Wool applique Christmas book cover

I just finished a wool applique cover for the big binder that's stuffed with my annual Christmas letters and photos going back to 1999. (I have another one going back to 1985, but that one already has a nice cover.) I embroidered "Our Christmas Story" on the spine, and I thought I'd show how I transferred the letters in case it might help someone.

First I printed the words out in a font and size that I liked. Then I traced them onto the non-sticky side of a piece of Glad Press 'n' Seal.

The Press 'n' Seal is sticky on one side, so press that side against the fabric where you want to embroider.

Embroider through the Press 'n' Seal and then peel it off. You may need tweezers or the tip of sharp scissors to pick out the small pieces. Voila!

Here's the front of the cover. I used a black cotton background and wool scraps. The trees and Santa are from a table topper pattern.

Every year I pull out the books and read through my old letters, which each have a picture of our family. It's like going back through a time capsule. Here's the latest:

And some of the older ones ...

And it wouldn't be a blog post without a desert picture, so here's a shot of a majestic saguaro cactus from yesterday's hike on the Linda Vista Trail near my house.

(I'm linking to Nina-Marie's Off-the-Wall-Fridays, where other quilt artists show what they've been working on this week: merry-christmasoff-wall-friday.html)

Have a colorful day