Tag: Christmas Quilts (Page 2 of 2)

Image of Merry

Introducing…Merry!

November 3, 2019 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Image of Truck Quilt

It’s beginning to look (and feel) a lot like red truck Christmas quilt season!

Merry is a red truck Christmas quilt that’s easy and fun to make! You can start your holiday decorating with a fun Christmas wall hanging OR make one for a favorite friend!

Use BOTH sides of one red Christmas fabric on a snowy bed of winter fabrics to make this quilted wall hanging.

This little red truck is dashing through a snowy lane. On a background of winter trees, various sizes of snowflake motifs, cardinals on lighted lines, and glitzy deer, this red truck Christmas quilt is made with both sides of one focus fabric. So toss a tree in the back, add the mirrors, tires, license plate, and reversed details to “trim out” your truck. Pull out your winter/Christmas stash and start auditioning your fabrics!

Image of Merry in Snow

Shop the “Merry” quilt pattern in my Etsy shop: HERE

Merry Red Truck Quilt

Below are the current Christmas quilt patterns available. For each you will use both sides of at least one fabric. With each #usebothsides pattern, you’ll discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition BOTH sides of fabric. I teach you HOW, like what to look for and how to use value to your advantage.

Look at each picture below and notice where the reverse side is used. Look carefully because you’ll see that the reverse is often used in the background as well. Chances are you have fabric in your stash that will work, with beautiful reverse sides. So pull out some stash and turn it over! Once you learn about what makes reverse sides work, you’ll never look at one side of fabric again! It’s almost like doubling your stash (without taking up any more room). Plus, it’s fun and makes choosing fabrics easy!

You can learn more about value HERE.

Image of Skates Bouquet Quilt
Image of Tree Wall Hanging
Image of Holly Wreath Hanging
Image of Red Truck Christmas Quilt in Snow
Image of Poinsettia Bouquet

SHOP more Christmas quilt patterns in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Have yourself a wonder-filled quilting journey!

Image of Wreath Quilt Closeup

Designing Quilts with Panels

January 15, 2019 /

To the tune of “On the Cover of the Rolling Stones”, I feel like singing! At the close of 2018, I happened onto my pattern, “Holly”, featured on the cover of a Hoffman California Fabrics’ catalog!

It began with an email asking if I (along with four or five other designers) would like to try our hand at designing with a new Christmas line of fabric. It’s my understanding that other designers use digital fabric swatches and their computers to design patterns. But since I use BOTH sides of the fabric, I need the real thing!

Click HERE to see the Winter Projects 2019 Catalog by Hoffman California Fabrics.

We had a week for the deadline – but since I needed the fabric shipped to me and then I needed to ship the finished quilt back to California, I had less than that to design and make the quilt!

Frankly, I was in a hurry! Add to the mix that it was Thanksgiving weekend, I was driving six hours on Saturday, attending our daughter’s show, driving four on Sunday, and staying in a hotel (with terribly inadequate lighting) until Tuesday AND, until I could see and audition BOTH sides of the fabric, I had no idea if my idea would work!

Working with both sides of fabric means lots of value-checking. You can’t tell from the front of fabric if the reverse will work. Some fabrics have great reverses and some just don’t. Click HERE for “The Tricky Traits of Value”.

The Christmas tree panel is gorgeous on its own – who would want to cut that apart? I certainly wouldn’t cut it to make another tree. I was also pretty certain that other designers would be designing borders around the whole panel, so mine had to be different.

I started to focus on the fat-quarter panel they sent. I had received a whole box of fabric to choose from and I knew if I wanted to use this panel, I couldn’t just use one fat-quarter of it or even half of them- I needed to use the whole panel. After auditioning many combinations, I decided I could use the panel – BOTH sides of the panel!

So…once again, it all comes down to fabric values. In classes, I have quilters audition many background fabrics and take lots of black and white pictures to see how their background fabrics “play” with their focus fabric. The smaller accents strips are allowed to be a bit “louder”, but the larger pieces need to provide interest as opposed to distraction. So take a look at this picture of the panel. Lots of dark fabric, right? Really pretty fabric…but more darks than lights.

Now look at a close-up of the quilt. Do you recognize those fabrics? …same fat quarters from the panel – just using the other side! Most of the accents strips are made from the front side. The bows, bells, stripes, plaid, and Christmas words make this an exciting background for the Holly wreath. One of the fat-quarters had two stockings printed on it. I used the one on the wreath and I embroidered the second stocking for the quilt label.

