Christmas Photographs
For ease of editing this Q in Q page I have had to move the Christmas photographs to their own page
Just hover over the Q in Q heading to find it.
Please keep sending your photographs.
Anne
Just hover over the Q in Q heading to find it.
Please keep sending your photographs.
Anne
23rd December
From Vanessa
Thank you for pointing me in the direction of the Quiltmania advent calendar and getting me back into some hand sewing – not my usual thing but I enjoyed making these. Picture attached taken a few days ago. Also of the storage box made by Mike to keep them all in. |
Just in time for Christmas I have finished the poinsettia basket, also attached. Mike has been doing some zoom workshops with Judi Mendelssohn and I sneaked a look at the workshop notes. This is a combination of two of them – the log cabin poinsettia basket and the binding with a narrow accent fabric. I offered to pay for the workshops that I didn’t attend but Judi very kindly declined the offer. |
I made 21 Christmas crackers from the sew-a-long with Jo from Villavin crafts. They have now been filled with goodies and dispatched around the country to all the family who, of course, we won’t be seeing at Christmas. Plus one which I gave to our postman for being a great postie especially this last year. There are only 15 in the photo as some had to go in a parcel before the others were finished. |
Wishing everyone as good a Christmas as possible and with high hopes for a better 2021
Nessa x
20th December
From June
Here's the beautiful card I received - thank you Hazel
19th December
From Elaine
Not feeling very festive this year, but here is a photo of my Christmas cake & some cheese. My Yorkshire roots demand the eating of cheese (white, crumbly, slightly acidic) with the rich cake & I'm really looking forward to that. For anyone willing to try out this tradition I should tell you cheese & apple pie is also delicious...
Photo 2 is of my advent calendar, a birthday present from Jane F, bought in Brewery Arts Centre, & by Angela Harding. Beautiful.
Photo 3 is of my MQ card. It was cheering to receive such a lovely card. Well done everyone. It's the time of year to think of others and look forward in hope. Best Wishes to all.
Elaine
Photo 2 is of my advent calendar, a birthday present from Jane F, bought in Brewery Arts Centre, & by Angela Harding. Beautiful.
Photo 3 is of my MQ card. It was cheering to receive such a lovely card. Well done everyone. It's the time of year to think of others and look forward in hope. Best Wishes to all.
Elaine
From Anne
Have A Jolly Safe Christmas
18th December
From Anne
There's not much worth watching on TV and I'm not expecting great things for Christmas viewing.... so here is a programme from Channel 5 last week that was easily missed.
Not sewing but of local interest. You'll find it on My5 Catch-up , or click the button below. |
Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year finished this week, I will miss it more than anything else I have found to watch lately.
The winner, Curtis Holder is an amazing artist, the winner's prize was a commisssion to do a portrait of ballet dancer Carlos Acosta; the programme showing the final part of the competition was immediately followed by the artist making this protrait. If you haven't seen it try and find it. |
Some Christmas jokes you have all heard before
- Why is productivity down this year at Santa's workshop? They are in Elf isolation!
- Why didn't Joseph and Mary do a Conference call at Christmas? No Zoom at the Inn!
- Why don't the reindeer have to isolate? They have herd immunity!
- Why are Christmas trees so bad at sewing? They keep dropping their needles!
- Where do Santa's reindeer stop for coffee? Star-bucks!
- What’s every elf’s favourite type of music? Wrap!
- What’s the absolute best Christmas present? A broken drum — you can’t beat it!
- What happens if you eat Christmas decorations? You get tinsel-it is.
- What do Santa's elves learn in school? The elf-abet.
- What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? Rude-olph.
- What do grapes sing at Christmas? 'Tis the season to be jelly.
- What's the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has noel
11th December
It's only 1 minute long - Enjoy!
From Sue
A Christmas poem for 2020
T’was a month before Christmas,
And all through the town,
People wore masks,
That covered their frown.
The frown had begun
Way back in the Spring,
When a global pandemic
Changed everything.
They called it corona,
But unlike the beer,
It didn’t bring good times,
It didn’t bring cheer.
Contagious and deadly,
This virus spread fast,
Like a wildfire that starts
When fueled by gas.
Airplanes were grounded,
Travel was banned.
