Tag: Christmas Quilts (Page 1 of 2)

Old Barns, Red Trucks, Mercantile and More

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Nostalgia at Christmastime

There’s a nostalgia that happens at Christmastime for me more than any other time of year.

Nostalgia at Christmastime includes food, music, and decorations.

Does everyone have vivid memories from childhood? From an old rendition of a Christmas song (Time Life Collection) to “holiday” foods we made when I was a kid (Pizza Fondue), Christmas brings back strong and warm memories for me. Sometimes I wonder if everyone reminisces their childhood and feels strong nostalgia at Christmastime as me.

For instance, one display in my dining room this year holds a host of happy and varied memories. I’d like to share these with you. Some are from long ago and some are very recent.

Simply put, some things we have are more than just things when they spark memories of loved ones, here and gone, and things we’ve experienced throughout our years.

image of plaster water wheel mill

Let’s start with this water wheel mill. Oddly enough, I painted it (probably during finals week) when I was in college. My aunt’s family owned a plaster shop. My friends and roommates and I would walk down to the shop on Broadway to pick out affordable gifts that we could paint for family. I suppose it was also a form of procrastination from studying, but let’s say it was a “break”!

The trees are made from the old red barn to add to the nostalgia at Christmastime.

See three wooden trees? These are made from an old red barn at our family farm. The barn is no more, but here, in it’s place, is a pavilion and cross. Notice the roof line of the pavilion mimics that of an old red barn?

image of pavilion and cross
Image of Lighted Church

Next up is this lighted church. This belonged to my mother-in-law, Pat. It plays “Silent Night” and the lights blink.

As the video scrolls, you can see a wool-wrapped candle with a snowflake made of fringed cotton fabric. Only a few years old, I made this wrap to add another texture to my Christmas decorations.

Image of P.Town

Behind the candle comes the lighted P. Town. and Mercantile. These are two buildings in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) renovated these buildings (and more), making the town a tourist and vacation destination.

In addition, my daughter Paige and I spent her spring break on a “creative getaway” here and had a blast. We ate pizza in the corner of the balcony shown here! See Watercolor on a Whim to read about our adventures and the creation of “Watercolor Whimsy” fabric and more! These decorations will spark new memories in years to come.

image of mercantile
Pioneer Woman Mercantile

At the very least, click on the link above to shop for this lighted Mercantile building and see more items fun things from Pioneer Woman!

Crafty nostalgia at Christmastime.

Do you notice how many of these memories are connected to crafts and creativity?

Lastly, you find Merry, the good ol’ red truck quilt. One of my favorite pattern designs and, of course, made with both beautiful sides of fabric, she’s sure to be a part of our decorations for years to come. Merry reminds me to stay focused and never give up on goals, dreams, and creativity.

As always, you can learn more about quilt patterns, fabric, and merchandise at Creative Bee Studios.

See more Christmas fun at Coastal Christmas Decor and Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

Add a Little Joy

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Use both sides of Christmas scraps to add a Little Joy to your gifts!

I think every stitcher has a Christmas stash. You might have leftover fabric from a quilt, stockings, or napkins. Personally, I don’t keep a lot of Christmas stash, just two cubbies (!). However, you don’t need much to add a little joy to your gift decorating.

About a year ago today, I was part of my local quilt shop’s Christmas Open House. See the sample gift bag with Little Joy. Download the free pdf (further below) on gift bags using your Christmas scraps. Consider adding Little Joy to craft paper covered boxes as well.

Image of Little Joy at the quilt shop

This mini pattern mimics the JOY and Joyful quilt patterns which both use the large template of JOY.

You can see that the tree is made with the front side of a Christmas motif and the gifts under the tree are made from the reverse.

Like all my patterns, it requires auditioning BOTH sides of fabric to test their values. You’ll want to see the tree first, then notice the gifts under the branches. In the quilt patterns, you’ll also audition your background fabrics and try to pull a fun variety of fabric styles together to give the quilt an added interest.

Of course, for your gifts, just choose a surface with the contrast you desire. If you choose blue bags and have blue fabric, your design will be subtle. Use white bags for a high contrast.

It’s just a simple and fun way to use up some fabric scraps and get a little playtime in!

Image of Joy
Joy Quilt Pattern
Image of Joyful Quilt Pattern
Joyful Quilt Pattern

Shop #usebothsides quilt patterns in my Etsy Shop: CreativeBeeStudios

Image of Red Truck Quilt
MERRY Quilt Kit

See the new products on Red Bubble by clicking the button above! Read A Christmas Passed HERE and Christmas (Quilts) in July HERE.

