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

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.....

Saying goodbye to 2013.....

 

I am sorry that I have not been able to post the last installment of the Advent Quilt. My laptop has died and I have lost my latest information. I will be getting a new one later this week and hope to post the last patterns very soon after. 

One of the reasons I have not been online has been due to our dear cat Dagi who had to be put to sleep yesterday. He had just turned 16 and took a turn for the worse. We had to take him to the vet yesterday. He is now buried in our garden in a place my online friend calls Susan´s Corner. I am missing him terribly and Jos and I are heartbroken!

Master Mind´s Adagio 

Born December 21, 1997

Died December 30, 2013

The Mystery of Christmas advent quilt - mini quilt hangers day 15 to 21

The third week of advent brings another 7 mini quilt hangers to add to your advent quilt. 

Here is another example of one of the advent quilts made in my quilt group. This is Wilma's quilt with all her numbers hanging and then her other side with all the patterns choose by the group. 

I just had to share one more photo she sent me as her sweet kitty decided he wanted to pose with her quilt. 

Here is Elly's quilt numbers...

...and her patterns on the other side. 

Heidi

The Mystery of Christmas advent quilt - mini quilt hangers day 8 to 14

The second Sunday of advent has come so quickly and we are now ready for the next 7 mini quilt hangers for our advent quilts.

Part of the fun of this project for me was using the many beautiful trims and laces available. When you want to sew a piece of lace onto the square, you can choose to either sew it separately alongside another piece of trim as with the 10th hanger or sewn along just under the edge of a piece of trim as with the 13th hanger. 

I am stitching my ornaments with an overdyed red thread but you can use any color you like with matching ribbons and laces. 

Each design has placement lines included to ribbons, laces, trims, ric-rac and buttons. Stitch the number and then sew your trim in place. Added buttons are also shown on the charts. Right click the charts to print them. 

When finished, stitch or sew a design for the reverse side. Cut both front and back to 4-1/2 inches in size and sew with right sides together leaving an opening to turn the quilt hanger. Be sure to place a piece of thin ribbon in the center of the quilt for the hanger. I used two inches of satin ribbon folded in half. Trim the corners, turn and sew the opening shut. 

For some inspiration, look at my Pinterest board for links to some patterns for the back of your hangers.

Be sure to look at this post for the quilt instuctions and this page for hangers 1 to 7.

The Mystery of Christmas Advent quilt - mini quilt hangers day 1 to 7

The first Sunday of advent has arrived. Here are the first week's little quilts to hang on your advent quilt. These little quilts measure 4-inches square when they are finished. The numbers hang from the buttons on the advent quilt and as each day of December arrives, simply turn the little quilt to reveal a pretty picture on the other side. 

Each design has placement lines included to ribbons, laces, trims, ric-rac and buttons. Stitch the number and then sew your trim in place. Added buttons are also shown on the charts. Right click the charts to print them. 

When finished, stitch or sew a design for the reverse side. Cut both front and back to 4-1/2 inches in size and sew with right sides together leaving an opening to turn the quilt hanger. Be sure to place a piece of thin ribbon in the center of the quilt for the hanger. I used two inches of satin ribbon folded in half. Trim the corners, turn and sew the opening shut. 

On the reverse side, it is your chance to make your advent calendar very personal. I am showing you my own quilts for ideas. These are designs I have found in books, magazines or free charts on blogs. Choose designs that speak to you. If you prefer not to do as much cross stitching, why not try creating all applique patterns, patchwork or redwork. 

My first two blocks shown above include a portion of an IsaV design and a little freebie that I cannot unfortunately tell you who created as I did not save it after I stitched it. If anyone knows who's design it is, I would like to add it to the post?

I will be featuring some of the quilts from my friends in my quilt group as part of this S&QAL. When I gave the ladies the pattern last year, I provided some applique numbers for those who preferred to do this instead of stitching them. Sonja choose to applique her numbers and this is her finished quilt. 

 Her quilts include designs chosen by all the members of the group as well as a few she choose herself. As you see, she used a combination of patchwork, applique, stitchery, cross stitch and bobbinlace. 

Wednesday I will share a few more designs of my little quilts with some links to freebies. 

Advent Quilt - The Christmas Mystery S&QAL

Over the years, I have shared many of my ideas with my friends in my quilt group. I thought it would be fun to share one with all of you in a S&QAL (Stitch and Quilt ALong).

