COVER QUILT ALERT: Snowfall in American Patchwork & Quilting December 2017 & Giveaway Winners

Happy Friends — Christmas is coming, and that’s a fact! :-)  I am very happy to share with you the news my Snowfall quilt made cover on American Patchwork & Quilting’s December 2017 issue!  This is my second time having a cover quilt this year in American Patchwork & Quilting’s magazine.  I cannot be more excited!!

Snowfall is a fun one-block-wonder quilt, using curve piecing.  But really, each block only has 3 seams!  And the quilt has more than 25 fabrics, I think.  You know what many fabrics means — that means fun VISUAL EFFECT!  The fabrics featured in this quilt are from RJR Fabrics’ Merry, Berry and Bright!

Quilt kits are available from fatquartershop.com!

This issue will be on the newsstands till Dec 5th!  Keep your eyes peeled for them at your favorite newsstands.  In the same issue, there is also a free quilt pattern download that I have designed.  It’s call Starry Night Square Dance!  This quilt features fabrics from RJR Fabrics’ Hopscotch.  The magazine has information on how to download the pattern.

Now for the winners of my pile giveaways:

Pile #1:  Debbie Rhodes

Pile #2:  travelingro

I have sent you an email with information on how/where to send the payment to cover the shipping cost.  THANK YOU FRIENDS, for being willing to take the stash off my hands.  Come back tomorrow, I am giving away a set of quilting motif books!  Till tomorrow. :)

A sweet tale of Miss Baby and Smokey the Cat…

… and a tale of the sweet people who work at Windham Fabrics!

Miss Baby absolutely LOVES  Christmas.  She is very particular about the season.  She does not even look at the Christmas displays at stores until it is after Thanksgiving.  And if she is dragged to the stores before Thanksgiving, she would close her eyes, and tell her parents to alert her after they pass by the Christmas displays before she opens her eyes again.  She doesn’t necessarily love Christmas because of the presents she gets.  She loves Christmas because she just loves Christmas –

the music,

the decorations,

the crafts,

and the Message and Story!

Miss Baby also dearly loves cats.  She would dearly love to have a cat of her own, but that’s another story for another day.  Earlier this year, Miss Crystal of Windham got word of Miss Baby’s love for kitties, and Miss Crystal has taken time to periodically send Miss Baby pictures and videos of Smokey the cat, the mascot of Windham!  As a result, Miss Baby has sort of adopted Smokey as her virtual pet. This Christmas, Miss Baby sent Smokey a Christmas card.

To her absolute delight, Smokey sent Miss Baby back a Christmas card!  (See below… Smokey reading his card with much intensity.)  Miss Baby reminded me last night she had drawn in the card a Christmas mouse pudding for Smokey (in place of a plum pudding)… urm, YUM, I think, haha!

Thank you, Smokey, for making Miss Baby’s day.  THANK YOU to the sweet people at Windham for taking the time from your busy schedule to reach out to a little girl.

p.s. I have had a lot of fun working with Windham this year.  Click here to take a look at the designs, if you haven’t already!  There are quite a few favorites there — and there are MORE to come!  There is one particular I simply can’t wait to share, but wait I must!

Merry Christmas 2010

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men…. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:2, 9)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY DEAR FRIENDS!

Merry, Merry Christmas Bells

Cast: Homemade Christmas Ornaments, European Blown Glass Oranments

Christmas Song: Merry, Merry Christmas Bells, author unknown

Merry, merry chiming bells,
Clear and sweet their carol swells,
Joyful news their music tells,
Glory in the highest:

Refrain: Glory be to God on high,
Glory in the highest.

In a manger far away,
Once the infant Savior lay;
We will sing His birth today,
Glory in the highest:

Refrain: Glory be to God on high,
Glory in the highest.

***

I hope you have a stupendous week!  It will be a crazy one for me trying to get three quilts out to the editor.  But after that, I should be able to take a short break.   Please know that I am slowly getting to your emails/comments.

Not hiding the blue!

You all know that I am of the persuasion of not hiding the blue for Christmas.  Here is another shot of blue and Christmas for you:

We had a full Christmas meeting up with family out of town.  I am in the process of easing back into my routine…. but I have quite a few errands to run before the routine and I are one.  And after that, I am looking at a busy year ahead – that’s another story for another time! I do want to take this time to thank you for leaving comments on my Christmas posts — I am a bit slow, but I promise I will get back to you!

