Happy Christmas from Green Star Quilts

It is Friday and the Christmas shopping is done. Well I am done with Christmas shopping really. This is the time I love the most, when there is no time left so anything else needed must be home made as I can't bear the shops anymore. We have a very low key present policy here, so there are lots of home made biscuits wrapped up and practical gifts for DIY enthusiasts. But this year I want to share with you Judy's lovely idea for candles...

Christmas candles 2016

She has done this with a much deeper bowl but it still looks lovely in a shallow one. So take a vintage cut glass or moulded glass bowl, just the sort you sent to the jumble sale but can buy back again in a charity shop! Wash and dry it until it sparkles. Fill half full with aquarium gravel from a general shop like Wilkos, (yes I know it looks like biscuitcrumbs for Santa's reindeer in the photo) and then sit as many tealights in the gravel as you like. I used red and white ones which were scented too. When the candles are lit the glass glimmers and sparkles beautifully especially in the dark. So it is just a bowl of light and hope for 2017 because I think we really need that more than presents this Christmas.

Christmas candles 2016

If you have little ones around at Christmas you can use battery electric tealights for safety.

So just to wish you all a very Happy Christmas. thank you for reading my blog, listening to my ramblings and sending messages of encouragement for quilt making. As the local
co-ordinator for Project Linus UK I have given away 425 quilts to children in need of an extra cuddle this year. It is a huge tribute to the kindness and generosity of the quilting community here in Lincoln area. Well done and thank you so very much, I hope it just balances the scales of compassion just a little bit in this world today. 

Happy Christmas 2016

Thank you also to Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts, her Finish UP Friday link sets my quilting compass every week,

Happy Christmas everyone,

kind regards,

Sue   

A Picture quilt for Ada

It has been a huge honour to make a quilt for a customer in America. The quilting community in The States is vast and multi talented so to be asked to a quilt for baby Ada was a big surprise and I felt I must do my very best as it might be seen by some very clever quilters!!
Karen, a proud Granny to be, gave me a list of things to add to the quilt which meant a lot to their family, she also sent over some treasured fabrics to be included. I am just going to show you some highlights, I had such fun making it all fit together.....

Picture quilt by Green Star Quilts

There was a Celtic Cross, some books, a Dala horse from Sweden .....

Picture quilt by Green Star Quilts

Picture quilt by Green Star Quilts

A Picture quilt by Green Star Quilts

Here is the finished top of the quilt:

Picture quilt by Green Star Quilts

The pots of flowers in the nine patch blocks came from Karen's dress fabric and there is a dove flying in the top corner: 

Picture quilt by Green Star Quilts

So here is the finished quilt which I hope will be a real treasure for baby Ada who surprised us all by arriving two weeks early!

Picture quilt by Green Star Quilts

Although it isn't a Christmas quilt, it does seem a bit Christmassy, I think it's the stars which sparkle in the night sky!

 Are you all ready, cards written, presents wrapped, tree decorated, all ready to go in every way? Is it just me who is still dashing about hiding ready made Christmas food in the freezer and hoping the turkey will make it's own way into the oven.... I just feel it all starts too soon, it should all begin with making mince pies whilst listening to carols from King's College Cambridge on Christmas Eve. Then I love all the secret rustlings of coloured paper and 'You can't come in' shouts from behind closed bedroom doors. We have a £10 Christmas in our house, only that to be spent on each person but hand made gifts can be added on, this year I have new biscuit cutters and I plan to make boxes of reindeer shortbread.... if it works and it may not as my biscuits tend to have a mind of their own in the oven, I will tell you the recipe....

In the last week before Christmas I hope you all have a little time to slow down, sit down, wind down and enjoy the little, small things which make it such a special time,

Kindest Regards,

Sue 

PS. I am linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts, it's so kind of her to provide this link everyweek, thank you Amanda.

Memory quilts in Spring colours

This month I have made a larger than single bed size memory quilt for Lauren. Her children's clothes were such happy colours, sun, sand and seaside holidays kind of colours and they made a lovely modern style quilt which I was really pleased with, it is amazing how the colours all complimented each other and came together so well! I think we need a few of sunshine reminders at the moment. I keep thinking 'Nearly there,very nearly there ', as I draw the curtains at 4.30 pm, so early in the afternoon and nearly at the shortest day and then positive thinking all the way to Spring and hooray, new flowers in the garden and buds on the trees and sun, that lovely, delicate and so welcome spring sunshine!

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

There's something about memory quilts which makes me feel so close to the families I make them for, it is such a personal thing to send someone your baby clothes to cut up.The trust they have that I will make something lovely from them is a huge compliment and I take it really seriously.

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

I really enjoyed doing the swiggly quilting ( this is a very serious quilting term) too !!

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

I have just finished a second smaller quilt for Lauren too, made from leftover little pieces of fabric and some that didn't fit in the first quilt. 

memory quilt by Green Star Quilts

And tarahh, at last I have got the hang of machined binding and those tricky folded corners, even with a scrap pieced strip.... after I realised it is important not to get a seam on the corner..... impressive eh?

I have just sent off to the USA a quilt for Karen  and will show pictures of it next time. This photo is a little corner...The parcel hasn't arrived with her yet so I don't want to spoil her surprise! 

Happy quilting on these dark winter days, keep eating chocolate and don't over do the Christmas shopping,

Kind regards,

Sue