Wishing you JOY and MERRYiment this Christmas season and God’s blessing throughout the New Year!

Find more Christmas quilting fun at Traditional Christmas Colors or NOT for Quilting and Christmas and Quilts and JOY!

Prepping for fall? Check out this Sweet Pumpkin Applique project!

Christmas Quilting by Julia

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Julia’s trip to Missouri Star found her bringing home fabric to do some Christmas quilting!

Julia chose a beautiful line of Christmas quilting fabric for her first large, quilted throw. Their first quilting project together began when, my daughter, Paige, and her best friend, Julia, took a trip to nearby Missouri Star this summer. While Julia chose a beautiful Christmas motif, Paige selected a warm, autumn line (see What is Quilting Heritage?).

Julia started with colorful layer cakes of a variety of reds which included traditional Christmas red, warm orange-y reds, and deep (almost burgundy) reds. The collection was rounded out with deep greens, black, warm whites, and lots of gold. To me her fabric has a traditional Christmas feel, but with LOTS of interest and sparkle to boot!

Christmas quilting

Next, Julia added a narrow green and gold border. Lastly, she chose a red and gold fabric for her outer, large border. Both border fabrics are found in the quilt center. Julia’s new Christmas quilt is a nice, large throw size.

Julia's Christmas Quilting

As you can see, Julia and Paige chose to keep their layer cakes whole. They got together for an evening to “play” (arrange their layer cake squares). Paige sent me black and white photos to show she was testing the values (YES!). See The Tricky Traits of Value for more information.

Image of Quilt
Paige’s autumn throw.
Julia showing her Christmas quilting throw
Julia’s cozy Christmas throw.

Before the girls got their quilts finished, Paige and her husband moved 1,000 away, ending the frequent couples’ nights, friend walks, and quilting together. I know they enjoyed living near one another again (they grew up as neighbors and best friends, but were apart after high school). They will cherish their memories of their young adulthood and, both newlyweds, their young married life together.

Julia’s quilt will hold warm memories for her.

Lastly, Julia had her throw quilted with swirls and holly leaves in red thread.

Christmas quilting motifs

Also, Julia shared her other Christmas quilting projects:

It’s so fun to know that twenty-somethings are enjoying quilting! I hope to share future projects by these two friends. What do you think they should do next…maybe a quilting retreat?

In the end, it’s fun to see a quilting journey begin so early in life. Here’s a reminder to you to enjoy your quilting journey!

Coastal Christmas Decor

You can enjoy the beach throughout the holidays by adding beautiful coastal decorations to your Christmas theme!

Yeah, we live smack dab in the middle of the country. So why do I want to have Coastal Christmas decorations? There’s just something about summer, sunshine, warmth, water and the beach that makes me happy.

The colors, smells, and sparkle of the ocean are part of it. In fact five or six years ago, when turquoise was first introduced as a Christmas color made me realize I never really like traditional green and red. Many people love the traditional hues. They just never really worked for me.

We lived in Pensacola twice (see Quilts at the Beach). Add in that my husband flew F/A-18 fighter jets, so our love for the Blue Angels is part of the beach experience for us. Therefore, over the years of vacationing near our previous home, we’ve collected Pensacola specific coastal decor over the years. Our family room has slowly evolved into a coastal retreat.

Now, this Christmas, it has become a full-blown Coastal Christmas decorations feast for the eyes!

Image of Coastal Christmas Decorations

Can you see the stingrays circling the tree? Sparkling sea shells, jellyfish, turtles, fishes, and pearls decorate this country tree.

Image of coastal christmas ornaments
Image of quilt
Image of Mermaid stocking holder

See how Treasures fits right in? The fabrics features seahorses, shells, and coral. This quilt kit uses both beautiful sides of three fabrics on a soft white background. It’s easy, too. There’s only one block: Contrary Wife. This quilt adds it’s own sparkle to our room and I just love it.

Image of Treasures
Coastal Christmas Decorations

While the rest of the house has a more traditional feel, I just love entering the family room and feeling like we are back home again, in Pensacola.

See Treasures on YouTube! SUBSCRIBE!

Enjoy YOUR quilting journey!

Joyful Quilt Pattern

Meet Joyful! This new quilt pattern is an extended version of an original design.

If you’ve followed me a while, you’ll know that the JOY quilt pattern was one of my first designs from way back in 2017. (Not that long ago, really.) This new pattern Joyful steps out of the box and expands the original. You might say she transcends her borders…with the use of borders!

