Newborn Baby Elf Hat!

I found this very cute baby modeling an elf hat on Etsy and I just had to show you. 

It's in the Babies Republic store from Ireland. 

The photo is by Mary C. Macomber. 

Christmas in New Zealand

Remember yesterday I said, "If you're in the blizzard, I hope you're warm and safe. If you're at the beach, send a picture!" Well Leeann in New Zealand did just that! This is what Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) looked like at Ruakaka Beach, south of Whangarei, NZ. Isn't it breath-taking? It was 86 degrees F and Leeann was swimming here. She says the sand is white silicon. Lovely. We're walking on white stuff too, but not as toasty.

Now that we have quilting friends around the world, I'm more aware of the fact that someone's enjoying summer when we're in the middle of winter. I always knew it, but now it's more real to me. I'm more aware of the fact that it's every hour of the day and night somewhere too. Hello to all our neighbors on Planet Earth.

Merry Christmas!

I hope that you're enjoying a wonderful Christmas Day today - quiet moments as well as happy times with loved ones. I'm hoping something special will warm your heart.

My DH and I are planning to attend church on Christmas Eve, then spend the day at home visiting with our two grown sons. We may sit by the fire, open presents, play games, listen to Christmas music, and eat some goodies together. I'm going to try making chocolate candies for the first time. How hard can it be? Haha. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Hugs to you, my blogland friends.

Karen

Readers' Sentimental Ornaments

Gail from the Cozy Quilter blog has two very special ornaments (above and below). The bell is from her in-law's tree. When Gail's daughter was 3 years old she couldn't resist reaching out and taking the bell in her little hand, shaking it and saying "Look Mom, I'm making spirits bright!" Gail says "She certainly did, and she still does. She just turned 19, and Grandma gave her the bell to put on our tree."
This angel ornament was also given to Gail's daughter from Grandma the year that her daughter was an angel in their church Christmas pageant. They arrived early so she could get into her angel costume, but when she saw the costumes, she decided that she didn't want to wear one. But she still wanted to sing. She was the "rebel angel" that year. I think I'd really like that church. :) And Grandma too. What heart-warming stories. Thank you, Gail.

Joan Jordan has had this ornament (above and below) for many years and it's her favorite. She doesn't remember where it came from or when. It measures 2x3 inches with the doors closed. Isn't it sweet?

And here's a little present for all of you: some good news. Remember Myra in New Zealand who is dealing with cancer? Many of us have made heart blocks to cheer her up. (See the blue button in the sidebar.) Well, her friend Karen Jones reports that Myra is doing well. The initial tumor has shrunk, and the pain has stopped. Yayyy! In 3 days Karen will visit Myra and they'll do some sewing on the hearts quilt. Karen says Myra loves receiving all the blocks and good wishes.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

Christmas Quilt from New South Wales

This delightful Christmas quilt was made by Soft Treasures in New South Wales, Australia. Quilts are offered for sale on that site. I love the curly branches. Isn't this a festive quilt?

Improvisational Christmas Quilt

The first step in creating this quilt was to make two Courthouse Steps blocks using just red and taupe. Next, I cut them both in half and stacked them for the center medallion "tree." (To make this work, the center "squares" were actually rectangles to start with. Otherwise the tree trunk would have ended up looking like short stubbs. You log cabin aficianados will know what I mean.)
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This quilt grew from the center outward. It was fun to play with the reds and greens to make positive and negative spaces in the blocks. I took inspiration from the Gees Bend quilts for this one. I think the red and white striped fabric adds a little pizaaz, although it's a little hard on the eyes when viewed on the computer screen. I don't know if this quilt says Christmas, but it sure was fun to make. Happy quilting! Hugs to you.

Selvage Christmas Trees from NZ

Jenny in Wellington, New Zealand of the Romany Quilting blog recently made two selvage quilts using her Christmas fabric selvages. One is for a friend and the other is to keep. I like how the ric rac looks, and it covers up the raw edges too. Very clever, Jenny! Merry Christmas!

To read more and see the other quilt, click on over to Jenny's blog. Scroll down to the post on November 29.

Pattern Available for Bearded Santa Hat

Remember the bearded hats post? Now Nedra from the Cactus Needle blog has found this bearded Santa cap. The pattern was offered for sale on Etsy by Sandy's Cape Cod Originals in baby, child, and adult sizes. You can see more incredible crochet patterns on her blog. Isn't this little baby hilarious? How about that curly corkscrew beard!

Christmas in NYC

On Saturday I went to NYC for the Empire Quilters meeting. Afterwards I walked around taking some photos to show you. Above you can see the tall art-deco Chrysler Building. Grand Central Station (my destination) is lit brightly above the big taxi. This is 42nd Street looking East. If I turned around and walked West, I'd be in Times Square.

Above, you can see Bryant Park. This is behind the New York Public Library (Fifth Ave. & 42nd). The vendors booths were loaded with tempting merchandise. I'll show you some. The crowds were everywhere on Saturday, but it's a polite crowd and you get used to it.

I like Russian dolls; they remind me of my Lithuanian grandmother. The ornament below made me chuckle. This vendor had ornaments that he would customize for you with names or the date. I wonder what you would write on the ornament below.

Merry Christmas to You

This Nativity scene is from the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. This was a live performance, and it was breath-taking. The light in the sky over the manger is referred to in the Bible as "shekinah glory," and this representation was truly impressive!

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful Christmas Day!

Christmas Eve Surprise in NYC

What a happy surprise to walk around the corner and see these big red ornaments, such a delicious splash of color. (This is in the neighborhood of 5th Avenue and 50th Street in NYC.)

I hope your Christmas is filled with beautiful surprises that delight your heart!

There will be one here for you tomorrow!

Yikes! My Sister's Felted Scarf

Here is Eileen's scarf after felting! You can't see any individual stitches; it's all smooshed together.

Above: This is what she'll see when she opens the box! Yikes!
Below: This is the "before" photo, so you can see it started out pretty normal.

At Thanksgiving my sister Eileen told me that she has started wearing brown these days, a new thing for her. So naturally, I decided to knit her a brown scarf for Christmas. (I recently saw an ad suggesting that giving a scarf is like giving fruitcake. But Eileen's son plays football at Brown University, so she's out there in the cold and needs a brown scarf, right?)

I just knitted the scarf with no fancy pattern, since I planned on felting it anyway (and knitting fast is so much fun). I used size 7 needles (4.5mm) and regular worsted wool. Then, I threw it in the washer and dryer on the hot settings. It's as thick as a carpet! And the fringe reminds me of Chewbacca, from Star Wars! It won't lie flat, even though I steamed it a little and tried to flatten it under my upside-down Big Board overnight.

Yes, this scarf is a little scary, but I'm wrapping it up as if it was a nice scarf. The card even says "I made this for you with my own little hands." I hope we laugh ourselves silly; that will be worth it! I'll keep you posted.

Selvage Christmas Tree Skirt!

Elena McDowell makes the coolest selvage quilts and other selvage objects d'art! This one is for a small tree. This should inspire some quilters looking for Christmas decorations/gifts that are fun to make!