I proudly present...

... my finished Nativity quilt!

I made an Avent Calendar with numbers 1 - 24 with star-shaped buttons. Every morning one of the kids hangs a little bell on the right button. And as you can see, it mixes up with the lego-wintervillage very well.

Here's an other close up, I promiss it's the last Nativity picture I'll show. In real live the squares with the numbers are squares. It's not perfect, but I really like it.

There where lots of times I thought I'de never finish this quilt, and a few time I even thought about throwing it all away. So every December-month from now on I'll be a little proud of me, and enjoying this quilt very, very much.

shining buttons

As I wrote before, I want to make an Advent calendar with the Nativityblocks. Today I did some shopping, and I found the most special buttons I could image! Here some pics of them:

The pin next to the buttons is to show you how little they are, just a subtile sparkling element!

So here's my plan:

I make squares on darkblue fabric (same as I used in the quiltblocks)

with two different blue threads

.

In the squares I'll sew the numbers 1-25 (Advent!)

with yellow thread, and in every square a button to hang on a little ornament (Advent!).

I'll use the kettingsteek,

I found a good description (never been a good embroiderer :) ).

So now I'll search the net for a nice font to use.

And of course, still have to make the last 3 blocks. But I have a little hope that it's finished at the first of December...

Have a nice day!

Anita 

The third king

A rainy sunday afternoon, time to make the third king, the Dec 22th block. It's quite a puzzle to find out which 'block' I made today, but it's the king who's standing in the middle of the other kings.

As you can see, there are only a few blocks left to make. The cradle, Josef and Maria: 3 blocks to go.

My plan is to embroider an Advent calendar beneath the nativityscene, on a dark blue fabric.

But first the last blocks, I'm looking forward to start with them!

Have a nice day,

Anita 

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas! This morning on our way to school  there was so much rain, thunder and lightning that it definitely felt like at least October, so making the block of Dec 21th - shortest day of the year - was quite appropriate. It was not a big block, a little sheep, but with this one the whole left section is finished!

So like a big puzzle I'm just a few steps away from a finished top... you see the white spots in the picture below:

And it really was a good idea to paint our diningtable white, so good for the pictures (and not so good for me, after every meal I can see every little spot on it - although that forces me to be a good housewive :) )

Have a nice day!

The Nativityquilt - so far

It's Sunday-evening and after a busy but nice weekend I'm glad to show you a picture of the Nativityquilt so far. Yes, the camel is finished!

The left side with the shepherd and sheep looks a bit messy, but that's because I used a few pins, the parts are not sewed together yet. Next step is the missing sheep, so I can finish the whole left part.

It's still a quite exciting project, I'm looking forward to make that sheep!

only 4 months...

... before it's christmas! Time to go back to business: the Nativity quilt. But oh dear oh dear I really had to find some courage to start. But after a little while I sorted things out like this:

Before the summer I started with the king and his camel (optimistically I posted Back on track - but it seemed to be a very short track I was back on!) It was a big block with a king (finished) and his camel (paper coloured - okay it's a start). And although my plans were bigger than this, I'm glad I made a new little step in this christmasproject:

So the camel is growing, and I left every piece of fabric at my desk so I can start as soon as I find som time to give this animal a pair of legs!

As you can see, my china cabinet is still there, waiting for a finishing touch.

Have a nice day!

Stars in spring

Today I had a few hours to spend with my Singer and my Nativityproject! Outside it really felt like spring, inside I worked on the starry night. I wonder if this is what Bianca Ryan means with "Why couldn't it be Christmas every day...

and in the overview of the sky:

I love them!

Next part to handle: the shepherd and his sheeps, here's a little preview:

I promise next picture of this group will be more interesting :)

Have a nice day!

Anita

little time for a little block

We had a busy weekend with a birthdayboy, so very little time for sewing - but much familytime, also very nice!

 And what a coincidence: the block of ec 18th is a very small one, a little candle in the stable.

And although this little flame is quite cute, it's more interesting to see it with another blocks:

I'm looking out for a whole day of nothing else but sewing Nativity-blocks... or at least a few hours and one big block!

Have a nice day,

Anita

The little angel of Dec 17th

Today I made the block of Dec 17th: a little angel and a palm tree. In fact this block contains 2 blocks, but I guess that has something to do with the idea of 25 blocks in this quilt. This block and the block of Dec 12th belongs together, and I had to sew the 17th block in parts to make them fit.

Sounds a bit fuzzy, I'll show you the pics:

So forget about which part belongs to which day, don't you love the result?

And since I really wonder how this quilt is going to look I sewed this angel and tree together to the first block I made, the Star of Bethlehem. I'm very glad with the overview so far!

I can't wait to make the next blocks... if only a day had 36 hours!

Have a nice day,

Anita

More Nativity: Dec 16th- Donkey

Since I really start believing in this project, I've more energy to work on the blocks. So today I proudly present you the Dec 16th-block: Donkey! My daughter, who doesn't speak English yet, asked me why this animal was called Donkey, like the one in Shrek. She was really surprised that "donkey" is the english word for this grey little horse with long ears! And here he is:

The legs of the donkey are also part of another block, so here's the overview so far:

I'm so excited, because the contours of the cave with the cow and donkey are visible now. Of course, Joseph, Maria and the Child are the objects of the last blocks, supposed to sew at Christmas Eve (as if anyone ever has time for that at that moment...)

