A Letter to Santa

Every year, at the beginning of December, my beautiful girls wish for something for Christmas. Actually, they make plans through the whole year, and the list changes every other week, but this is the time when they have to make up their minds, sit down with a pen and paper and write their wish. They always make it in a card form, so they could draw a picture to Santa. I noticed how through  the years the pictures started to loose the intense passion they were having when the girls were younger, but I am so grateful that they are still doing it. My ten-year-old still truly believes in Santa and my seventeen-year-old girl, almost adult, is still writing and drawing her letters. Santa couldn't be happier. I do not think that there would be a magical Christmas spirit without this wonderful gesture of theirs.

This year I decided to make an envelope for their letters. I think Santa would appreciate that very much! 

I remember the days in my high-school years, when I was receiving letters from my pen-palls and there was this particular friend, who had always decorated the envelopes, drawing for me happy colourful things. The feeling was magical! I was so impatient to open it, and at the same time wanted to savour the loving images on the envelope. The envelope itself was telling me a story. Later, we connected in person, and a wonderful relationship sparkled ... Amazing memory, that is distracting me completely, so I better go back to my project...

When it comes to wishes, kids tend to be overly excited in their desires. It is amazing to watch their eyes sparkle in temptation! 

The envelope I made is a classicly shaped one, not the office correspondence, elongated ones. It was a challenge to accommodate all I wanted, to needle-draw on it, but I managed somehow. I used the Haori fabric in two colours, the choice I made a while ago. I chose the stripes, because they do not obey the rule of symmetry, when turned diagonally, and I like the look better this way, than to have them straight across the length or height. 

The small pieces of pre-cut quilting 'bricks' from Haori came so handy when the decision on colours for the picture had to be made. I got a chance to make the houses and the church all in different colours, without having them to blend in together. 

Here is the reason for me to love working with Haori - you could tell how textured the fabric is - I do not need a different print on the fabric, so to make the houses all look different, because the fabric weave already does that. 

For the snow I used one fabric. To form even more texture, I quilted few blown-into-heaps shapes. It was so much fun to create this and a lot of thinking which shape should go first, so I do not create some fake-looking picture. 

I embroidered the trees, the windows and the details on the snowman with embroidery floss. I was trying to figure out the antennas - hm, we do not have this style of antennas any more, but I remember them from when I was a child - the suffering we were going through in windy days ... :) the adjustment was needed for clearer picture.

I 'wrote' the address using my machine and am not particularly proud with the result :( I have no option to program the whole address, that is why it doesn't look well positioned. I think I would have a better result, if I control the lettering manually, so this is what I would do next time. 

Canada Post has the collecting-letters-to-Santa service every year. They have a real address with the real postal code (the one I chose for my envelope) and Santa always sends an answer back to our children. I found this to be an amazing idea, when I first heard about it (Ana was 5 at the time). 

My closing is pretty old fashioned too. I chose the button closer, so to be able to add a little accent to the envelope. At first, when I was planning on the envelope, I thought I would do the top stitching all around. But then, I decided, that clean look pleases me more, so I only "glued" the sides with a slip-stitching and made the button-string closer. 

I will post a how-to-make article soon.

Well, that was quite and adventure to "draw" on the envelope, to make it unique, so Santa really enjoys it, and I assure you, it was a great pleasure to make it. Follow us for more ideas and making, and share yours with us.

Inspiration is in every little thing.

Off it goes to the post office, our letter, before it is too late. What do you wish for Christmas? Did you send your letter to Santa?

Stay warm in the days of the cheerful December!

Thank you for sharing your time with me,

♥  IN