Image of quilt Pattern

As you can see above, an ombre snowflake panel is a bold choice for a focus fabric. The snowflakes are reflected on the wrapped gifts under three! The backgrounds fabrics are bolder for this quilt than for the original because the borders are an added attraction. You’ll learn to audition both sides of fabric so you can confidently choose focus, background, flange and border fabrics. It’s a lot of fun because you’ll KNOW when you’ve got a great combination!

Add a sparkling border to a center that dazzles with Christmas cheer.

Image of Joyful

Like all my patterns, you learn how to cleverly use both sides of your fabric to make a unique and intriguing quilt. The front of your Christmas focus fabric makes the tree. The reverse makes the gifts under the tree. See the soft “reflection” of the tree on the gift wrapping?

Flange adds more interest!

Image of Quilt Pattern Cover

Add interest to your quilt with two flanges. The first frames the center of the quilt and is made with a stripe (mine was cut on the bias, but you can purchase bias stripe if you prefer).

The second flange pulls your eye through the quilt from the center out to the edge.

See Joy Quilted Wall Hanging Pattern for more about the original design.

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Enjoy your quilting journey!

Christmas (Quilts) in July

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Christmas (Quilts) in July? Yes, it’s a thing! Ours is a craft that requires lead time!

Let’s think of happy days ahead, with family and friends and gifts of joy and comfort. I love the idea of combining two of my favorite things: Christmas and quilts. So now there are Christmas (Quilts) in July! I hope you’ll enjoy this month to contrast our lovely, warm summer with a taste of the crisp winter to come.

Introducing…Noelle.

The Noelle is quilted wall hanging pattern is a cute little pair of ice skates (like you might hang on your front door at Christmas time) with beautiful bouquets of winter flowers spilling out their tops. Her background is snowy white (scrappy) with fun winter-y accent fabrics. Like most #usebothsides quilt patterns, this one is fast and easy!

Go check your stash!

Go check your stash! I bet you have a Christmas floral in there, just aging for the right quilt! You’ll use your focus fabric for the skates (reverse), bouquets, and the binding! This will get you in the mood for making Christmas (quilts) in July!

Years ago I made myself a Christmas jumper out of this beautiful poinsettia fabric. I couldn’t bear to part with that jumper because I loved the fabric. I cut it apart and will use it as my focus fabric in my ice skates quilt!

Nancy

Next, pull out your winter motif fabrics! Just five fabrics and two accent strips make up the background. Super fast!

Christmas (Quilts) in July

With the Noelle quilt pattern, you’ll learn how to audition both sides of fabrics to pick just the right focus and background fabrics.

The technique for making your bouquets is what I like to call Modern Broderie Perse. Learn more about Broderie Perse.) Basically, it’s fusible applique while using your fabric motif as your cutting guide! See, it is fast and easy! And if your fabric has bonus motifs, like pine cones or birds, you can add those to your masterpiece! Quilters at workshops and classes seem to have the best time arranging their bouquets!

The best part is, once you make Noelle, you’ll know the technique for making all the broderie perse #usebothsides patterns!

Finally, you don’t have to wait until winter. Enjoy your Christmas (quilts) in July! SHOP more than 50 patterns & fabric kits Creative Bee Studios Etsy Shop.

Have you made Christmas quilts this year? Join me on Facebook at Creative Bee Studios and share your quilts!

Follow my Christmas Quilts board on Pinterest!

Enjoy your quilting journey, Karla

Quilted JOYS of the Twelfth Day

Here’s a little JOY from me to you this Christmas season.

Joy is in the air during this season when families come together, holiday foods are prepared, decorations adorn our homes, special gifts are given to those in need, and everyone is just a little bit nicer to one another. When heaven and nature sing, there is happiness in our world.

One of our holiday favorites is singing Christmas carols. Learn about the tradition of the Twelve Days of Christmas HERE in “Wild Goose Chase Quilt Under the Tree”.

Looking ahead to the Twelfth Day of Christmas (also known as Epiphany, Three Kings Day, Little Christmas), we recognize several things (in my understanding): the coming of the Magi (Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar), representing the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles (for all peoples); Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist; and the revelation of God in his Son as human in Jesus Christ.

Since on the Twelfth Day of Christmas we recognize the gifts brought by the Magi, gold (royal standing), frankincense (divine birth), and myrrh (mortality), I thought it appropriate to pass along a little gift of a mini Christmas tree template.

Image of JOY Pattern on Canvas Bag
JOY is fused onto a canvas bag!

Download this FREE pdf pattern by clicking the link above. It’s just a little JOY, a miniature of the larger quilt patterns. You can use it to decorate gift bags or other items using BOTH sides of a scrap of fabric and fusible…and if you have a scanning/cutting machine, you can have all the cutting done for you!