Have a nice day!

Dec 15th: a dog (or wolf)

Yeah, today I made the block of Dec 15th! It's supposed to be dog, but by using grey-ish fabrics it looks like a wolf.

I only made the dog today, but since it belongs next to the cat, I sewed them together.

And all the blocks I made so far:

I have to admit: today is the first day that I think it might be really nice when finished.

So I'll keep up the good work and will be back soon - 8 blocks to go.

Have a nice day!

Anita

Back on track: Dec 14th

I saw some snowdrops (the flowers, not the icecold stuff :) ) in de the garden today, spring is in the air!

Inside our house I took my box with Nativityblocks and fabrics. Time to go on with the christmasquilt, there are lots of blocks to make for it! I made the block of  Dec 14th, a king, sitting on a camel, but the camel is another block so you need some imagination to admire him.

I'm very glad that I'm back on track, hope to show more blocks soon!

hexagons inspiration from the past

I'm still busy with the pink quilted hexagons. Today I read a book, The quilters' guild collection, about the traditions of British quiltmaking and how those traditions have enriched the modern quiltmakers.

It's fascinating that about 200 years ago ladies (I don't think men were involved...) made beautiful pieces.

Searching on the net I found more beautiful examples. What about this site, a real online quilt-museum: clickclick. In the hexagon-section I found these beauties:

1820s quilt. photo by Don Beld

and a detail of a hexagon-flower, all those prints were already available in 1820, almost 200 years ago!

Surfing on the net I found lots and lots of other pictures of beautiful quilts with hexagons. But instead of looking at other persons' work I'd better go on with my own projects... have a nice day!

And... I will go on with the Nativityquilt, I hope later this month.

Dec 13th: the shepherd gets a little sheep

Today it's time for Dec 13th (I'm coming closer to the real date!). The block shows the sheep that's with the shepherd I made earlier (Here he is with his crook).

Not a very difficult one, nice for this time! I made a picture of this new block together with the shepherd. The sheep has a bit of a strange head, but I hope that is solved after sewing all the blocks together...

With this block, I'm more than halfway through!

Have a nice day!

Starry starry night...

After two busy weeks (nothing to do with quilting, lots to do with kids, work, sinterklaas) a new Nativityblock!

And the title of this post doesn't mean that I compare myself to Vincent van Gogh (like Don McClean sang) but to the block I made: Dec 12th.

I started like this today:

And with a little work it first became this.....:

.... and then: it finally looks like a starry starry night :) The little brown piece on the left side will become an angels' foot, the green piece is a leaf of a palm tree.

The complete picture so far:

 

So 12 blocks ready, 13 to go!

The second shepherd

Yeah, time for another Nativity-block! Today I made the block of Dec 11th, the second shepherd. Here it is:

I pinned it at my couch to make the picture, so it's quiet a special perspective... but if you look good you can see the foreground, a kneeling shepherd (with brown beard) and the dark brown background.

11 done, 14 to go!

And there is Dec 10th!

Today I made the block of Dec 10th, so 10 blocks ready (15 to go....). The block of today shows the shepherd's crook. I made the shepherd before, and together it looks like this:

Today's block is the right one, I put it next to the shepherd to see what's it going to be. I like the way the road is made behind this man.

I also started with the 11th one today, a kneeling shepherd with so many pieces I 'll have to finish it later.

I really like the result, but I have my doubts if I'll ever be able to finish this quilt. It's so complicated, not only sewing the blocks, but also to choose the right colours, and later to sew the blocks together. I wonder how I ever had the courage to start....

Nativityblock: Dec 9th

Today I finally had time for the next Nativity-block, the one from Dec 9th. It was not a very inspiring one, but I sewed it totally by hand while my daugther was working on her birthday-wishlist - which was very inspiring!

Here's the block of today:

It's not that I want to make it more exciting upside down, but I have some struggles with my Iphone to show the pictures in the right way. I arranged the blocks I made so far, and then you see what the block of today means (it's the one under the little angel):

Have a nice day!

After the cow it's time for a king

Earlier today I posted about the Nativity-cow I made. Since the kids were all playing with Lego building houses, I had time for another block. It was time for a king today - Dec 8th (acoording to the quilt; irl it's Oct 17th). It's not just a king, it's a kneeling king, offering a present to the newborn King. The blue fabric is from Josef's cloak.

8 blocks ready, 17 to go!

And something totally different but very nice: my sister gave me a very good birthdaypresent, I made a picture of it. The fabric is even more beautiful than you see on this pic!

Have a nice day!





New nativity blocks: a cow

Today it was a very sunny Octoberday, and after enjoying it with a familywalk I made a Nativity block - Dec 7th. Very complex with 44 pieces. Difficult part of making this quilt is to choose the right fabrics. Lots of it must be a kind of brown, and although I have a little collection of fabrics, I don't have so much browns:

Luckily my mother's collection is much bigger, with more browns, but still it's hard to fill in the colours in a right way. Here's all the stuff I need to make one block:

So today I made a checked cow. I had some doubts when I started, but I like the result, and it really is a cow!

How cool is this! And also in this picture: two pairs of brandnew very very sharp scissors! Thanks to my mum for this very useful birthdaygift!