Merry Christmas!

Nativity painting by Rembrandt.

Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas!

Crazy Quilt Embroidery Inspiration

If you're interested in crazy quilt embellishment ideas, take a look at Pamela Kellogg's blog: Kitty and Me Designs, and the home of Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine. Pamela lives in Illinois.

I like how she incorporated that vintage photo above. And the piled buttons, and the dangling rows of beads. Not too perfect, yet not haphazard either. It's graceful.

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Isn't it funny that in 1860 many people thought that crazy quilting was just a temporary fad, but here we are on the eve on 2015 and we're still loving these luxurious collages. So much for the fad idea!

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Merry Christmas Eve!

Happy Little Faces from Amsterdam

These winsome faces are the creation of Anja Brunt from Amsterdam. See more on her site.

Quilt by Sue Benner

Just one of Sue Benner's stunning quilts, "Walking Through Time IX."

Sue is a very accomplished quilter who lives in Texas. 

Read her bio here. Her quilts inspire me!

My Own QR Code!

I got my very own QR Code on fiverr.com for $5 (of course). It goes here. If you have an iphone or other device with a camera in it, you can get the scan app, then you can read these codes that are popping up all over the place.

Upcycle Quilt from California

Faye Roberts from Northern California made this wonderful Upcycle quilt! She says making these blocks is a lot like eating potato chips, you can't eat just one. She did wavy line quilting in the sashing and she tied the centers of the blocks with embroidery floss. Her blocks look like little crazy quilts.

Nice job, Faye!

Can You Believe It? Selvage Shoes!

Yes, selvage shoes! These were a gift to Melinda from Tina. They both work at Tiny Stitches, a quilt shop in Marietta, Georgia. See Melinda's post: Melinda Quilts.

They were a big hit at her recent guild meeting!

Iron Bed Footboard is a Gate!

What a graceful and charming gate made from an iron bed footboard. This photo is from Cathouse Antique Beds. Here's their blog. 

Quilt by Maria Shell

Oh this looks like so much fun! It makes me want to run to my sewing machine and get busy.

(Most things make me want to do that, but still.) This quilt by Maria Shell of Anchorage, Alaska is called "Treasure Map" and it measures 29" x 29." Nice color mix and improv lines. Yayy, Maria!

Amazing Gingerbread Houses

Gingergread cathederal (above) and the Millenium Falcon (below), both from FoodOddity's "21 Best of the Best Gingerbread Houses."

And check out this ferris wheel (above) from Eddie's Bakery!

And finally, the White House. Wow! (No good link for this.) 

More Gingerbread Houses!

I think this is one of the prettiest gingerbread houses I've ever seen! From Vroman's. 

From Sweetopia, above and below. Marian shows how to make icing. Click the link for more.

This house was featured in the Maryland Pennysaver magazine. I especially like the almond roof and the jelly bean chimney. 

This looks like so much fun!

Gingerbread Houses!

A gingerbread tree house! From AskChefDennis. It even has a rope swing and a spiral staircase. I love this!

From ShopKiosk. So neat and tidy. Love the bow.

From VikingRange. Nice thatched roof!

Prizewinning shoe house by Kris Mason. 

Now there's some creative inspiration!

Embellishment Tree

A pretty Christmas tree made with trims and embellishments. This tree doesn't contain any selvages, but some of her others do. To see more, visit Jackie at House on the Hill in New Zealand. 

Quilt Attacks Man in Montana!

Quilter Tom Chowder in Montana made this quilt as a birthday gift for a friend. And here it is attacking him in the Montana wind! Click on the link to see more about this quilt. Tom says this is his favorite quilt photo. He looks like a quilting action figure!

Another Tree and a Giveaway Winner!

Continuing with the tree theme, isn't this a charming Christmas decoration? It's from Anne's blog: Everywhere and Nowhere. I have all the ingredients for this, especially the sticks.

The winner of the sea urchin pincushion giveaway is Sharon from Indigo Threads!

Little Tree Ornaments

What a pretty collection of little tree ornaments! They are from Biledian Handmade on Etsy. 

 If you trade 3" x 5" Christmas fabrics with your friends you could make a nice variety. 

I think I'll call my sister Eileen and suggest we do this.

The trunks are cinnamon sticks. 

Looks like fun!

Tree Quilts

"The Moon Beams" by Melody Johnson.

Take a look at my Pin board featuring a big variety of tree themed quilts. What an amazing variety! 

Found on Pinterest (above), attributed to media-cache, but the link is a dead end.

Found on Pinterest (below), attributed to firespring, but the link is a dead end.

A real classic Tree of Life, from the Quilt Index. Look at all those hst! And I like the tiny 9-patch blocks too.

"The Four Seasons" by Linda Blanchardl of Plum Tree Quilts.

A simple but very clever tree quilt (below) from Amanda at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

And finally, "Branching Out" by Canadian quilter, Elaine Quehl. This quilt was featured on the  Quilt Inspiration blog which definitely lives up to its name!

Solids Soiree Random Sampler Quilt

Here's a wonderful quilt "Solids Soiree" by Johanna Masko from Canada. I love the background colors in that big block in the lower right hand corner. I love it all. Read about this quilt and visit all the blog hop stops in the Robert Kaufman 30 Quilts Celebration on her blog.

Nice work, Johanna!

Mountain Quilt Pattern from Bonnie Hunter

This quilt "Scrappy Mountain Majesties" by Bonnie Hunter is brilliant! See her tutorial on Quiltville. She also shows variations you can make by rearranging these same strips other ways. Love it!

Sea Urchin Pincushion Giveaway!

Win this handmade Sea Urchin Pincushion! It will sparkle in your quilting room. To enter, leave a Comment on this post (see question below). Random winner will be announced next Monday Dec. 8. I'll ship anywhere. 

Click here and take a look at the quilt patterns in my Etsy shop. Then come back and tell me which one appeals to you most. This feedback will help me tweak my collection of pattern offerings in the new year. I hope to add a bunch this winter. Thanks!