Image of Quilt Close Up
See the candy canes made from the reverse stripe?
Image of Back of Quilt
You can see the quilting, the extra stocking as a label, and the prairie point hanging method here.

The wreath is made using fused holly leaf shapes from the Christmas tree panel. Being a digital print, the fabric has a sparkle of light to it, making the wreath sparkle as well.

You might notice I didn’t have time to take great pictures – and apparently I borrowed my husband’s house shoes that day!

Even the pieced binding is made from the fat-quarter panel!

This is a fun quilt to make and so easy to shop for if you use the two panels! While I have no official timeline, my guess is that these fabrics will be in shops by summer!

If you have Christmas yardage in your stash – you can use it! I wrote this pattern to work with the panels as shown OR using your own choices of fabrics. The same method applies to both – it’s all about the value!

Here’s how Holly look inside the catalog!

I designed Phoebee 2.0 using BOTH sides of Hoffman California Fabrics “Electric Garden” as the focus fabric -it’s available in shops now!

Image of Electric Garden

Shop all my patterns at my Etsy Shop: Creative Bee Studios (Click HERE)

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Image of Orville Wichern

A Mini-Quilted Christmas

December 17, 2018 /

I wanted to make a little Christmas gift out of our dad’s shirts for my sister. I couldn’t come up with ideas, so picking the brains of my Lady of the Lake (LOL) quilting buddies proved quite helpful!

Image of Orville Wichern

Sitting around the table, we ran the gamut of ideas…a bear, a quilted Santa, an apron, a journal cover…whatever I could make from my dad’s old shirts – but it needed to be just right. One friend suggested framing a pieced/ quilted shirt quilt – she was on to something. It often takes a period of mulling…or percolating for me to round out an idea…instead of a frame, make it a shadow box… and add vinyl lettering to the inside of the glass…

I have to say, this little piece came out sweeter than I expected!

It’s not a big, fabulous quilt, but I really like how it turned out- and hope to one day make for myself one day–or maybe the gift to me was the cutting, stitching, and remembering that came with making this for my sister.

I used small amounts three different shirts. Once quilted and trimmed, I glued the quilt to the back of the box. Using Scan N Cut (click HERE for more info.), I added our dad’s name in vinyl to the inside of the glass (remember to reverse the lettering). I penned a short message on the back of the box with a Sharpie.

Do you gift your quilting for Christmas? How do you find ideas?

Please share in the comments below.

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galations 4:4-5

Read The Tie That Binds to meet Willie (Orville, Bill, husband, brother, uncle, son…dad).

Image of Snowy Yard

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

December 13, 2018 /

Sleigh bells ring – are you listening?

In the lane, snow is glistening…

Want to experience some old style Christmas? There are a couple of ways here locally (Southeast Missouri) and in towns all across the nation – and if you can’t find one near you, grab a Christmas themed book – the one I’m sharing includes quilts, a Christmas Walk, and antiques in a quaint wine country town.

Celebrated author and creator of the popular Colebridge Community and East Perry County novel series,  Ann Hazelwood provides insight into a new community with her Wine Country Quilts series. I am currently reading Lily Girl’s Christmas Quilts (2nd book of the new series) and was fascinated to learn that the real town, Augusta, Missouri (upon which the series is based), is having a Christmas Walk (as depicted in the book), and the author, Ann Hazelwood, will be signing books at this Stone Ledge Antiques shop (I wonder if it looks like Lily’s) starting at 7 tomorrow night! Learn more about Ann’s books HERE. Take a stroll on the Candlelight Christmas Walk tomorrow night – find more information HERE. 

Image of LIly Girl's Christmas Quilt Book

A beautiful sight- we’re happy tonight.

Stone Ledge Antiques during the Candlelight Christmas Walk in Augusta, MO.

Another opportunity  for an old-style Christmas experience is to take the driving tour of country churches in rural Southeast Missouri counties of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, and Perry. You are encouraged to tag your steeple-chasing buddies for this self-guided tour and travel the beautiful country-side to these decorated country churches where you’ll find music, warmth, treats, and the real meaning of Christmas. This tour begins today at 2 p.m. The tours run both today and tomorrow until 9 p.m. Learn more HERE.

I hope you’ll find joy and take a break from rush of the season by going walking in a winter wonderland.

