On the 10th Day of Christmas

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

10 Lords A-Leaping

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, the Ten Commandments are represented by the ten lords a-leaping.

For this design, I picked the Boy's Nonsense block.  This block and I go way back -- I used it in one of my quilts for my second book, A Russian Journey in Quilts.  I'm going to call this one "Mischief."

On the 9th Day of Christmas

On the 9th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

9 Ladies Dancing

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, nine ladies dancing represent "nine fruits of the holy spirit."

I really love how graphic this design turned out!  There are 9 Fruit Basket blocks, but careful block arrangement and color manipulation created this wonderful secondary design element.  The star in the center and the checkerboard border really complete this quilt.  I'm calling this one "Star Basket" of course!

On the 8th Day of Christmas

On the 8th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

8 Maids A-Milking

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, eight maids a-milking stands for eight beautitudes.

Although I don't normally think of white, red, and black as holiday colors, I chose them for this quilt because of the contrast (and simply because I love that combination).  The block is called Buckeye Beauty and I really enjoyed playing around with the arrangement because these blocks created a lot of interesting secondary designs.

On the 7th Day of Christmas

On the 7th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

7 Swans A-Swimming

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, seven swans a-swimming represents the "seven gifts of the Holy Spirit."




For this quilt, I chose the Seven Stars block which is another name for the Seven Sisters block.   To further the concept of seven, I only used seven blocks in the design.  I am calling this one "49 Stars."

On the 6th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

Six Geese A-Laying

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15,the "six geese a-laying" represents the 6 days of Creation.


There are a lot of Flying Geese variations so I chose one that had 6 geese in the design.  I really like the movement in this design which is increased by coloring the flying geese from light to dark and repeating that concept throughout the quilt.  I also added green's compliment -- red (how well do you know your color wheel?) to further enhance the design.

I call this quilt "Geese in a Row."

On the 5th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

Five Golden Rings

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, five golden rings represents the Pentateuch, or the first five books in the Bible -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

I can remember as a kid singing the 12 Days of Christmas and when we got to the "5 golden rings" part, we'd yell it instead of singing it.  So, I wanted this quilt to really stand out.  What's more striking than a black and gold quilt?

The center block is actually a Celtic design, but it was perfect for this design.  I call this one "5 Celtic Rings," as a nod to my Irish heritage as well as the song.

On the 4th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

Four Calling Birds

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, the four Calling Birds stand for the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The block in this quilt is called Four Little Birds and was published in 1928 by Ladies Art Company.  I was really drawn to the graceful curves in these four birds.  I named this quilt "Swoop" because to me it looks like all four birds are swooping down to grab the same tiny morsel.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

Three French Hens

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, the three French Hens represent FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE.

This quilt block is appropriately named Hen and Her Chicks.  It appeared in Kansas City Star in 1947.  I chose a red and white colorway for this design so there was a lot of contrast and the blocks stood out.  I especially like how alternating the placement of the reds and white makes the quilt almost pulsate.

I call this quilt "9 Chicks."

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

My True Love gave to me...

Two Turtle Doves

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, the two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

I call this quilt design Doves in Flight. I was not quite sure how to represent a "turtledove" exactly (an image of a turtle with wings kept coming to mind) so I focused on the Dove as a symbol of peace for this design.

I chose 2 shades of purple paired with solid white.  I decided on this particular Dove block (see below) because of the many different layout options.

This is a close up of a single Dove block, which actually features 4 Drunkard's Path units.  This particular Dove block pattern is attributed to Kansas City Star.

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

My True Love gave to me...

  A Partridge in a Pear Tree.

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15,  "both 'my true love' and the partridge in a pear tree represent Jesus — the partridge because it’s a bird that will sacrifice its life to save its children."

I call this quilt design Birds and Pears.  I love how it has a modern feel to it even though it is in traditional Christmas colors.

The 12 Days of Christmas

For the Last couple of years, I've done a series of special holiday posts to share with you. 

Start HERE for my 2016 Playing Around with Christmas Songs

and

Start HERE for my 2017 12 Days of Christmas Gifts

For 2018, I thought I'd revisit the 12 Days of Christmas and design quilts to represent EACH day.

Did you know that the 12 Days of Christmas begins on December 25th and ends on January 5th?

Check out this great article written by Pat Johnson for the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15 for a great explanation of what the song really represents.  This was a real surprise to me so I wanted to share it with you this holiday season.

But before I forget --

to you and yours

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. 

.

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.