Borders were closed
Across air, sea and land.
As the world entered lockdown
To flatten the curve,
The economy halted,
And folks lost their nerve.
From March to July
We rode the first wave,
People stayed home,
They tried to behave.
When summer emerged
The lockdown was lifted.
But away from caution,
Many folks drifted.
Now it’s November
And cases are spiking,
Wave two has arrived,
Much to our disliking.
Frontline workers,
Doctors and nurses,
Try to save people,
From riding in hearses.
This virus is awful,
This COVID-19.
There isn’t a cure.
There is no vaccine.
It’s true that this year
Has had sadness a plenty,
We’ll never forget
The year 2020.
And just ‘round the corner -
The holiday season,
But why be merry?
Is there even one reason?
To decorate the house
And put up the tree,
When no one will see it,
No-one but me.
But outside my window
The snow gently falls,
And I think to myself,
Let’s deck the halls!
So, I gather the ribbon,
The garland and bows,
As I play those old carols,
My happiness grows.
Christmas ain’t cancelled
And neither is hope.
If we lean on each other,
I know we can cope.
And all through the town,
People wore masks,
That covered their frown.
The frown had begun
Way back in the Spring,
When a global pandemic
Changed everything.
They called it corona,
But unlike the beer,
It didn’t bring good times,
It didn’t bring cheer.
Contagious and deadly,
This virus spread fast,
Like a wildfire that starts
When fueled by gas.
Airplanes were grounded,
Travel was banned.
Borders were closed
Across air, sea and land.
As the world entered lockdown
To flatten the curve,
The economy halted,
And folks lost their nerve.
From March to July
We rode the first wave,
People stayed home,
They tried to behave.
When summer emerged
The lockdown was lifted.
But away from caution,
Many folks drifted.
Now it’s November
And cases are spiking,
Wave two has arrived,
Much to our disliking.
Frontline workers,
Doctors and nurses,
Try to save people,
From riding in hearses.
This virus is awful,
This COVID-19.
There isn’t a cure.
There is no vaccine.
It’s true that this year
Has had sadness a plenty,
We’ll never forget
The year 2020.
And just ‘round the corner -
The holiday season,
But why be merry?
Is there even one reason?
To decorate the house
And put up the tree,
When no one will see it,
No-one but me.
But outside my window
The snow gently falls,
And I think to myself,
Let’s deck the halls!
So, I gather the ribbon,
The garland and bows,
As I play those old carols,
My happiness grows.
Christmas ain’t cancelled
And neither is hope.
If we lean on each other,
I know we can cope.
9th December
From Anne
I bought this book Crafty Dolls in February because Sue was recruiting me to make simple dolls for the MQ exhibition sales table!
....In the days when we made plans!
It's a lovely book, sewing and knitting, but I never made a doll; and then this weekend my 4year old granddaughter found it on the bookshelf and has put in several orders! She thinks it's like popping into the kitchen to make some Jam Thumbprints together! If only!
So I'd like to pop a doll in her stocking and this Ballerina one is her favourite. I don't have any pink netting though and can only buy vast quantities, has anyone got a little piece, big enough for Lottie's tutu, in their stash please? I'm more than happy to collect from someone's porch.
....In the days when we made plans!
It's a lovely book, sewing and knitting, but I never made a doll; and then this weekend my 4year old granddaughter found it on the bookshelf and has put in several orders! She thinks it's like popping into the kitchen to make some Jam Thumbprints together! If only!
So I'd like to pop a doll in her stocking and this Ballerina one is her favourite. I don't have any pink netting though and can only buy vast quantities, has anyone got a little piece, big enough for Lottie's tutu, in their stash please? I'm more than happy to collect from someone's porch.
11/12/20
Thank you to both Janet and Vanessa who can't remember why but who both have/had pink tulle netting in their stash. One a soft pink, one a hot pink....I'll be able to make a two tone tutu!!
Thank you to both Janet and Vanessa who can't remember why but who both have/had pink tulle netting in their stash. One a soft pink, one a hot pink....I'll be able to make a two tone tutu!!
I'm not giving any more suggestions of things to make this year, I'm sure you all have enough to sew.
Instead, just fun christmassy things. All contributions welcome!
