Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Making the Christmas Quilt in The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

Variable Star Quilt Block
Do you love to quilt AND love to read?  I invite you to join the free, online Quilters' Book Club.  Each month, we read a book, discuss it through comments on my blog posts, and then make a quilt block to go with the book.  I find the patterns free on the internet, making it easy for everyone to access.  Each member can choose the block or blocks they'd like to make.

To join, become a follower of my blog so you won't miss any blog post.  To make it super convenient, you can also sign up for my posts to be delivered right to you via email.  It is never too late to join and begin reading and sewing along with us.     


Our book to read and discuss during December 2013 is The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini.  It's a quick, fun read.  Get the book from your local library or bookstore and join us! 

One of the main events in the book is making the Christmas quilt that Great-Aunt Lucinda began and Claudia and Sylvia continued.  If you'd like to make a quilt block to go with this event in the book, here are some free patterns for you to check out:
 


 
This reminds me of the wonderful picture book, The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy, pictures by Jerry Pinkney.  It's about another quilt created by more than one generation of a family.  Here's a video reading of the book. 
 
 
Have you ever worked together with other family members to create a quilt?  Inquiring minds want to know!   Please answer in the comment section below.  If you're reading this via e-mail, you must click on the title of the blog post in order to comment or to read the comments of others.  By commenting, you are entering your name in this month's give-away.  Plume Books has generously offered a December give-away of two more copies of Jennifer Chiaverini's just-released book, An Elm Creek Quilts Companion.
 
You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post December Redwork Birdie Stitches.

11 comments:

  1. a friend just gave me The Christmas Quilt and I am looking forward to rereading it. I have made many quilts that spanned a long time but have never really worked with family members on one, other than to contribute the odd block.

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  2. Just finished reading The Christmas Quilt last night.
    No one else in my family makes quilts, so I'm on my own ...

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  3. I have finished the book and am trying to draft a 12 inch feathered fan with no luck yet.
    Oh yes, many times working together. The first one was a quilt for a friend's first baby and I drafted a house pattern and sent the fabric out to my girls. Each one used the fabric I sent to make the block and then added detail ... pets, gardens, trees ... mine had a clothes line with quilts hanging. It turned out very special. My sister has helped quilting at least two of my quilts and I have helped on my daughter's projects.

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  4. I've helped my mom tie some of her quilts, but we've each pieced our own. We enjoy going to quilt group together.

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  5. My very first quilt, my grandmother and I hand quilted together in her back bedroom over the summer between my high school graduation and beginning college. Great memories!

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  6. My daughter and I designed, appliqued, pieced & quilted a quilt for her husband. It had a golfer on it with 18 holes blocks.
    It was done in his favourite colours and he loved it.

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  7. I have not worked with family members but have had the experience of working with colleagues to create a quilt for someone who was retiring. We each made a block that featured a special time with that person. I put them together which at that time was more of a sewing than quilting project since I hadn't really started doing any quilting at that point.
    My youngest grand daughter is showing an interest in quilting. Perhaps we'll collaborate on a quilt for her older sister who will be going to college this year.

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  8. My children loved this book, after silly season I think I will look and see if we still have it on a shelf somewhere!

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  9. My sister and I made a quilt together (long distance) for our sister-in-law who was diagnosed with cancer. Sis sewed the blocks and I put it together and quilted it. It was a big hit with SIL and she is now in remission, so all is well.

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  10. As a teen I quilted on my grandmother's quilt in her frame. She allowed all her grands to quilt on it; she had 21 at least!. Her frame was in the big kitchen between a window and kitchen table. Now I often wonder if she took these stitches out as we probably did quilt well.

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  11. Quilting is unusual where I live, so the answer is sadly, no. I have 2 boys, though, and I hope some day I will quilt with my granddaughters...

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