  • Image of Blue Christmas Tree Quilt
    New JOY made from Hoffman Fabrics panel.
  • Image of Pattern
    Use both sides of poinsettia fabric!
  • Image of JOY Quilt
    JOY made using Hoffman Digital Spectrum fabric.

Need a last minute gift for the quilter in your life?Shop #usebothsides quilt patterns HERE.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14.

Image of Closeup of Quilt

Christmas and Quilts and JOY!

November 27, 2018 /

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for fun Christmas cheer!

“Holiday Revue” is our youngest daughter’s current fun Christmas dinner theatre gig at the Myers Dinner Theatre in Hillsboro, Indiana.

Our first stop in the quaint town was a visit to the old-fashioned soda shop!Image of Hot Fudge Sundae

Image of Myers Dinner Theatre Logo

Everything about the dinner was delicious and the Christmas “variety” show featured every fun Christmas genre: we heard beautiful spiritual music, classic carols, and youthful tunes. Featured guests included Mary and Joseph, Elvis, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Frosty, a cow girl, a giant blue bear, Linus, and a stage full of life-size toys. Image of Raggedy AnnImage of Cow Girl

And there was lots of audience participation! Yes, that is my husband on stage and dancing to Santa Baby! I got a little hug from Elvis!Image of Matt DancingImage of Karla and Elvis

The show ended my favorite way- with a wonderful White Christmas finale!

Image of Matt on StageImage of JacquelynImage of Singers

Oh, the weather outside is frightful…

It’s the most wonderful time for quilts! Do you include quilts in your fun Christmas decor?

You might recall JOY, made with Hoffman California Fabrics All Aglow on a scrappy background. The tree, topper, and binding are made from the front of the focus fabric and the gifts are made from the reverse.Image of JOY Quilt

Now see JOY made with Hoffman California Fabrics Supernova Seasons panel for the tree, topper, gifts, and  binding! It’s a fun Christmas quilt pattern that makes a great gift for a quilter friend, a quick quilt to gift, or to add to your Christmas decor.Image of Blue Christmas Tree QuiltImage of JOY Quilt Hanging

Shop HERE for the JOY Quilt Pattern.

Also, learn about Pepita (named after the poor Mexican girl in the Legend of the Poinsettia who had no gift to give the Christ Child on Christmas Eve) HERE.Image of Poinsettia Quilt

Silver bells…silver bells…

Yes, I’ve been listening to Hallmark Christmas music the whole way to and from Hillsboro, Indiana!

I love the classic big band sounds of the holidays and Hallmark has a great variety. Sirius XM has Free Listen – so check out the Christmas channels!

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1

Subscribe on YouTube! Share on Facebook, Post to Instagram, and Pin on Pinterest!

For more winter fun, read Warning…Controversial Topic Ahead and Add a Little JOY.

Image of the legend of the poinsettia quilt

Pepita, the Legendary Quilt Pattern

November 19, 2017 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

The Legend of the Poinsettia is about a little girl named Pepita.

In addition to The Legend of the Poinsettia, Pepita is the name of this Christmas quilted wall hanging. You’ll learn more about the Pepita Quilt Pattern below.

Image of the legend of the poinsettia quilt
Pepita Quilt Pattern

Pepita was a poor Mexican girl.

Summarily, the story that became The Legend of the Poinsettia goes like this. Pepita and her cousin Pedro were walking to church on Christmas Eve. Pepita was sad because she had no gift to give the Christ Child. However, Pedro tried to console her by saying, “Pepita, I am certain even the most humble gift, given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes.”

So she picked a bouquet of weeds from the side of the road.

Therefore, Pepita gathered up a bouquet of weeds from the roadside to give as her gift. Her spirits lifted as she entered the chapel and approached the alter. She laid the weeds at the feet of the Christ Child. Suddenly, Pepita’s common weeds burst in to brilliant red blooms! This was considered a miraculous event. Consequently, it was named the Flores de Noche Buena (Flowers of the Holy Night).

As she laid the weeds at the feet of the Christ Child, they burst into brilliant red blooms!

Today we call these flowers poinsettias, after Dr. Joel Poinsett. Dr. Poinsett was the first ambassador to Mexico. He first brought the bright red star-shaped flower to the United States.

While The Legend of the Poinsettia is not as widely known, the plant has become a very popular traditional Christmas decoration.

image of Pepita Pattern
Pepita Quilt Pattern

The Pepita quilt is made using both sides of one poinsettia focus fabric on a scrappy, fun background.

