Angels We Have Heard On High

I hope you enjoy this beautiful performance as much as I did! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Photo Flood

Since this is such a busy time of year I am going to flood you with photos rather than lots of chatter. These are the little wool ornaments that I made for my grandchildren this year. Little penguins. If you read my post from a few weeks ago you will notice that they go with the penguin gift theme. I am pleased to say that my grandkids look forward to their ornaments each year and love looking back through their collections from over the years. That is what makes it worth it to me!

Below is a photo from Thanksgiving of me with three of the little darlings. August and Katie on top and Grey on the bottom getting a little tickle of encouragement to smile.

 And the tree! We all love our own tree, filled with love and memories from years gone by and usually something new as well. My Williamsburg Medallion Quilt is the backdrop.

 I found the perfect spot for my little red hexagon table topper. My little rocking horses and reindeer are playing merry-go-round on the pedestal plate. That is my Wintergreen pattern in the background--still available on my website!

 If you have been reading my blog for a long while you may remember this little cute tree quilt. I designed the pattern and have the instructions for FREE on my website. This version is smaller than the directions specify. I made so many of these for gifts! And so did many of you! If this design is new to you be sure and see the gallery.

Lastly, I want to share my Tone it Down quilt from last winter's American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. If you are on Instagram, go to #apqquiltalong and you can see lots of variations, including the original by Lissa Alexander, commonly know as the very talented ModaLissa. Right-she designs for Moda Fabrics!  Anyway, I love mine! The pattern is actually called Burgoyne Surrounded, a very old pattern after a Revolutionary War general. Lissa updated the pattern in a beautiful way! (I know--if you follow all these links you will be here all night!)

 I hope you are enjoying this wonderful season of hope and love!

Scrap Quilts Magazine

I am very excited to announce that one of my quilts was selected for the cover of the Fons and Porter bookazine about Scrap Quilts!  

Quite a while ago they emailed me and asked if I had anything to contribute to the magazine and I said, as a matter of fact, I do! So I submitted a photo and they wrote back to say that the editors wanted to use it in an upcoming special edition about scrap quilts. Well, you know me and scrap quilts, we are like bears and honey, or cookies and milk, or flags on the 4th of July! I was pretty pleased! Then recently they told me that my quilt would be on the cover of the magazine! Woohoo! I have had a few quilts in magazines, but this is my first cover. So excuse me if I gush all over the place. I hope you will look for a copy!

In other news about me, Cheryl at Polkadots and Rick Rack is involved in Christmas Through the Year and posted a link to my website and the free Christmas patterns that I have listed there. Maybe you will see something that interests you. Christmas is just around the corner...again! Seems like it is always just around the corner! Thanks to Cheryl for thinking of me and my designs.

Stockings at last!

The stockings were stuffed in the mailbox with care, in hopes they would travel to my grandchildren by air! Well it rhymes, but will never be a hit. Yes, I finally got the stockings mailed off to the kids just in the (St.) Nick of time! 

 All the stockings I have made for my nine grandchildren and two greats have been from denim jeans. You can see the seam that runs down one side. These make nice sturdy, home-style stockings. These stockings were smaller than the others because I had to beg for jeans from a lady who only had skinny ones. What is with that? If this trend continues I will be making crazy patched denim stockings next. Sounds cute, but too many seams. As it is I had to piece the toes, but it doesn't show under the toe patch, or on the back, so it is fine. The applique is all done  in wool. This is different from years past as well. I love wool applique! 

Just as I was beginning this project my Jan. 2012 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts arrived in the mail, and there was a cute snowman quilt in it. I used the pattern for those snowmen on my stockings. Great timing!

I seriously wondered if these stockings would ever get done this year. I am itching to sew on other projects, but that may not happen for a while. Christmas is just around the corner and I am all for deep breathing and relaxing when possible! January will be here soon enough and then I can become a serious sewer again.

 I made up this cute little pot for my sister. It contains a sprouting Amaryllis, which my mother always loved, along with a little Christmas trim. I think she will enjoy watching it grow. Have you ever had one? They are so pretty!


Merry Christmas friends! I have appreciated all the nice words of comfort and love sent my way this past year. I am constantly amazed at the wonderful friends I have made out there, and most of you I have never even met! May the blessings of the holidays warm your homes and your hearts.


