Thursday, December 25, 2014

Advent mystery solved.....


The mystery of my advent quilt is revealed today...Christmas Day. Here are the 25 little quilt blocks on the reverse sides. I really enjoyed stitching them all. You can see the other side on this previous post.

There are references to the patterns my quilt group members turned in along with some things dear to my husband and I. A few examples are in the photo below but enlarge the first photo to see all the blocks. The "Joyeux Noel" as my way of saying thank you to the various French sites where I found some designs, a candle in a lantern on the 13th for Santa Lucia as Jos and I lived in Sweden when we were first married, the nativity for the 25th, a pretzel which reminds of the German Weihnachtsmarkts which we love so much and my kitty Dagi and Miss Pickles the Elf. These are just a few of the motiefs I used. 


Wishing you a very Merry Christmas wherever you are celebrating and may 2015 bring you happiness and many creative moments!

Heidi

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Quilted Christmas 2014.....


Last week was our annual Christmas party for my quilt group. Each year, we have a 3-course dinner which is planned by half of the group members. This year our theme was "Nederlandse Nostalgie" or "Nostalgic Dutch style". We started with old fashioned Dutch vegetable soup with bread and herb butter. Our main course was kale stamppot, hachee (goulash style) meat and a sauerkraut casserole. Dessert followed with ice cream tarts and homemade orange bavarois. We topped our dinner off with coffee or tea served with assorted Christmas chocolates. It was all delicious!


It is quite something to see the tables all set up for 16 people. The feeling of belonging together among this group was very obvious around the table. Christmas cheer was in great attendance and we all had a fun evening.


This year, there were two challenges. The first challenge was for everyone is the group. I gave them each four small squares of various Christmas fabrics from my stash. They all started with those same four fabrics and were asked to make an ornament to be swapped during the dinner. They were allowed to add their own fabrics as long as the original four were in the ornament. Above shows the results of everyone's labor. It was fun to see what they all made. 


This is the one I made. A wooden spool tree with my fabrics glued to the spools. 


We also had a mug rug swap for those who wanted to do something extra. Names were drawn and you made a mug rug for a specific person. Eleven of us participated and here are the results of everyone's creativity. They all turned out beautifully!


I had drawn Bep's name. She loves going on vacation in her caravan so I made her and her husband each a mug rug to use while out travelling in their caravan. 

It is hard to believe that a another quilt year has passed so quickly. As the year draws to a close, I am working away now on the quilt theme for 2015 for our group. It promises to be a fun year to come.....

Heidi

Thursday, December 11, 2014

A quilt season comes to an end.....


Each year, I choose a theme for my quilt group. In December, we have completed our theme ready for a new year. 2014 was the year of a season of trees in rag appliqué technique. For each season, the group used the same background and tree shape but created the season around it. My trees were then sewn into a patchwork window frame to reflect a season in each pane. 


Here are a few peeks at some of the quilts from a few members in the group...


"He who plants a tree
Plants a hope."   - Lucy Larcom

Next week, our group will celebrate Christmas with a large dinner party and admire our gifts being made for each other. 2014 went by so quickly and we are now looking forward into 2015. 

Heidi

Monday, December 1, 2014

The advent of peace and happiness.....


It seems impossible that December has arrived. I spent the last few months redoing my advent quilt. This quilt had been a project I designed for my quilt group's theme in 2012. Throughout the year, the ladies were allowed to submit pattern ideas for each other to use on the figure side of the little quilts hanging on the large quilt. This quilt became something I could not appreciate any longer after a rift some members of the group caused. I needed to do something to give myself the gift of this quilt back again. 

So I went about carefully taking my blocks apart and redoing them all in red French inspired stitching. I did use the ideas of most of the patterns from the group but in my own way. I am really happy with how it has turned out and it has become a symbol for me of the peace and happiness that Christmas is all about! 


For today, I am sharing the number side of the quilt blocks and the first block of December's figure...a house in a winter mountain setting. 


So as the holiday season begins and we await the arrival of Christmas, I am inspired by the council of many of the quilt group members who have given me wisdom over the past year...


May your December be a time of special blessings in your own life.....

Heidi

Note: More blocks on my advent quilt will be revealed as December progresses.....