This quilt pattern is fast and easy to make using simple fusible web and an easy broderie perse technique.

First, you’ll discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition both sides of your fabrics. Then using easy fusible web and broderie perse techniques, you’ll build your bouquet. The blooms are made with the RIGHT sides of your focus fabric; the pot is made from the REVERSE.

Add fun, scrappy background fabrics.

Moreover, you’ll learn how to add a sparkling interest to your quilt by combining a variety of background fabrics. You might choose snow-y motifs, cardinals, red trucks, Christmas trees, batiks, Grunge, etc. The more variety of background fabrics you choose will make your quilt more interesting!

The Pepita Quilt Pattern or quilt is great for gifting because the fast technique and stunning look!

And now you know The Legend of the Poinsettia.

Unfortunately, I used to avoid poinsettias plants, because I thought they were poisonous for pets. However, in my recent research about them, I’ve learned they are only mildly toxic, causing a stomach upset if ingested. But if you are concerned, make up this beauty and you can have poinsettias in your Christmas décor every year!

Image of Poinsettia Quilt
Pepita Quilted Wall Hanging

Click HERE to see other Colorful Petals series quilts!

SHOP more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

Learn more at How to Use Both Sides.

Watch Creative Bee Studios on YouTube!

Not Your Typical Christmas Goose

December 19, 2016 /

Twelve Days of Christmas

Learn the real meaning of the twelve days of Christmas, Kiefner style!

At Kiefner Christmas at the farm, any newcomer (boyfriend, girlfriend, lucky friend) is a “goose”. We search for these geese all year, prodding the nieces and nephews to find an unsuspecting goose to bring to the farm for Kiefner Christmas.

While we make out this tradition to be a little scarier than it actually is, so far no one has become a cooked goose!

Pop teaching the geese how to get down!

Each year, Pop (my husband’s father) describes the origin of the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and the secret meanings behind each of the symbols for the 12 days. (This year, niece Elizabeth helped him with that.) The carol was a way for the Roman Catholics to secretly teach and reinforce their faith at a time when they were not permitted to openly confess. Click here to see the full description of the hidden meaning of this well-known carol.

In short, the meanings are as follows:

Partridge in a Pear Tree – The True Love of Jesus Christ

Two Turtle Doves – Old and New Testaments

Three French Hens – Faith, Hope, and Love

Four Calling Birds – The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Five Gold Rings – First five books of the Old Testament which tell of man’s fall into sin and God’s plan for redemption through His son.

Six Geese a Laying – Six days of creation.

Seven Swans a Swimming – Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Eight Maids a Milking – The Beatitudes

Nine Ladies Dancing – The Fruits of the Spirit

Ten Lords a Leaping – The Ten Commandments

Eleven Pipers Piping – Eleven faithful Apostles

Twelve Drummers Drumming – The twelve points of belief in The Apostles Creed.

So with each verse we add motions to the song, with our special new geese flapping their wings and squatting for”Geese a Laying”. The three sons are always the “Lords a Leaping” and everyone joins in on all the rest. Click here to see the last verse of this banner-year’s Kiefner version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with a whopping FOUR geese-a-laying!

After we parade into the field to cut the tree (we actually watch Kent and Barry do the hard work), we file back to the house  for caroling led by Luanne at the piano and AFTER the performance and congrats to our new geese, we open gifts and eat Luanne’s delicious chili or soup. 

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See more quilts, wool and punch needle on my website, Creative Bee Studios!

Please share and pin! Thanks so much, Karla

Mr. Snowman Punch Needle

Do ya wanna build a snowman?

December 12, 2016 /

Make a snowman today!

Come on, let’s go and play! You can build a snowman today with Mr. Snowman Punch Needle!

Put down your lists and have-tos.

Make a snowman yours today!

First of all, no shovel is needed for this little guy – and very few supplies!

Just grab one tiny 3-inch canvas, your punching supplies and some yummy threads to make yourself a little, friendly snowman.

Get details and the Mr. Snowman Punch Needle PDF download HERE.

Mr. Snowman Punch Needle
Mr. Snowman Punch Needle

Also, you’ll find a link for a How-To tutorial!

In addition to this little guy working up super-fast, he adds some needlework texture to your winter decor! (See Textures of Christmastime) My guy likes to sit in front of my “Winter Blessings” quilt (pattern by Shabby Fabrics) hanging in my dining room but he’d be darling on a window sill!