Here's a very clever Christmas Youtube:
Instead, just fun christmassy things. All contributions welcome!
Here's a very clever Christmas Youtube:
5th December
From Evelyn
Wonderful, wonderful....a vaccine for Covid 19 in the VERY near future and the promise of a normal life once more. All those little experiences we have taken for granted for so long will be there for us to savour again. Top of the list no doubt for most folk and certainly for myself is the dream of seeing and holding tight our family members.
No doubt our committee will be planning a resumption of meetings for our group and top of the list we all hope for will be the exhibition so that we can delight in the work that our friends at MQ have been creating this year.
So....for 2021 we shall all need a calendar!!!! Here are a few suggestions
No doubt you will have a favourite calendar or may even produce your own with family photographs? Whichever you choose, 2021 will be a year for looking forwards again.
Can't wait!
Evelyn.x
No doubt our committee will be planning a resumption of meetings for our group and top of the list we all hope for will be the exhibition so that we can delight in the work that our friends at MQ have been creating this year.
So....for 2021 we shall all need a calendar!!!! Here are a few suggestions
No doubt you will have a favourite calendar or may even produce your own with family photographs? Whichever you choose, 2021 will be a year for looking forwards again.
Can't wait!
Evelyn.x
Click on the images for link to calendars.
2nd December
From Doreen
Memories of a Montpellier Quilter
I started school in January 1946. My grandparents taught me to read during the war years while my father was serving in RAOC. He’d been drafted to the Middle East in late November 1940 7 weeks before I was born, returning in December 1944 1 week before Christmas, and 4 weeks before my fourth birthday. We counted ourselves very fortunate. |
Junior school we sewed dirndle skirts, tray cloths, and knitted - bobble hats and mittens, and socks on 4 pins learning to turn a heel. As a teacher I was full of admiration for those teachers who had very restricted materials to work with because of WW2 rationing. Primary school was followed in September 1952 by grammar school. I remember being measured for my uniform in a shop set up in a prefabricated shop in Trinity Street, it had an electronic overhead cash transfer system! We were all required to sew and cook for half a school year, each year for the first 3 years, it was important we could look after ourselves and those subjects were afforded the same respect as every other. Sewing lessons were held in St Columba’s Church Hall near the school because the school lost a fabric work studio due to bomb damage. The needlework teacher was fierce but that stood us in good stead for the future in always trying to get things right the first time. |
It could have been worse, the school was closed down and everyone evacuated to Atherstone for the duration of the war. Many years after I’d left, my mother phoned one evening to say a huge unexploded bomb had been located buried under the staff lawn......across the footpath to our lawns! Barr’s Hill school was In walking distance of what was left of Coventry city centre, we almost all used buses to travel to and from school. During the next 6 years my friends and I watched the huge bomb crater opposite Holy Trinity Church become the basement of the Owen Owen store. Despite all the (sometimes very unsympathetic) rebuilding of the city centre, it is possible to find interesting pockets of mediaeval Coventry which escaped WW2 damage - some surprisingly close to the old cathedral ruins. After school? orthopaedic nursing training in Birmingham, teacher training, and the rest of my life.
From Anne
Ricky Tims
Evelyn has emailed to recommend a Christmas concert by Ricky Timms organised throiugh The Festival of Quilts. It's live on 11th December, take a look at the website, as a substitute for a 'real' Christmas concert it's a great idea.
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And here is a new Christmas pattern from Ricky with a Youtube video to guide anyone who can't get their head around paper piecing.
The American Quilter's Society (AQS) has a fantastic variety of videos to watch on Youtube.
This one with Kathy McNeil is like sitting at the Reddings with a speaker who has bought fantastic quilts to show us. So suspend beleif and imagine we are back there having a lovely sociable evening........ Soon I hope, the vaccine is coming! Kathy says she uses the Appliquick method of needle-turn applique, if you don't recognise this and you are interested to learn more. 'The Quilt Show' has a free to watch show that demonstrates the use of appliquick tools. I have the tools they are very nice to use and would make a good Christmas present. Otherwise 'orange sticks' work almost as well! |
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A Christmas House in Cheltenham
This is from the Gloucestershire Live website, there's a video too, of the house at night.
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