On the 12th Day of Christmas...............

On the 12th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee....................

PEACE

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines peace as:

 1.  A state of tranquility or quiet, such as freedom from civil disturbance.

2.  A state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom.

3.  Harmony in personal relations.

We need peace in our lives, communities, and in our world.  

Pray for peace.  Find peace.  Live in peace.

Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin With Me.

I chose the block Peace and Plenty for my Peace quilt along with a low contrast  blue and grey color scheme. This quilt is quiet and even feels peaceful.

My challenge to you is...............find peace and hold on.

On the 11th Day of Christmas........

On the 11th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee..........

LOVE

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines love as: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.  (There are many many other definitions, but this is the one that I going to use for this blog post.)

This IS the season for love.

I love Christmas -- it's my favorite holiday.  I love making and selecting gifts for my loved ones.  I love baking cookies and sharing them with friends, coworkers, and family.  I love sending and receiving holiday cards.  I love decorating my tree.  I love Christmas music and Christmas movies.  I LOVE everything about Christmas!

What do you love about the holidays?

 

I just wish I could find a way to extend Christmas behind the calendar holiday, but at the same time, maybe it wouldn't be as special if it was all the time.  There has to be a way to keep the love of Christmas in our hearts all year round, though.

It probably won't come as a surprise that I chose the True Lovers Knot block for my Love quilt.  This block is a bit more complicated with curved piecing, but what an amazing quilt.   I decided to use a classic blue and white color scheme.

My challenge to you is.....................show those you love how much you love them.

On the 10th Day of Christmas...............

On the 10th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee........

JOY

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines joy as:

1.  The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires:  delight;  the expression or exhibition of such emotion:  gaiety.

2.  A state of happiness or felicity:  bliss; a source or cause of delight.

Sometimes it's too easy to rush through our everyday lives and forget to find little moments of joy.  Like a ladybug on your shoulder.  Or a beautiful sunrise.  Maybe it's simply holding someone's hand or sharing a warm hug.  Whatever it is, we need to seek out and find more moments of joy because without joy, our lives would be very bleak indeed.

What brings you joy? 

For my Joy quilt, I found this delightful quilt block design in Electric Quilt.  It's called Joy Bells.  Isn't it cute?  I decided to put in on point and was pleased with the secondary design that happened.

My challenge to you is.............stop and find joy in a single moment.

On the 9th Day of Christmas...................

On the 9th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee........

PRIDE

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines pride as:

1.  The quality or state of being proud:  such as inordinate self-esteem or conceit; a reasonable or justifiable self-respect; delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship.

2.  Proud or disdainful behavior or treatment.

3.  Ostentatious display.

4.  A source of pride:  the best in a group or class

5.  A company of lions.

6.  A showy or impressive group. 

Whew!  As I typed out this definition, I seriously considered not using Pride for my 12 Days of Christmas posts.  Then I took a deep breath and stuck with my original plan.

People should be proud (I'm not talking about being rude or callous or boastful).  We should be proud of ourselves and our accomplishments as well as the accomplishments of others.  We should take pride in the work that we do, giving our best, even if we fall a little short.

Have you ever heard this quote by Les Brown:  "Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars?"

For my Pride quilt, I chose the Grandmother's Pride block.  I really liked how it was reminiscent of a fan, but had some very unique shapes to it.  I also chose reproduction fabrics to give the quilt a more vintage vibe.

 

My challenge to you is.........take pride in all that you do and encourage others to take pride in all that they do.

 

On the 8th Day of Christmas........

On the 8th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee...........

LAUGHTER

 The Merriam-Webster Diction defines laughter as a sound of or as if of laughing.  (Sadly, not a very helpful definition.)

It's very important to have laughter in your life.  Every day.  I bet you've heard the saying "Laughter is the best medicine?"  That saying really is true.  Laughter can alleviate stress and anxiety and it even burns calories. Did you know that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile?  

Here's to laughter!

For my Laughter quilt, I chose a fun block called Scrap Happy.  Just looking at it makes me smile.  It reminds me of a beach ball, which can brings lot of happy thoughts of fun and sun.  As you can see by the quilt, by altering color placement within the blocks, or turning the blocks, you can get a lot of different effects.

 

My challenge to you is..............to laugh every day. 

On the 7th Day of Christmas........

On the 7th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee.......

CREATIVITY

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines creativity as the ability to create and the quality of being creative.

So, what makes you creative?

For me, creativity is a family trait.  My mom painted, did wood crafts, made candles, sewed, cross-stitched, and so many other things.  My dad is an auto mechanic by trade, but any person who can take a vehicle apart and put it back together has a large dose of creativity and has the ability to think outside the box.  My sister explored lots of different creative outlets over the years, including crocheting and knitting.  Me, I am a quilter.

I can't remember a time when I wasn't surrounded by creativity and encouraged to explore my own creative interests.

Whenever I think about creativity, I am reminded of my dear cousin who tells me over and over that she is not a creative person.  Yet she is a beautiful dancer and her writing is lyrical and thought-provoking.  Or a friend from college who insisted she wasn't creative, yet whenever we played a comparison game back and forth through email (for example, how  a dead fish and a lawyer similar), her comparisons were not only hilarious but unique, demonstrating her creative thinking.

 There are so many different ways to be creative, find yours.

I chose a Twister Log Cabin block for my Creativity quilt design.  I am particularly fond of Log Cabin quilt blocks because of the amazing variety that can be achieved.  Log Cabin designs never bore me. 

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My challenge to you is..............find your creative voice.

On the 6th Day of Christmas.......

On the 6th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee........

FAITH

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines faith as:

1.  Allegiance to duty or a person:  loyalty;  fidelity to one's promise; sincerity of intentions.

2.  A belief and trust in and loyalty to God; belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion; a firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust.

3.  Something that is believed especially with strong conviction; a system of religious beliefs.

  

As you can tell by the variety of definitions above, faith means something different to each and every one of us.  Faith, to me, means believing in something that is bigger than just myself.  But on the other hand, we have to have faith in ourselves, too.

What does Faith mean to you?

For my Faith quilt, I chose a very pretty block reminiscent of a stained glass window.  The block is very fittingly called Church Window.  Then I framed the blocks with a unique border.

 

My challenge to you is.............to find faith for yourself or help someone else to find faith.

On the 5th Day of Christmas.......

On the 5th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee.....

FRIENDSHIP

The Merriam-Webster Diction defines friendship as:

1.  The state of being friends.

2.  The quality or state of being friendly:  friendliness.

Thinking about friendship made me remember the poem by John Donne that begins "No Man is an Island."  How true that is.  People need friends.  Whether it's a furry companion, a human companion, or one that has feathers or scales -- people are not meant to be solitary creatures.  Sure, it's nice to have time alone to reflect and think but spending time with friends feeds our soul.

Here is John Donne's poem:

No man is an island entire of itself; every man 
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; 
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe 
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as 
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine 
own were; any man's death diminishes me, 
because I am involved in mankind. 
And therefore never send to know for whom 
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. 

If you have a friend, you are not alone.
 
My Friendship quilt features a traditional friendship quilt block called Chimney Sweep.   I set the blocks on point for a different look.  The center of each block includes a large area for signatures or comments.

 

My challenge to you is.............to reconnect with a friend you have not seen or talked to for a long time.

On the 4th Day of Christmas......

On the 4th Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee..............

COURAGE

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines courage as the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

When I think about courage, I think about the military men and women who fight to keep our country safe, here at home and abroad.  So I want to take this opportunity to thank ALL service men and women for their courage and dedication.

Military service runs strong in my family dating back to the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. My grandfather and many great uncles were soldiers during World War II.  My uncle was a soldier during Vietnam. I have cousins who were in the National Guard and several cousins who are currently in the Air Force.

My Courage quilt design is in celebration and remembrance of military men and women of both today and of yesteryear.   

Thank you.

While perusing blocks in Electric Quilt, I came across this perfectly wonderful patriotic star chain block.  The block doesn't really have a name and is simply  called "Star Pattern."  It  was published in American Needlewoman in 1926.

My challenge to you is..........have a courageous heart.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas..........

On the 3rd Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee............

KINDNESS

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines kindness as:

1.  The quality or state of being kind.

2.  A kind deed or favor.

We all need to mindfully practice kindness towards others.  Too often, when we are not focusing on kindness, we may come off as unkind or uncaring towards others.  So let's practice kindness and make it a new habit.  Not only do we need to practice kindness towards others,  we need to remember to practice kindness to ourselves.

Do you remember the Golden Rule we all learned as children?

"Do unto others as you would have done to you."

Isn't it really all about kindness?


For my Kindness quilt, I chose 2 simple blocks -- a Friendship Star and a Ninepatch.  Paired together, there is a wonderful secondary effect which makes this quilt look more complex, even though it's very simple.

My challenge to you......................be kind to yourself and to others.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas.......

On the 2nd Day of Christmas, I give to thee......

HOPE

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hope as:

1.  The desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment; expectation of fulfillment or success

2.  Someone or something on which hopes are centered.

3.  Something desired or hoped for.

The holiday season is a time for hope, isn't it?  Hope for the future.  Hope for your community.  Hope for the planet.  For children, it might be hope for a special toy.  For adults, it might be hope that the family will be together at the holidays just one more time.  For those struggling, it might be hope for one more day or even hope for a roof over your head and a hot meal. 

This is the season of hope.

For my Hope quilt, I chose the Bright Hopes block.  I chose pastel fabrics in pink, lavender, blue, and yellow with a white on white for the center squares and border.

Bright Hopes Block

Notice the secondary design that happens with the limited fabric selection and turning every other block.

My challenge to you........find hope in yourself and share it with someone else.

On the 1st Day of Christmas.......

On the 1st Day of Christmas, I Give to Thee....

CHARITY

 

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines charity as:

1.  Generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering; aid given to those in need; an institution engaged in relief of the poor; public provision for the relief of the needy.

2.  Benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity.

3.  A gift for public benevolent purposes.

4.  Lenient judgment of others.

What does charity mean to you?

For me, charity means supporting my community and helping others.  

There are a lot of different ways to be charitable.  We can share our time by volunteering.  We can share our resources by making monetary donations or donations of goods and services.  The most wonderful thing about being charitable is that there isn't just one way to do it and you can do charitable deeds all year long.

FREE QUILT PATTERN

For my quilt design for Charity, I chose the humble four patch.  I am including the instructions to make this quilt because it would make up fast and you could donate the finished quilt to your favorite charity.

This quilt will finish at 72" x 72".

Here's how to make this simple quilt:

You will need 72 print 5" squares and 72 background 5" squares.  (This is a wonderful quilt project to use up a lot of different fabrics, just divide them into dark fabrics for the print squares and light fabrics for the background squares.  You can also use multiple charm packs if you want or make it a two color quilt as I did here.)

Make 36 Four Patch blocks.

Cut 60 sashing strips 2 1/2" x 9 1/2" and 25 sashing squares 2 1/2" x 2 1/2".

Sew 6 blocks together with 5 sashing strips in between the blocks.  Please note how I turned the blocks so that there will be a secondary design when everything is sewn together.  Make 6 rows.

Sew  6 sashing strips end to end with 5 sashing squares.  Make 5 rows.

Sew rows together, alternating block rows with sashing rows.

Measure your quilt top and cut borders 4 1/2" wide.

 

Finish your quilt by layering it with batting and backing.  Quilt or tie the layers together.  Attach a binding.  Donate to your favorite charity.

My challenge to you........do at least one charitable thing before Christmas.

12 Days of Christmas

 'Tis the Season....

Last year I had a lot of fun designing quilts inspired by favorite Christmas songs.

I've been thinking of what to do this year to celebrate the season on my blog and I think I've come up with a new idea for this year.

Who doesn't love the song "The 12 Days of Christmas"?

That song inspired me to come up with 12 different characteristics of the season (instead of turtledoves, maids a-milking, and golden rings).

Faith

Hope

Love

Charity

Kindness

Peace

Joy

Courage

Pride

Friendship

Laughter

Creativity

 For each of these 12 characteristics, I'm going to create a new quilt design.  Yay!

Beginning December 14th, I hope you'll come along with me on the 12 Days of Christmas.