I hope you are doing well!  Have a lovely week.

Birthday of a King

In the little village of Bethlehem,
There lay a Child one day;
And the sky was bright with a holy light
O’er the place where Jesus lay.

Twas a humble birthplace, but O how much
God gave to us that day,
From the manger bed what a path has led,
What a perfect, holy way.

(Chorus)

Alleluia! O how the angels sang.
Alleluia! How it rang!
And the sky was bright with a holy light
Twas the birthday of a King.

(by William H. Neidinger)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

A fond Christmas memory

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I have lovely memories associated with the holiday. I grew up in Southeast Asia where holidays of all sorts of religion are celebrated. Growing up, I always felt like Christmas was one holiday that related to me the most. One of my most fond memories of Christmas is caroling!

Caroling is sort of a tradition in my family. My father has gone caroling ever since he was a teenager. Back in the day, he and his church friends would ride on the back of a Land Rover from house to house in rural Southeast Asia for caroling. And when I got to be a teenager, I would go with my father for the annual caroling activity.

I haven’t done any caroling since I came to the States. Now, I rely on my Byers Carolers to transport me to my imaginative world where I am still one of the carolers at my home church where the temperature is near 100 even at this time of the year, going around singing the songs of Christmas!

I wish you a joyous week!

The Quilter Magazine – HOLIDAY ISSUE – Forever Christmas!

Good day, everyone! A special welcome to those who have stumbled on “Ivory Spring” through the Blogger Quilt Festival! I hope you enjoy your little visit here. Please leave me a comment so that I can visit you back.

The Special Holiday Issue of “The Quilter” is out! I have enjoyed browsing through it.

I love love love Christmas! My “Forever Christmas” quilt (fabrics courtesy of Red Rooster Fabrics), featured in the issue, expresses my sentiment perfectly. I always leave my Christmas decorations up as long as my family can possibly tolerate it. And when I am taking them down (finally!), I am always wishing Christmas would be forever!

Shown with my quilt here is one of my all-time favorite Christmas pieces – a Christmas pyramid from a German antique shop.

Even though I can’t leave my Christmas stuff up forever during the year, I do celebrate Christmas everyday in my heart… for the meaning of Christmas is forever remembered within me everyday! So with that, I bid you a MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)

Thank you again for popping by!

Rejoice!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

(Isaiah 9:6)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Christmas in July: Part 5

I thought I would squeeze in the last “Christmas in July” post before August is upon us…

This is a pillar candle I have used for years and years and years at Christmas time – at least 6 years!!  Can you believe it?

One of my favorites – a German Christmas pyramid.  I had bought it from a lady who lives in Germany and had gotten it at an antique store there:

Being a “blue-and-white lover”, you can see I was determined to include them in the Christmas cheer.  The Snoopy Bell dates back to my husband’s childhood:

Another favorite – the Byers’ Choice Carolers, amid the red and green arrangement atop the mantel:

Oh, looking at these pictures makes me anticipate my favorite holiday with MUCH EXCITEMENT!

***

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!  I can’t believe the week is half way over.

Christmas in July: Part 4

Another favorite plant of mine is called the “Heavenly Bamboo”. It is a care-free evergreen that grows into a rounded bush when established. Their leaves turn into a shade of red in the colder weather, make it a very seasonal plant. Here you can see, the berries that would show in their glory later in the year are starting to form:

And this is what I use them for in my Christmas decorations. These berries last for a looong time – way into February when I finally take down my Christmas decorations:

Have a blessed weekend. I will see you again on Monday!

***

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” John 15:16a

Five Things I Love & Napkin Folding

I was tagged by Marye of http://www.simplyhomeremedies.com/ to share about five things I love. Among the many things I love, these are five that I really love:

1. China and anything related to tablesetting – that is only natural for a dish-aholic, right?

2. Christmas – my all-time favorite holiday even if I had grown up celebrating it in a tropical country. It is the meaning of Christmas that always tugs at my heart – the remedy for evil, and the possibility of having peace with God:

3. Things related to heirloom millinery – traditional counterpane, wholecloth, smocking, embroidery, cross-stitch are what capture my fancy.

4. Books – they keep my mind and my horizon expanding. They are just something I’ve got to have in my life.

5. My Bible – for “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.” Psalm 19:8a.

***

Suzan had asked about what kind of fold I had used for my napkin in the Christmas tablesetting I had shown a couple of days ago. It is called “Rose”, and I have included the directions below: