Finishing an ornament by hand

I have to get that ornament for my exchange partner finished and in the mail by this weekend. I messed around and forgot to get it to my LNS to get it finished in time to get it mailed, and, even with SO's assistance, I just don't have mad flat ornament finishing skills in supply enough to try to do a circular finish. So I decided on a pillow ornament finish. That way, I can use up some of the scads of fiberfill I have, and do it myself.

Of course I did not have appropriate fabric to back it. As a matter of fact, I don't have much Christmas fabric at all. What I do have seems to center itself around an animal theme, and I figured my poor exchange partner deserves better than a wintry ornament backed with dogs in Santa hats and carolling cats (you'll understand when I post a photo). My artistic side rebelled against that! So I thought I'd get some nubbly velvet in a royal blue or a navy blue. I liked how that felt when I backed SO's Stocking with the wine color, and I work right near one of the loveliest, most addictive fabric stores in the area, G Street Fabrics.

So I headed up there after work, in the cold. It snowed here yesterday afternoon. Not hard, there's none laying on the ground, but it snowed. And it was cold last night. And they had no nubbly, short nap velvet. Not even in the couturier section. So, after I consoled myself by walking around and looking at all the delicious fabrics they had (my kingdom for hips that would allow me to wear a wrap dress, so I could justify buying jersey!), I headed to the quilting section to look and see what they had there.

What they had was not much in the way of Christmas fabrics. This is surprising, no? Don't quilters do Christmas projects? I guess they are supposed to go to the quilt store if they want a better selection. And console themselves by fondling the bolts of jersey. But I did find a lovely piece of fabric that works perfectly. And they had cording that matches! And of course, I bought another half yard of fabric that showed animals carolling. I might need that.

I am hand-sewing this all together today. I am hopeful I can get it mostly finished while I am at work tonight. We're opening a new show at the theatre, and I'm seeing it tonight, so going to be a late night, but it will help get this finished, I am all for it.

I am almost done with Treaty fairy. I just have the last little bits of beading to finish and she's complete. She was a little bit tricky to work on, but I think she's pretty. Mom thinks she's pretty, SO thinks she's pretty. She's just a sparkly, cobwebby, wingless beauty queen. I did have a scare last night. Somehow, and I have no flipping clue how this happened, a dot of spaghetti sauce got on her! AAAAAAAACKKKKK. But I have a Tide to Go pen, truly an essential in one's stitching box, and that took it pretty much out, at least that I can feel comfortable when I handwash it, it will come out. Cause that would have stunk!