Image of Joy Pattern on Gift Bag
JOY is shown here on a paper gift bag.

You can learn how easy and fun it is to use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric, like with the #usebothsides quilt patterns.

Patterns come with complete detailed instructions, guides for auditioning both sides of fabric, and full-size paper templates.

For a larger Christmas wall hanging, see JOYFUL below!

Use the easy-link blue SHOP buttons HERE to shop patterns, fabric, home-decor and MORE!

Enjoy your quilting journey!

Wild Goose Chase Quilt under the Tree

Simple Tree. Special Quilt. Wild Goose Chase.

To begin our annual Kiefner Christmas gathering (the Sunday before Christmas), we load up in our trucks and head out to a field at the family farm. This year I spotted a Wild Goose Chase at Kiefner Christmas.

After bringing in our food and drink to share, the afternoon begins in the field. Two of my brother-in-laws cut down the chosen tree and we snap precious family photos.

Image of Matt and Pop in Field
My father-in-law, Pop, and husband Matt at the tree cutting.

Next, back at the house, the grandkids decorate the freshly cut tree. When that is finished, we gather around the long dining table to sing carols, boisterously. Afterward we enjoy a gift exchange, hot soup and goodies, and lots of visiting.

In a quiet moment, I noticed my mother-in-law had placed a vintage quilt around the base of the tree. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect setting for the lovely work, obviously done by hand, long ago.

Image of Wild Goose Chase under the Tree
Wild Goose Chase under the tree

Seeing the quilt made me wonder how many quilters around the world had made quilts as Christmas gifts, wrapped them and placed them under a tree for a loved ones to open.

This blue and white quilt was a Wild Goose Chase pattern, as best I could tell without disturbing it’s placement. It was gifted to my mother-in-law from her brother, having belonged to his wife.

The “Wild Goose Chase” quilt block is said to have been named after families heading west in search of fortune. It is also called “Flying Geese” and “Oddfellows Cross”.

Maybe it was unintentional, but Luanne’s choice of quilt to wrap around the tree had an extra meaning for me.

You see, each year any new-comers to the Kiefner Christmas are required to star in the roles of the “Geese a Layin'” in our “Twelve Days of Christmas” (with motions) carol. There is a year-long quest for new geese and perhaps a bit of exaggerated drama about the role they are to play, just to make them nervous and have a little fun!

When this post was originally published (2019), I didn’t know that this Kiefner “Christmas at the Farm” would be our last with Pop. He absolutely loved the annual gathering and having everyone around. Pop especially loved the caroling led on the piano by his loving wife.

Each year, prior to singing our last of about 10 carols, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, Pop would read to us all the origin of the song and the true meaning of the words. In recent years, he’d choose a different grandchild each year to read the words for him. Read about how the song was used by Roman Catholics as a catechism when they weren’t allowed to freely practice their religion HERE.

Then came the fun. First, Pop would gather the “geese” near him and explain their task to sufficiently perform the role of a “goose-a-layin'”. Even with limited movement, Pop would gleefully take proper goose-squatting position and demonstrate the role. Next, the geese had to show they could perform their role before the singing began. (Pop had been known to stop the song and make the goose squat lower!)

Finally, after we reviewed the rest of the motions, we’d join in singing and laughing through the long carol.

Image of Kiefner Christmas at the Farm Wild Goose Chase
Family Photo by Blake Kiefner of B Connaway Photography

Do you make Christmas quilts for gifts or do you decorate with quilt? Are quilts a part of your Christmas traditions?

Wishing you a wonderful time with family and friends this Christmas season.

See Christmas quilt patterns like “Merry” below at Etsy/CreativeBeeStudios.

See Introducing Merry HERE

Image of Diplay at Shop
Use BOTH Sides of one focus fabric for Merry! Shop Etsy CLICK HERE.

Textures of Christmas Time

Do quilts already play a part in your Christmas decorating? They do in mine! How about including some additional textures among the quilts?

Add texture with simple touches.

Explore some new techniques and textiles to add to your holiday handmade joy!

The main focus of my dining room is a texture-rich quilt! This quilt is great for decorating all winter long. I happen to love aqua as a Christmas color (year-round, really) and it’s here to stay in parts of my Christmas/winter decorating! Fun things to note on this quilt are the buttons, “pearl” necklaces on the birds, skate strings and glitzy fabrics.

Add in a little Punch Needle Snowman

Mr. Punch Needle Snowman is small enough to finish quickly and glue to the smallest canvas (available at Michael’s). Click on the link above for the free PDF download.

