Finished!

Yeah! I am so happy! I was worried because of course there was a time issue. 

I have written about this before but here it is in a nutshell again. After all, all three are totally different. Each on is special.

It's a third Advent Calendar of this kind I made for my church St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Richmond, VA. The church ladies (ECW) is going to raffle it off. I think 1 ticket is $5 or 3 tickets are $10. 

Every day you choose one Chrismon to add for the day starting December 1. I think it is a German thing because I grew up with having an advent calendar every December.  It's the count down to Christmas. In my childhood time of course it was just a paper one with little doors to see a picture behind.

The cross-stitched Chrismons were all stitched by my sister-in-law Jane in Windsor, England. Great big Thank-You to her!

Each Chrismon has its explanation on the back. Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season! The idea is that each family member can have a turn to pick the one for the day. May be there can be even a little discussion about the meaning of it?

Want a ticket? 

And now on to the next thing on the to-do-list!!!

St. Martin's Raffle 2019

The church ladies wanted a fundraiser. James' sister Jane in England came through for us again and cross-stitched the 24 Chrismons (again). With them I made another Chrismon Advent calendar. I think it turned out even nicer then THIS ONE.

I started with printing the 24 stars with numbers and the 24 explanations of the symbols on fabric sheets. I processed the sheets according to the instructions for them. Then I added double sided iron-on to the back side of these sheets.
The symbol explanations are used to close the backs of the ornaments.

The ornaments were constructed like I explained HERE! except these are square instead of round. I laid all ornaments out and paired the explanations to make sure each was on the right one before I started the ironing-on. 

I thought I was done but was not quite happy with the wallhanging. Something was missing.

I decided to iron-on some painstakingly cut holly leaves. I thought it was a great improvement.

The quilted wallhanging before December 1st when you start choosing the first Chrismon.

It is Christmas! Of course it would look different every year because you choose the symbol each day. It gives an opportunity for discussion ... especially since the meaning of the symbol is written on the back of each. Two over the door hooks and a rod is all what is needed. But you could also use 3M hooks on the wall you can easily take off after the season. 

The 1st of December was actually a Sunday and that was when the raffle ticket winner was drawn.

 I hope Maggie, the young lady who won it, will treasure it for years to come.

And guess what? I enjoyed making it. I already have another idea in my head and would love to know whether it would work.

* * * * *

I have been asked several times whether the cross-stitch patterns can be purchased. 9 of them are my designs ... because I needed 24 ... but 15 of them were from a very old booklet. I decided now to share all because the old patterns can't be bought anywhere. The original designer is not cheated out of any money. I don't want the patterns to get lost. 

This is in the spirit that  Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Here are the PDFs:

24 Chrismon cross-stitch patterns

Explanation to the Chrismons (for back side)

24 stars and numbers (if you want to use this)

Since this is all free to you I would love to know when you used all this information. A photo of your finished project would make me very happy. 

Merry Christmas wishes from Christa

I promised

Liebe deutsche Freunde, Ihr könnt oben rechts "Translate ... German" wählen und dann alles in Deutsch lesen. Viel Spaß!

*  *  *  *  *

Sigh, no time for blogging lately. Something has happened though and I HAVE TO write about THIS.

I got mail!
Yesterday I received the complimentary issue of the latest book from DEUTSCHER KLÖPPELVERBAND. On the front page is a photo of my quilted Adventcalendar with the 24 Chrismons in bobbinlace.

I wrote about this project several times. It looks like I had started this project in the beginning of 2014 but I had wanted to do it for a long time. I had started designing the pearls and beads Chrismons (Christian Symbols Christmas tree ornaments) in the early 1990s and would have also liked to design bobbinlace patterns ... but decided that this was over my head.
First blog!
Second blog!

It's a long story how it came about but here it is. I like the under-title "the little bit different advent calendar". The letter which came with it moved me because Maria thanked me with the words that without my idea this would not have happened. Oh how I like to emphasize why we celebrate Christmas and that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season!"

To be honest, I can't remember how I made those 24 "disks" to mount the lace ornaments on but I had promised Maria I would blog about it. In the meantime I have made more advent calendars. Those ornaments are square but the technique is the same. I think it is very easy this way and works well. Much less stress and fiddle work.

You need:

Pellon Flex-Foam 1-Sided Fusible Stabilizer (Style # FF78F1)

Double-sided Iron-on (I use Hotfix Adhesive because the raw edges don't unravel)

Fabric for the front and for the back (cotton is best)

I cut the foam circle 4 inches across. I think I made the lace patterns a little smaller.

Tip: I use the rotary circle cutter. I cut a circle from scrap paper first and make a cut from the edge to the middle (so you can pull it away). I use this circle to find where to place the needle for the middle ... to find out whether the piece of fabric is large enough and to go close to the edges to save fabric.

