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.