Christmas Archives - Page 10 of 23

Christmas Star Quilt

December 10, 2012 jennifer Christmas, Quilting and Sewing

In addition to my Scrappy Swoon quilt , the Vintage Holiday quilt , and my Chevron Christmas pillow , I also made a Christmas quilt for my mom. It’s a Christmas take on the Turquoise Star quilt I made this year along with the Made in Cherry Quilt along.

Once again, I made the 60 inch square size quilt. The squares are 3 1/2 inches unfinished and I had fun cutting into Christmas fabric I’ve had for years to make this quilt. My mom likes traditional Christmas colors and I hope she loves it as much as I loved making it for her.

For the backing I used a large piece of fabric I had which coordinates with most of the fabrics in the quilt. If I remember correctly it’s an April Cornell collection from years ago. I added a red floral and a green floral to complete it.

The stripe is a pretty holly pattern which I’ve always liked.

For a binding I opted for a low volume fabric, one that adds a hint of color while mostly blending with the cream background of the quilt.

And so it’s done. A bright, crisp, traditional yet modern Christmas quilt.

It went home with my Mom on a plane last week to be part of the holiday festivities where I grew up. I hope very much that it contributes to a feeling of warmth and love there in the next few weeks. Much as I’m happy to be in my own house with my own large family for the holidays, there is always a brief wave of homesickness that washes over me when I think of who’s gathered there, a wish to join them, to somehow be in both places at once, a longing for those safe happy Christmases of my childhood where the days and hours flowed perfectly because I was a child and my Mom was hard at work. I miss it and I long for it, and then I look around and realize I’m still living it, just on the other end, the giving end, and that it’s part of life’s great circle for me to be where I am. And I wasn’t making quilts then, either. I’m not sure I could give that up.:)

Isn’t it wonderful the memories we can wrap ourselves in while warm quilts warm our toes?

Merry Christmas!
Jennifer

It’s Christmas Time!

December 8, 2012 jennifer Christmas

The wind howls outside and the Christmas music is blasting within. A plate of orange rolls sits on the counter and boxes clutter the couch. The lights twinkle and the children laugh and plan as they take over the task of decorating the tree.

We all sing aloud and smile with recognition as familiar ornaments are removed from the box, especially those they made themselves. My six year old laughs at the ornament he made last year in kindergarten. They save a few and scurry upstairs to decorate miniature trees in their rooms.

It’s a happy day, one that feels like the holidays are here and promises they’re going to be fabulous.
We are so very blessed.

Jennifer

Christmas Mantel 2012

December 5, 2012 jennifer Christmas, Decorating

I decided to place just a single Nativity on our family room mantel this year. In my head the decor was going to be different, but now that the season is here my heart just wants simple.

After all, the only thing I really want for my children during this season is to have as many moments as possible when, in their hearts, they are kneeling beside the manger because the angels are singing in their hearts.

The log that constitutes the mantel presents some interesting challenges. It’s not nearly long enough to use those adorable stocking hangers, especially with a family of ten. My solution has been to hang a garland of some kind from it and put the stockings on that. In the past I’ve used greenery but I wanted to keep the white theme, so I made a simple white burlap garland instead.

I started making these stockings years ago when we were adding a child to our family every 18-21 months. I never knew how many we would end up with so I started making each stocking out of a different plaid fabric with their name embroidered on it in my handwriting. That way I could make as many as we needed over the years. My baby is three and I’m working to finish hers right now… finally!

The final touch is a simple bow in the center of the burlap garland. Last weekend I was shopping with my mom and found this awesome text print linen ribbon. Too often I “save” the things I like the most so I’m very proud of myself for cutting into this within two days. I am kind of wishing I’d bought two, though. It’s just so pretty!

And so the stockings are hung and the children filled with excitement. Welcome, Christmas!

Linking up here .