Lay the foam adhesive side up on the ironing surface and lay the front circle face side up over it (so the foam is on the back side). Mist with a little water and press with the iron. (Only press so you don't move the fabric off the foam.)

Make a cut in the middle of the back side and layer front (with foam) and back right sides together.

When I made this sample I forgot that you might also want to add the ribbon or cord into the layering (loop in the middle with ends sticking out the side)

Sew around with the zipper foot.

Turn! You can trim the seam allowance first if you feel that it needs it. 

With your finger or a turning tool make sure the edge looks nice. 

You might want to take the same back fabric to cover the back with the slits. Iron on double-sided adhesive in the size you about need. Cut a circle, pull paper and iron it on. Done ... except for may be adding the number of the day.

I had made another advent calendar for my church to raffle off this year (similar to another one couple years earlier). Still have to write that blog. Here the ornaments are square but done in the same technique. To hide the cuts in the back I had printed the meaning of each ornament on fabric, added the iron-on and used that. Very effective. In this case the numbers 1 to 24 are in the place the ornament is placed. The advantage is that you can select which one you (or somebody who has a turn) choose for that day and each year the calendar is different. Since you have the explanation there might also be a little discussion. So many possibilities!

Enjoy!

Of course, if you want to know more about Chrismons you should look HERE! This blog is only about Chrismons. Remember you can select the German language in the right top corner.

And now I have time to look at the book. There are 31 of Brigitte Bellon's wonderful Christian Symbol patterns with explanations of their meaning. Also included are the patterns for the numbers 0 to 9. I have always appreciated Brigitte's generosity sharing her patterns. I have already treasured my special advent calendar for some time and will for years to come. It is a big part in our Christmas celebration. 

Thank you, Brigitte Bellon! 

Thank you, Maria Steur and Deutscher Klöppelverband for helping to put Christ back into Christmas.

The quilt Adventcalendar with Lace Ornaments

I can't believe it but I never posted my whole Adventcalendar here. I had to take these photos in May because somebody in Germany needed them.

The quilt itself is very easy. Different squares of green and beige fabric 5 x 5 inches, some HST. That's all. Oh yes, the stem and the border. After sewing the squares are 4.5 x 4.5 inches which made the quilt about 53.5 x 59 inches. If one wants a different size quilt, just calculate the size of the squares.

The dots in the photos are 24 round faceted glass beads sewn on to tie the ornaments to. I left them there for the rest of the year because they look a little like dew.

Circles have the numbers 1 to 24 ironed on.

Starting on December 1 the circle with the number of the day is turned around. My advent calendar gives me great joy every year.

These 24 ornaments are all Chrismons, Christian Symbols. The majority of the designs are from my friend Brigitte Bellon. Her name is known by all lacemakers world-wide. This project took me several years... while I also was working on the beaded ornaments. Brigitte supplied me with another design every so often.

Christmas is going to be here quicker than we think. So I thought I share this with you. Just in case ....

With great happiness did I learn that the patterns are going to be published by the
Deutscher Klöppelverband e. V.That's why my photo was needed for the front page. I can't wait to see it when it is finished.

In the meantime, Brigitte had given me permission to publish. And of course, some of the designs are my own. You can find them all HERE!

If you have any questions or you are going to use any of the designs, I would be very happy to hear from you.

Church Raffle 2017 ... done

I can't wait to give it to the church ladies Tuesday evening (monthly meeting) and check this project off my to-do list.

Yes, another Adventcalendar!

Starting on the first of each December you select which Chrismon you want to add. 

Family members or visiting guests might take turns selecting it. 

The Adventcalendar will look different every year. 

Each Christian Symbol has its meaning printed on fabric on its back.



HUGE THANK YOU again to my sister-in-law JANE in Windsor, England, for stitching all the Chrismons ... like she did two years ago for this project (see here)

Now comes the question: since this whole thing is my original design, I had to come up with a way to keep the Chrismons ready for selection. 

My first idea was this "hanging basket". I used two pieces of plastic crossstitch canvas for the bottom, back and front. I had a heck of a time making it and gave up half way through.

I decided that this pouch might be a better solution. Again, no pattern or measurements but here it is:

I wasn't sure that I liked the pouch that much and (as you can see on the earlier photo) continued with the hanging basket and finally found a way to finish it (yes, glueing fabric can be a solution).

So, which one is better?

If there is enough interest in how I made the calendar and each Chrismon, I will concider writing the instructions. 

Another one?

You will ask "What is it with her and Advent calendars?"

Ha-ha, yes, I really like them. No wonder when I saw one at Kate"s blog I fell in love. Kate was very nice and answered my question where she had found the pattern. The Advent calendar seems to be a family affair. She has more mini quilts then her 25 places (original pattern). The family decides each day together which mini should be used to fill that day's place.

