Santa Quilting, Vintage Blocks, Tiny Trees, Jewel Box Blocks, Hope For Better

 I was a little concerned about our 95 year old Queen there for a couple of weeks. I was relieved to see her back on duty greeting this fellow, Thomas Trotter, and presenting him with the Queen's Medal for Music on December 8th.

I was a Girl Guide for a number of years and took my weekly pledge to do my duty to God, the Queen and my country very seriously.  This Elizabeth has been my queen all my life. She has never put a foot wrong and I feel very sentimental about her, foolish I know. And the Girl Guide motto, Be Prepared, has also been with me all my life. 

I've mentioned before the whimsical idea (so say meteorologists) that nature provides for wildlife by having more cones grow that fall when there is a hard, long winter ahead. This year there are massive numbers of cones on the trees. I've seen one year before with the trees so laden with cones and I noted that it was a hard winter. I do wonder what we are in for this year. I was aiming for the junco here and you can't see that the top of the tree was so heavy with cones, the branches were all drooping.

These little foundation pieced trees are really fun to sew. I prep a few in front of the tv and have them by the machine ready to go. I wish I had more interesting low volume type fabrics for the backgrounds. After talking about sewing from stash last post, now already wishing for more fabric. Sigh

We got our third shot or booster on Tuesday evening at a clinic in a nearby town. I was surprised to see families there, the children too, getting their vaccines. Everyone was so kind to us and each other and several times I heard we are all in this together. It made me think of the togetherness the world wars made of certain nations. 

With my brain, one thing always leads to another and I thought of the videos I'd watched about quilt making during wartimes. This one below is very good and explains too how women in different nations worked together for the common cause. Especially between Canada and the United States.

And speaking of vintage.  I recently tested a very old pattern called Jewel Box, which also goes by other names. I would really like to make a large tablecloth for Christmas use. I have a few blocks sewn and on the wall to try to decide if I like it enough.  I decided on adding reds for more or less the nod to Christmas. 

 Update: I've continued on and made enough blocks now. Photographing anything down in the sewing room, especially on cloudy days is certainly not showing them well. So I'll get a photo (in another part of the house) as soon as I've sewn them all together.

I enjoyed this photo when it appeared in my Facebook feed, the work of Tom Newsom.  Lots of comments about which pattern it is that Santa is stitching. Any ideas? 

The closest someone came was saying it was Rising Sun. I was able to find a tutorial for stitching this Santa's quilt at Victoriana Quilt Designs. And more of Tom's beautiful Santas can be seen here at Tom Newsom Art.

We have  about 10 cm of fresh snow this morning and the sun is shining. A brilliant Christmasy look to everything. I have my little Snowmen hanging, Bonhommes en Chapeaux, up. I have to smile when I look at them. I've seen tracks lately, but haven't spotted a fox in a while.

And it looks like we will again be sticking close to home. Too much of the new variant around and numbers rising rapidly. We just have to keep hoping this time will be the end once and for all. 

My hope for you is that you are fine, coping well with whatever life has thrown at you this week. And if it's something wonderful, enjoy every minute.

Also wonderful is linking with Kathy's Quilts, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt, Our World Tuesday, Texas Quilt Gal and Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.