Image of Mr. Snowman
Image of Mini Punch Needle

Snowflake Table Runner

I made this simple table runner from one wonderful piece of snowflake fabric. Next, I cut the glitzy snowflakes with an Accuquilt die and fused them in place. I did quick quilting on the top/batting. Then I added a ribbon of tiny white balls, like a piping. Finally, I layered it with the backing and turned it like a pillowcase- super fun and fast!

Wood Manger Scene Sign

Make a quick manger scene sign using Scan N Cut, a pre-made sign and shimmery vinyl!

Image of Candlelight Wool Wrap and Manger Scene

Wool Candle Wrap

To make the candle wrap, I just cut strips of muslin on the diagonal and stitched down the middle of them onto a piece of wool. I then threw them in the washer and dryer with a load of towels and they came out nice and fuzzy. Connect the ends in back with a button and a thin hair elastic, sewn to the wool.

Image of Bear Quilt

Just for fun, take a look at this Christmas bear quilt! I made it from a McKenna Ryan kit. His hat and glove were meant to be red cotton, but instead I made them from a fun aqua cotton and the ribbing from an old wool sweater that was in my late mother-in-law’s stash.

Be sure to check out the Christmas quilt patterns made with BOTH beautiful sides of fabric HERE!

Wishing you layers of joy this Christmas season!

Traditional Christmas Colors or NOT for Quilting

Christmas traditions abound. It is a season filled with activities we do over and over. Traditional Christmas colors are a big part of that tradition. It’s the things you do every year, without fail. Like rules, you don’t mess with tradition!

But families change. Kids grow up. Christmas traditions (including colors) do change.

What do traditional Christmas colors have to do with quilting?

I always took pride in our Christmas traditions from decorations to cookies. We listened to certain music and watched specific Christmas movies. We always baked the same cookie recipes. I actually used to think I had to use every decoration we owned each year.

Well, a few years back, aqua became the new Christmas color…wait, what? That’s not even one of the traditional Christmas colors!

It took me a moment…but only a moment, to embrace that idea. I threw that red and green tradition (rule) out the window!

(To be fair, aqua happens to be my favorite color.)

Therefore, I stopped using my quilts of traditional Christmas colors of red and green anymore. As quilters, you’ll understand, I had to make new ones with all the pretty blues!

I think a lot of people embraced the blue Christmas – for one or two seasons. However, for me it was a NEW tradition!

In other words, I found that my comforting traditions were holding me back. Similarly, the rules I’d embraced as a quilter were doing the same.

For example, last year I realized that the beloved tradition I’d started at our old house of making St. Lucia Bread, hadn’t risen properly one time at our new house – ten years in a row! (I’d tried all the yeast tricks, too.)

I made the original “JOY” quilt pattern using a vintage ornament fabric that was very classic Christmas colors. Therefore, in a need to show how a variety of fabrics could be used for this pattern, I stitched this new JOY – using both beautiful sides of a digital aqua Hoffman panel!

Image of JOY Quilt Hanging not using Christmas tradition colors
JOY Quilt Pattern

Fast forward to grown kids, job schedules, tight budgets, and limited time together. We changed Christmas traditions this year. We are brainstorming about how to make our time fun and meaningful. What’s interesting is that the more we talk about setting aside our old traditions (rules), the more creative we have become in our brainstorming. A weight was lifted.

Seriously, how is this post about quilting?

Now, when I first started quilting, I was all about the rules (traditions). I wanted to learn every single one of them. Some were paramount to good technique and skill-building and very important. Others were just plain silly. I heard a quilter say one day, “Rules are meant to be broken”.

It was then I realized I had ingested each one of those rules. I realized that some rules (traditions) were limiting my joy for quilting and my creativity for fear of breaking them.

Therefore, I’ve noticed now that I watch for the rule-breakers in quilting. Their work excites and inspires me, regardless if the technique is traditional or contemporary.

If you know me personally, you know I embrace tradition. If you are familiar with Lutherans, I am a “page 5 of the old, OLD hymnal” kind of gal!

So, don’t let your need for traditions RULE your world…whether it’s Christmas or quilting.

Image of Christmas Tradition JOY Quilt
Shop JOY Quilt Pattern

In conclusion: This 2020 Christmas Traditions update shows that I still love aqua – but now I include red! Here is the NEW pattern, JOYFUL! See how her borders sparkle? #usebothsides

Image of Joyful Quilt Pattern
www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeBeeStudioswww.etsy.com/shop/creativebeestudios

See Merry, the red truck Christmas quilt, and more at Old Barns, Red Trucks, Mercantile and More.

Enjoy more Christmas cheer at Quilted JOYS of the Twelfth Day.

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