A Time For All Seasons - December Blocks

December is a month of celebrations, family and gifts.  And Carol over at Just Let Me Quilt offered up some really cute blocks...

I mean that singing angel is adorable!  But I have been skipping over the applique blocks of this BOM and doing two of the pieced blocks.  The gift block does have piecing, but there is still the bow that is required applique.  

She graciously offered an entirely pieced block for those like me that prefer them.  I made two of them... one yellow and one with a very light blue.






The star is a significant part of the Christmas season... in Scripture it lead the shepherd and wise men to the manger where Jesus was born.  

Jesus, the light of the world...

I couldn't help but recall the song from a children's Christmas program.  You probably know it yourself.

Do you see what I see? 

A star, a star, shining in the night with a tail as big as a kite... with a tail as big as a kite.

A star tops many a Christmas tree as a reminder to us all to be a light in the world.

There was a bonus block this month again, also applique 😔

But as I wasted  spent time on social media I saw a red mitten pattern tutorial from Kelli Fannin.  It was for an 8 inch block, but with a little math I made it a 10 inch block.  And I LOVE it!

I recalled the time (years ago!) when I made a "garland" with 24 red mittens as an Advent Activity calendar.  I cut the shape of the mittens out, I had our oldest daughter, Heather, color them and then I wrote a different activity on each mitten... one for each day.

The activities included baking cookies, decorating cookies, hanging the Christmas stockings, putting up the tree, etc.

It took some careful planning to make sure that the activity wouldn't conflict with other things that had to happen... like pre-school and play-dates. lol!

I had another idea that was rolling around in my mind for a sort of "charlie brown tree" and I could not ignore the calling!  I pulled out the graph paper and pencil and got to work.

It is really simple...  start with 1-1/2 inch strips and sub-cut to the various sizes...

From white cut:

8 strips -  5"

4 - 4-1/2"

2 - 3-1/2"

2 - 2-1/2"

2 - 1-1/2" square 

From Brown cut one 2-1/2 rectangle

from Green 1-1/2" strips cut:  

1 - 10-1/2"

1 - 8-1/2"

1 - 6-1/2"

1 - 4-1/2"

1 - 2-1/2"

4 - 1-1/2" squares

Now that these blocks are complete, let's take a look at the collection of blocks all together!

Lookin' Good!

With two January blocks, I see that I will need to fill in a few blanks... Probably some sort of "sunflower" block for September since I only made one of them... and another pinwheel block.

As Christmas approaches (quickly!), we are preparing our annual Christmas letter and I thought that what Dave had to share was a good reflection...

"Well Melva, Shelby and I seem to be finding a very quiet rhythm here in old Trinidad, CO.  We used to be involved in so much around town, TSJC, and with the kids and just building our home and life here and up and down the Front Range with all of our Christian friends, many that we consider part of our extended family.  

     But over the last couple of years many of those activities have come to an end, much like the seasons change, it almost happens and you don’t realize it’s going on until one day you’re going wow where did all that business go." 

A time for all seasons...  from Ecclesiastes 3... 

  There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

         a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

         a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

          a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

          a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

          a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

          a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

          a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

Are you making time, in this busy season, for the important things?

What special, important time are you going to make happen?  

Maybe it is a visit with a long, lost friend, or a great-aunt that you have seen in years... maybe it is just slowing down long enough to read a special bed-time story to your child... or grand-child...  or taking a special dinner to an elderly neighbor...

Whatever it might be... DO IT!

Merry Quiltmas!

Melva

Plan to join me for a fun sew along that will feature vintage Kansas City Star quilt blocks!  Fabric requirements coming soon!

Linking with:

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Creative Compulsions at Bijou Bead Boutique
BOMS Away at Katie Mae Quilts

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty
Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy
UFO Busting at Tish’s Wonderland
Colour & Inspiration at Clever Chameleon Quilting
Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
A Time For All Seasons at Sew Incredibly Crazy