Preparing for Poncetastic 2022

[VivaJen]

I know we start the Poncetastic thread in September but we all know that you have start your Poncetastic preparations early so I thought we could have a prequel type thread for the next month.

So what's everyone planning? 🎄🎄🎄

I've just made 6 jars of chilli jam. They're not gifts - we eat it all ourselves 🐷

DD2 starts her first job as a primary school teacher next month and has asked for a crochet nativity for her classroom. I've got a pattern to do one as a wreath - I think long term it will store better and there's less risk of one of the pieces getting lost.

I've got yarn to make a crochet Christmas blanket but I don't know if I'll have the time - the bonus being that it will keep me warm while I make it 😂

I've also got an old lightweight single duvet and I'd really like to turn it into a quilt. I've pinned a few examples on Pinterest - they use a large picture as a central panel and then a bit of patchwork around it. I am not an experienced quilter at all but I think I could have a go. Again time might be a problem.

I need to get some redcurrant gin started in the next week or so if it's going to be ready for Christmas.

I'll be making three small Christmas cakes. I enjoy the baking bit but I put off icing them until the last possible moment.

My friend has crochet or knitted Fererro covers from me every year and I need to decide a "theme" for this year's. I've done Christmas puddings, Santa hats, sprouts and gnomes in previous years. Maybe Christmas trees.

@TheWoollybacksWife these are seriously impressive- please post pictures as you do them. I love the idea of sprout Ferrero Rocher covers!

Hello again for another year!

I've already made my mincemeat and Christmas pudding. Plus I've 3 flavours of vodka infusing under the stairs (rhubarb, rosehip and raspberry - all fruit grown at the allotment).

Our chilli jam is an all year thing, but will be made when we have ripe chillies to make it with.

I'll make the chocolate cherry pudding at the end of next month.

I'm currently doing the Christmas Inn cross stitch (John Clayton). It's not really recognisable yet!

I have made bramble jelly to go in hampers. Chilli jam will start at the end of September.
Last year I made some cross stitch Christmas cards, don't know if I will have the time this year.

I love this thread every year!

I’m making Christmas stockings (currently sewing a Grinch one - pre printed stocking panel which I’m hand quilting and then sewing a lime green satin lining into) and then a very quick cot quilt (Christmas penguins) for my nephew. Then it’s a Christmas Eve box for the same nephew done with pyrography. I’ve also got some film themed baubles planned (It’s a Wonderful Life, Harry Potter and Die Hard) and an idea for a dragons tail stocking if I get time.

Sprouts!

This is the photo from the Woolly Hugs website as I forgot to take a photo myself. I made some for the WH Christmas sale at the same time.

Fluffy has just reminded me I've got mincemeat that I made last year. Should be nicely matured now.

I’m useless at poncing but I do enjoy reading what others are doing whilst looking on enviously.

I'm super excited about doing the Make Arcade craftvent calendar. I'm telling myself I'll do it with the kids so it's not a crazy extravagant spend on myself 😊

Ha! Me too , I think I'm doing well whipping up a batch of Yorkshire Puddings rather than reaching for the Aunt Bessies

I'm going to bake a small cake this year (7" diameter as I have the rin)
Trying to decide between Delia and Mary Berry .
I do my own marzipan for extra Poncetastic Points though

I need to see these film baubles. No pressure.

I'm not any good at poncing, I love seeing what all you talented people can do though.

Once I finish my Harry Styles cardi that I started in Jan I'll get back to my knitted Christmas wreath that I started 2 years ago!

I'd love to ponce more but I get scunnered halfway through jobs unless I'm making them for someone else.

I have completed 2 out of my planned 5 cross stitch cards.
I'm also planning to make a stocking for my niece (when I'm better on the sewing machine) and I usually crochet a Christmas themed something for my mum and sister. Not sure exactly what I'll be going for yet though.

I usually ponce by making candles and having a nice table etc but I have so many candles I can't do that, and we're away for Christmas so I won't need a nicely decorated table this year either.

I'm always jealous of the people who can ponce with cooking as I'm generally a bit rubbish (and the things I could try like mince pies etc, I don't eat).

Nagado how easy is it to quilt? I'd love to make a small Christmas one that could lie along the back of the sofa.

@CrazyBaubles It’s very easy, especially if you use a fabric panel in the middle (a big picture or design printed onto fabric) and work around the edge, and then you can do patterns that get more and more complicated. Have you got a fabric shop in your town? Very often they run classes or taster sessions and can get you started off, and most will let you use their machines if you don’t have one of your own. I quite like doing it by hand if I’m doing something small like a cot quilt or Christmas stocking, so I can sit on the sofa rather than at my sewing machine, but it has taken me quite a while to get to where my stitches are neat enough to be seen!

Nagado do you have a special foot for your sewing machine when you use it for quilting? (A walking foot?) I machine quilted an advent calendar a couple of years ago with my normal setup and it worked fine but I don't know if I'd need more specialised equipment if I planned to do something bigger. I'd happily hand quilt but I can imagine it would take forever to do something like the single bed size I'd like to do.

Hello again everyone! I’ve been looking forward to the thread starting.
I made my first ever chutney today, delias smoky tomato, planning to keep most of it to try and break our £££ farmshop ketchup habit.
I have knitting projects to steam through so that I can start on gifts - a blanket and a jumper for DD each 70-80% done. I’ve done a yarn audit and will try to make gifts from stash.
I’ve got ends of spirit bottles from pre-pregnancy that could be flavoured and put into little bottles to gift or just make more appetising. Anyone know how long port lasts open? (Or, is vinegar-making in my future?)
Lots more ideas afoot and a fancy notebook this time around!

Every year I want to join these threads.

Hopefully it's ok to be a newbie?

Im the worst poncer in the entire world...absolutely rubbish at it, everything i try goes wrong....but following this thread with the hope of getting better !

Same here, newbie who loves crafting but pretty poor at most. I'm going to take inspiration from you all.

I like food poncing but my other craft skills are not impressive! I have made chutney and crab apple jelly so far and have rhubarb vodka infusing. I am planning to start the Christmas vodka this weekend and will make Christmas cakes during the October half term and chilli jam in early December.

Plum brandy on the go. Redcurrant vodka done but wont last till Christmas

Always love these threads. I'm undecided what I'm doing yet as I've got a few big events before Christmas. Toying with the idea of making new advent calendars as the kids are getting older and there's are looking tatty.

Impressive stuff on this thread! My last attempt at poncing involved making christmas pudding baubles for our tree. Ended up looking like dog turds covered in glue according to dh...so suffice to say, went in the bin. Going to have to learn from you lot, and get good ideas !

@TheWoollybacksWife Yes, I do have one, but it doesn’t get used often because I have loads of craft projects all over my desk, so rolling up a quilt takes up loads of room. It’s definitely quicker to use it, but I prefer using one of those pens that you draw on fabric with and it fades away (there’s a name for it but I have menopause brain!) and sewing over the top of that while I’m on the sofa.

@MarthaMayWhovier it will have a big ribbon on the top and I’ll do something with the back, but this is the basic version. Bruce Willis crawling through an air vent looks pretty effective with this style of bauble 🙂

I've been a lurker on this thread for the past few years. Hope I can join in this year.

Absolutely adore the sprouts @TheWoollybacksWife , this is one of the few comments that makes me wish MN had a like/love button 😁

Love the Poncetastic threads!

Although I’m a bit rubbish.

I will make a cake. I did Delia’s Creole one last year which was really nice and was actually eaten by the end of January.

also made marmalade gin which was nice.

hoping there will still be blackberries around in a couple of weeks as I go away on Monday for a week and there are currently loads near us but I won’t have time to do anything with them.