Happy Christmas

Every year we put up the crib figures that we had when I was a child.  The little plastic calf joined them when our children were young.

A happy and peaceful Christmas to every one, and many more to come!

A Picture for Sunday - Sunset in December

Gorgeous clouds earlier this month, giving no real hint of how chilly it was.

The sun is now setting at 4 o'clock, so early that sometimes I miss it.  I nearly missed this one, but took a brisk walk to make sure I reached this particular field in time.  It is interesting to see how far across the sky the sunset has shifted since October.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 259 - What Next?

Yellow and green aren't really the classic Christmas colours, but it is far too late to start anything Christmassy.  I have had a quick riffle through unfinished projects and have settled on this panel of strips, ready to be cut into squares.  The strips on the left and the right are both cut from the same piece of Japanese fabric which I bought ages ago at a quilt show.  It is high time I used it.  A bit of therapeutic piecing is in order when I get the chance, a welcome change after stitching the landscape, which was all about threads.

We are in for a quiet Christmas, with just our daughter due for ten days until the New Year.  We have had a friend over from Germany earlier this month, followed by our son on a weekend stay from Ireland.  The Christmas cards have started arriving, and I'm dreaming of home-made mince pies...

This is the last linky here before Christmas, as it is Andrée's turn next week, so I am looking forward to seeing some seasonal projects.  My project is tidying the sewing room.  I might be able to post a picture of it, but not yet while it still looks as though a bomb has hit it.  So even if it's not strictly a sewing project, but just a sort out, or knitting, or cooking, I would love to see what you are doing.

Apologies for being late with the linky.  All my good intentions yesterday evening fell flat, then I stayed up far too late to see the first election results come in, after I swore I wouldn't...

Here goes for week 259:-

Many thanks to Vicki for linking up with her batik star quilt last time.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.

3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for five days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Tuesday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

12 x 12 Exhibition at Midsomer Quilting - One Day...

Now running at Midsomer Quilting, the annual 12 x 12 show is an absolute delight.  This year's theme was "One day...", which could be interpreted however you liked.  Here, in no particular order, are just a few of the quilts.

First, by Chris Bussell, a gorgeous orange day lily, in exactly the right shade of orange, just like the ones we have in our front garden.

I loved the 3D flower, complete with stamens.

Another 3D quilt, by Debbie Halfhide, recalls the day she saw a weasel popping out from the greenery.  Lucky Debbie.  I have only ever seen a weasel scampering quickly out of sight.

Katherine Vaughan's quilt summed up the frustrations and joys of gardening.  The caption below it reads "One day the sun shone.  A day for gardening!"  The expression on her face (I really hope it is a self portrait) is priceless, the combination of panic and bewilderment when weeds seem to grow by the hour and you don't know where to start.

Alison Boswell took a similar theme and came up with something completely different.  "one day.... oh how it rained!"

All these tiny triangles are an ingenious representation of an absolute drencher.

This quilt is by De Pickford, and I have to confess that I didn't take a photo of the caption.  To the best of my recollection, this landscape looks forward to the day when there will be more trees on the hill.  In the meantime, the copse at the top of the hill is a beautiful focal point.

Maria Capper takes us on a flight of fancy with "One day... fly me to the moon!"  At first sight I wondered why the sand was grey and the sky so dark.  Seen from a distance, the colours of the deck chairs really stand out.

This whimsical quilt by Valerie tells us that "One day my dream is to live in the country."  The colours are very realistic - no idealised blue sky and fluffy clouds, but the uncompromising grey we are so used to, muted greens for the foliage, and dark muddy brown.  I really hope Valerie's dream comes true.

Gillian Ashby's quilt shows just one day, a typical day, starting with tea, featuring one job after another...  

… pausing for more tea (I recognise that teapot, and the mugs)...

… and winding down later with a spot of knitting.  This quilt is a social documentary.

Finally, George Korn would have us believe that one day he will finish this quilt.  How can you finish a finished quilt of an unfinished quilt?  In fact, how can you even start one with hexagons that tiny?

Just incredible.  Perfect for a pixie's bed.