Marcie

Celebrating Chocolate, er...Christmas

Chocolate lovers unite! The Christmas baking has begun! So how many ways are you baking with chocolate this holiday season? Me? That's all I can think of. Chocolate Chip Cookies is the basic in our family. Not Christmasy at all, but essential. Chocolate Crinkles with a little crushed candy cane on top were baked this morning. Then Peanut Butter Pinwheels, a peanut butter cookie with melted chocolate chips swirling in the center. Anna Marie made No-Bake Chocolate Drop Cookies, with cocoa, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc. Then let's not forget the Hershey's Kisses and the colorful Christmas M&Ms!

Hmmm, what will we bake next? Any ideas? What are your favorites, chocolate or otherwise?

Light Up My Life!

I love this photo so much! Whenever I need a pick-me-up I just go to Becky's blog and my day brightens. I look at this photo and I think, "Joy to the world"! There can be nothing more beautiful than healthy, happy, smiling babies. These cuties just turned 9 months old.

Most of my readers know that Becky is my granddaughter and these little lovies are hers. She shares them with the world on her blog, which is sometimes educational, sometimes ridiculous, and sometimes hilarious. Just as we quilters are connecting with our blogs, young mothers are doing the same and offering support and information, funny stories and lots of photos. For grandparents who live far away it is the most wonderful thing! The first thing my husband does when he comes home from work is check Becky's blog for new photos. Becky loves to write and has a whacky sense of humor, plus, she has lots to write about. Also, she has been known to make things up if it is a slow day. I love my family so, so much, and everyone of my children and grandchildren is a blessing to me and so special in their own way.

Thanks to all my wonderful blogging friends for your kind words and prayers in recent days. It means so much to me to know that you would take the time to write and send your love. 

Lots more good stuff coming up!

Marcie

FROLICKING

OK, I have to admit I frolicked yesterday. I am usually not much of a frolicker, but yesterday I had the pleasure of getting together with my two good friends here in Virginia Beach for our annual Christmas lunch and gift exchange. We all lead such busy lives and complained that we don't get together often enough.This may be the last good picture we have of us together--2009! Notice I said good. Haha!

We lunched on sandwiches from Panera's, which I picked up on my way to Joan's house. Joan has her house all decorated for Christmas, and it looked lovely. Now let me share the darling gifts I received from my dear friends.

Joan loves to work with wool, and she stitched up one of these darling table mats for each of us. It is so precious, I love it! The design came from Lisa Bongean at Primitive Gatherings. Lisa actually came to our booth at market. It was quite thrilling! She even bought stuff! Naturally we went to her booth as well. It is always a thrill to see the actual designer peddling her wares! (However, Lisa was out gallivanting and we saw her husband Nick instead.)

Joan found this cute little tin for us, and I never run out of objects to put inside little tins. Maybe HSTs?

This darling little tree was made by Sue's husband and then she decorated it with tiny cross-stitch ornaments. Isn't it the sweetest thing? And thanks to Sue I now have a Christmas tree up and decorated!

Sue also made these darling little angels with the sweetest faces. They are fabric fused to felt and the face is drawn on. Sue did a beautiful job with that. Isn't it wonderful to have friends who know just what you like? I always remember one Christmas morning, one of my kids opened a gift and was so thrilled, they said, "Wow! I didn't even know I wanted this!"  That's how I feel after our little exchange.

Did you see the lovely post that Mary at Quilt Hollow wrote about me? What a sweetheart! It is like my own little magazine spread! Scroll down a bit to see it as Mary writes often. Mary is a long-arm quilter and does really lovely work, in fact she quilted one of mine that was published in McCall's. Oddly, the photo she used in her post was taken at the same time as the one above, at the Olde Green Cupboard booth-Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival! It was such a magical time! Haha! Thanks Mary, for such a lovely review!

After my last post I got comments from  many of you who shared my feelings regarding a lack of enthusiasm for Christmas. Well, not really Christmas, but what Christmas has become, and what has been commercially created. It is like we have to rescue the real Christmas! Mary at Quilt Hollow shared the nicest video that really touched my heart. I put it in the following post--just below this one!

Christmas Blessing to everyone!