should experience the joy of Christmas every day, and I work on projects and presents all year long. I think we should experience the joy of Christmas every day, and I work on projects and presents all year long.

With all the chaos in our fast-paced world, I enjoy working on stitching projects throughout the year. I like that I have to slow down and enjoy what I am doing. Much of the inspiration for my designs comes from folk traditions I have discovered in my travels around the world. While most tourists are visiting the grand museums, youll find me at the local folk art museum or a museum of ethnography. I also roam through the local markets, checking out handcrafts from the region. Im always amazed at the beauty of folk art creations that are made with humble materials and lots of imagination.

I hope you enjoy the projects in this book as much as I have. Start making or adding to the Christmas memories of your family. Teach a child to embroider! Make little handmade gifts for all your children or grandchildren so they can then take them on to their households in the future; your gifts will become treasured heirlooms. I want to thank all the people who have added to my Christmas memoriesyou have all made my world brighter. Peace on Earth. From my American homestead to wherever you may call home.

All the best,
Ellen Ive been saying, Felt is the new black for a while now. I think wool felt has become popular because it has come such a long way from the ten-for-a-dollar felt pieces we used to buy. Now many of the felts are very high quality, and you can find them in fabulous colors. I like to work in wool felt because I like the crispness of the edges and the way the embroidery stitches show up so nicely on it. This does not mean that the felt projects can only be made in wool felt; felted woven wool works just as well, if thats what you prefer.