It's a design by Denise McKenna of Meadow Lily Bridge.

I was so excited and ordered the pattern on Dec 24 but it didn't and didn't arrive. Here is why:

Hi Christa,

I am very sorry to hear that your pattern has not arrived yet.  If I can, I try to send patterns from Niagara Falls, NY, but I live about an hour from the border in Canada.  I received your order on the Dec. 24th and unfortunately, I couldn't get away.  As a result,  the pattern was sent by Canada Post.  Their hours are very limited over the Holiday Season.  They were closed Dec. 25, 26, 27, 28, as well as Jan. 1st and 2nd.

Did you know that the Canadian postmen (and postwomen) are so lucky?

Well, the pattern had arrived while I was gone and I could start "playing" when we came back. I had not paid attention that all the mini quilts were paper-pieced (sigh) but I kind of have other ideas anyway.

And here is what I have so far. I really changed the pattern a lot. Being German the 24 numbers had to be somewhere. I made myself a page with 24 outlined stars and put the numbers in them. Then I printed that on a "Fabric Sheet for Ink Jet Printers". Ironed on Pellon 805 Wonder-Under, cut out, ironed onto the 4 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch squares and machine stitched around.

The wallhanging is done and I have to decide how I want to go from here.

It is roughly 31 1/2 by 21 1/2 inches.






















I have made three "test minis" and working on a third.

This one is a "regular quilt" with regular batting. It doesn't want to go very nicely into the square. May be if I did "regular quilt binding"?

These two I did with Pellon Flex-Foam 1-sided fusible stabilizer. I think this is the way to go. After experimenting some more I will report back to you! The size has to be very accurate though. The stitched angel (which I happen to have laying around waiting to be worked with) was a little (1/8 inch?) too large first.

The next one to try out.

And now ... sadly ... I have to probably lay it aside for a while because other projects are waiting.

A week of twist and cross

Monday April 4
Phoebe is a Quilting Teacher. She came to the house when Helen was here and taught her/us basting and hand quilting. In exchange she wanted me to teach her bobbinlace making. So she came at 9:30 am and we got right to it.She was an excellent student and we introduced the fifth pair on the right edge not to waste any time. We starched it and she could pull all the pins. She borrowed one of my pillows, bobbins and books and I hope she is busy doing it at home.

Tuesday April 5
I had to get up very early because I had to be in Williamsburg at Mary's house at 8:30am. It's a 75 minutes drive. Lace teacher Vera Cockuyt from Belgium had come for a two day workshop. She had come before and you can read about that HERE! I had enjoyed that workshop too.
Vera had offered lessons in several different techniques but I asked whether she would help me finish my third to last Chrismon. She is so kind and seemed happy to do so. I think it was a success and I am so happy. (The thread is really white. It just looks yellow in this photo)

Next day I was a bit more relaxed and even thought about taking photos. I think Vera had her hands full.

Kristen is new in the area but unfortunately will not stay for long. She is a serious lacemaker and makes yardage lace on commission for church use. I must admit that I was thrilled to learn that she had made the lace I had designed for a baptism table cloth for Grace Episcopal Church in Paducah KY. The pattern had been published in the HLG newsletter and the IOLI Bulletin.

I forgot to ask her in which church it is used on the altar. Isn't this exciting?

My second day project: the Keys Chrismon. My second to last of my series. I had to design it myself. I was inspired by what half of the other students were working on.I bought Vera's book. Very helpful!

I had been very sceptical in the beginning thinking this type of lace was not for me but it was actually fun working.

Lunch break. Admiring Mary's garden. Secured so the deer don't do the first harvest. Actually I took these photos for Sarah because they have deer in their neighborhood too. It can be done!

Natalie makes great progress too. Sorry I didn't get around to the other ladies. But I did finish my Chrismon!

Workshop was over and a big THANK YOU to Mary for hosting it. And for putting up with us. And for putting up with my mistakes. Cutting up vegetables and preparing a soup from scratch the evening before for lunch on the second day, bringing it in a crockpot, plugging it in but not turning it on? I think it was good for supper though.

Workshop was over ... but only one more and I have all 24 for my Chrismon Adventcalendar. I had blogged about it HERE!
The shell. Again, I had to design it myself. I was on a roll. Worked all Friday on it.

Yes, all Friday. But you got to treat yourself sometime, right?

Yes, and I finished! Refreshed, ha-ha. I might still improve on it later but for now ... I am happy.

THE ... PROJECT ... IS ... DONE !

What a nice feeling. And you can find all patterns on my Chrismon blog (just give me a little time to post the last two). Most were graciously given to me with permission to publish by Brigitte Bellon. I owe her a huge THANK YOU!

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