On the 12th Day of Christmas

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

12 Drummers Drumming

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, the twelve drumming drummers represent the "12 points of belief in the Apostle’s Creed."

I chose a Holiday Drum block for the center of the quilt and surrounded it with a variety of borders.  I call this one "Little Drummer."

On the 11th Day of Christmas

On the 11th Day of Christmas...

My True Love gave to me...

11 Pipers Piping

According to writer Pat Johnson in the Vancouver Courier 12/21/15, the eleven pipers represent the "eleven faithful apostles."

When I think of "pipers" I think of bagpipes.  Of course bagpipes make me think of Scotland and by association Ireland.  So I chose a Double Irish Chain for this quilt in trraditional red, green, and white fabrics.

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 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.