I am calling this quilt 'The Mystery of Christmas'. This is a wonderful time of year but I find myself feeling more nostalgic each year for the Christmasses of my childhood. It seemed then that there was a magic in the air. For me, Christmas is not the commercial but the personal side which appeals. I love making things and find a true gift no matter how small is handmade. Old traditions like advent calendars bring a childlike magic to the season.

A couple of years ago, my blogging friend Marsha sent me an advent calendar which I still use each year. I found her a miniature one in Germany and sent it to her. Oh those windows were so tiny! Our shared love of this Christmas fun inspired this quilt. It was the theme project for my quilt group last year. As the S&QAL progresses, I will share some of the beautiful versions the ladies in my group made.

So I hope you will join me and make yourself and family your own version of my advent quilt which I will show you how to make very personal. You could even get your children/grandchildren involved.

The first part is the quilt itself...

My quilt is created using the pattern called 'Attic Window'. If you find this pattern to challenging, you can change it to a half 'Log Cabin' following the cutting instructions and dotted line on the diagram. The finished quilt measures 38-1/2 inches square.

You will need about
3/4 yard of your two main fabrics - one lighter for squares and one darker color for windows
1/2 yard of second darker color
1/3 yard of accent color
fat quarter or scraps of third color for coin borders only

Here is the pattern in two parts for you to print.

Advent Quilt part one
Advent Quilt part two

When the patchwork is completed, quilt as desired and sew a button on the top of each block. Placement for the buttons are shown on the pattern.

Each Advent Sunday, I will share some of the blocks which hang on the quilt. I had shared glimpses of this project previously on my blog. Here is a peek of what is to come....

This project is for quilters and stitchers alike. So many do both but I will show you how you can adapt things along the way to your own preference for stitching, applique, stitchery or patchwork.

I hope you willl join me this advent to work on a special heirloom for yourself and your family. It will give you the creative space among all the bustle to discover 'The Mystery of Christmas'!

Let's get started......

Heidi

Looking back - part one

In the coming days, I am going to reflect back over 2012 and what I accomplished or not as the case may be. I am working on setting goals for next year and working on. I have a number of fun projects planned.

 Each year, one of the projects I start working on in December is samples for our quilt group theme project. The project for 2013 is going to be such fun and has a connection back to the US and a blogging friend. But that will be revealed in January. In the meantime, here are some photos from our annual Christmas party...

This year, I asked the ladies to split up in little teams and plan out a three course sit down dinner. One team came early the day of the dinner and helped me to tranform my living room into a huge dining area. We lit candles everywhere and it created a really magical atmosphere.

Don't forget you can click on the collages to enlarge them.

Our gift exchange theme of Make Do and Mend really brought out the ladies creative sides. There was a great deal of ooohhhing and aaahhhing that evening.

A number of the ladies brought their advent quilts along for us to see them all together. Now each December, this year will be remembered as each of us uses our own advent quilt.

See you again on December 31st with a review of my projects from this year...

Heidi

A Christmas Potpourri

This post is a true Christmas potpourri of things to share. I have been and still am sick so not posting much but I have lots to add as the last weeks of the year wind down.

Remember my large dough bowl? I played around with my stuffed Santas I had made of the years and decided this year to use a couple of them in my small dough bowl.

And part two of my advent quilt calender.....

I love being able to use my collection of ribbons, laces and trims on the number side. For my other side, there is a mixture of images.....

And what is Miss Pickles the Elf up to? She is wrapping your gifts and placing them under the Christmas tree.....

Our annual Christmas party has come and gone. This year, I gave the group a Make Do and Mend theme for their gifts. They were to either rummage in their houses for something old or buy it at a charity shop or flea market. The idea was to take something unloved and give it a new second, homemade life.

I bought an old footstool. Sorry to say that I forgot to take a photo of the before but I did include the ugly heavy fabric that had been on it in the first photo of the collage. Jos sanded the dark brown wood and painted it a matt black for me. I sewed a crazy quilt top using my black fabrics and various lace trims. It went from being out of date to being trendy.....

A tradition of mine is to add a gift on the outside of my gift for the quilt group. This time, I also bought a huge paperclip at the charity shop which was a very ugly baby blue. Jos again sanded and painted it for me. I stitched a small design and them glued it onto the front of the clip. Now it can be used as a pretty card or photo holder or to hold a pattern as you stitch.....

The point of these gifts was not to spend much money on the item but to invest time and creativity to make something really beautiful. I am working on the pictures for the next blog post to share more of these Make Do and Mend gifts.

Heidi