Alternatively, you can draw your favorite snowman. What’s great about punch needle is the simpler, the better. So think back to how you would draw a snowman as a kid-then punch away!

Winter Blessings Quilt Pattern by Shabby Fabrics
Winter Blessings Quilt
Pattern by Shabby Fabrics
Do ya wanna build a snowman?

A side note.

A few years ago, my girls dressed as Anna and Elsa and sang for the Salvation Army ringer outside our mall. It was cold, but they had a great time, surprised lots of little ones by being there, and brought in a few more dollars for the Salvation Army.

Do ya wanna build a snowman?

It also made for a great Christmas card that year!

Do ya wanna build a snowman?

Remember to be prepared for the winter days ahead and check your emergency supplies, like water, batteries, thread, treadle machine oil (in case you lose electricity), and chocolate!

Most of all, enjoy your quilting journey!

Image of Quilt
Noelle is made with BOTH beautiful sides of one Christmas floral!

Shop Quilt Patterns HERE

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Image of Christmas craft

A Christmas Passed.

December 3, 2016 /

All of a sudden your Christmas Traditions aren’t traditions anymore!

In a moment (it seems) our family has grown up and Christmas Traditions aren’t the norm anymore.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Table of contents

Note: since I first wrote this post in 2016, there have been many wonderful changes to our Christmas experiences. I’ll update that towards the end. But as you’ll read the original post, I was lamenting the changes of that time – not realizing that change can be exciting and good:

It happens in a flash. They tell you it will. You know it will. You even know at the time that it is…and then, all of a sudden, you know it DID. Therefore, it seems, Christmas traditions evolve.

Family dynamics change. All of those years of anticipation and child-like joy about the holidays are over. (They actually had been for several years.) I think I was just pretending and hanging on to them as long as I could.

I am a traditional kind of gal who loves to recreate the same experiences every year, like:

  • new jammies on Christmas Eve
  • the same Christmas Eve dinner
  • Saint Lucia bread on Christmas morning
  • attending the same candlelight service
  • listening to the same Christmas music each year
  • watching Christmas movies

Now, for the first time in thirteen years, neither of my girls will be singing for our Christmas Eve service at church. They won’t be here on Christmas Eve.

Image of Christmas Craft
Popsicle stick Advent toys I made
23 years ago. I still put them out every year.

This Christmas Eve it will be just us and the baby in the manger. No cooking all day, keeping it warm while hurrying to and from the first service, home to have Christmas dinner with family and rush back to church for the candlelight performance. No prayers in the pews for healthy voices and calm nerves. It’s just us this year for Christmas Eve.

Traditional changes.

I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. You’ve been there! Maybe you have a new round of grand-kiddos to share the excitement?

Change happens and so do Christmas traditions. I mean, let’s face it, my Saint Lucia bread hadn’t risen right since we moved to our new house, ten years ago! It actually became a tradition to laugh about the candle-lit flatbread with gooey orange icing and dried cranberries we had every Christmas morning!

The St. Lucia wake-up:

Our girls would sleep in their white American Girl pioneer gowns and bonnets. In the wee morning hours they would put crowns on their heads, tiptoe into the kitchen and make us a treat. They would wake us with singing, a chocolate-y coffee-like drink, and Christmas cookies on a tray. It was sweet, if not so tasty!

So it’ll be a quiet Christmas Eve, but a beautiful one, I know. There’s nothing like singing Silent Night by candlelight in our filled, beautiful church. Then on Christmas Day, our oldest will fly in from New York, the youngest and her boyfriend will pick her up at the airport, drive a few hours and our celebration with family will begin. We will have a new menu, new music, and some new people…and I think some new jammies will still be in order!

Christmas Traditions
One year they sang outside the mall for the Salvation Army ringers at Elsa and Anna.
Image of Paige in Christmas Traditions
Paige performed in Miracle on 34th Street in Rochester, NY
Image of Jacq in Christmas show
Jacquelyn performed for Myer Dinner Theatre’s Christmas show.

UPDATE: It’s 2020 and boy, have things changed! I’ve loosened up a lot on our traditions and this year is like no other! Our girls are 28 and 24. AND we have a son-in-law! A few constants in our Christmas experience are family gatherngs, carols, hymns, Silent Night by candlelight, adult jammies and celebrating the Christ-child born to save us all. And Christmas quilts…

Image of Noelle Quilt
Noelle Quilt Pattern

Thank you for following my blog. Blessing to each of you this Christmas and throughout the new year.

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