Hello my Friends! It feels like forever since I have said hello. But even without my normal check ins, I have been thinking of you. I have been especially thinking of my F2F friends who made me Christmas blocks last year.
I know, I know, it has been a year since I was the lucky recipient of my blocks, but between being sick and the holidays, and work, it has been hard to get back in the groove. I am happy to report though that I have finished my Christmas around the world quilt. Yea!!
Isn’t it so festive and fantastic?! It is filled with kind thoughts from my friends from all around the world. Just look at these exquisite blocks —
Each quilter sent me three blocks of their choosing. —
1. I was delighted when Monike’s paper pieced blocks from Canada arrived That fox and the flowers are gorgeous!
2. The talented F2F leader Kate@talltalesfromchiconia from Australia sent me the next three.
3. Aren’t Sue’s blocks @ Sewing Magpie so cute? I love the heart block!
4. Edi from Ohio sent the bold colors on top
5. And Lynn from The Tialys sent those adorable paper pieced Christmas trees and 6 pointed star all the way from France!
6. Robin sent those classic Christmas blocks from Australia. I especially like the diamonds.
7. The Crafy Creek Margaret sent me the cute blocks with little mice on them from the UK.
8. My Desert Sky Tucson/ Tennessee friend from Desert Sky Quilts sent me the flying geese and traditionally pieced blocks that were done to perfection.
9. And all the way from Texas, the beautiful Moira from Quilted Snail sent me these final beautifully pieces blocks with the perfect tones of green and red.
Isn’t that fun?! My three blocks rounded it out to 30 blocks in total
But thirty 12.5” blocks were not nearly enough to make a king sized quilt for my bed, so… I had started piecing all different kinds of 6.5” blocks as fillers.
I paper pieced a bunch of Christmas trees that I think really added to the theme. You can find the pattern and tutorial here.
I also made 9 patches and pinwheels along with some lazy plain 6.5” plain fabric. Hey, I was getting tired! Lol:)
The hard part was laying the pieces out to make them fit. The quilt was so big that it didn’t fit anywhere in my house to keep building the quilt
I finally just finished it by taking a picture and finishing the design on my computer. There were a lot of half seams to make them all fit, but the end result was worth it!
Phew! That was a crazy puzzle to be sure! I used my scraps to make the piano border. I cut the fabric scrap to 4,5 inches and didn’t worry about the width. 1.5 to 3” were a-ok with me. I like the variation
The backing is this red geometric that matches perfectly. My DH even noticed:) I think having it on the bed instead of the quilt closet probably helped. Lol!
And what would a final reveal be without one last piece of sugar plum eye candy? Here you go! —
It has truly been a JOY making this Christmas Around the World quilt. I am so thankful to my quilting friends for sharing their talents with me. I love you all!
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It's a T-Sweets day! 
Tracy! So great to see you in the blogosphere again! That quilt came out amazing! Sorry you were sick and hope you are doing better now. You have been productive – what a lot of work to put that all together! I like the piano border.
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Thank you Tierney! I really have missed you too❤️. I am hoping my creative mojo is back. It’s weird how it is hard to jump back after being out of the habit for a while. Maybe this quilt will be just what I needed:). PS- I am really enjoying Modern Family as of late😊
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That is a great show! If you want to see something strange and engaging on Netflix try Behind Her Eyes. I am sure your mojo is back and that quilt is so amazing! If you get tired of it just send it to my house 😉
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What an amazing job you’ve done with your F2F blocks Tracy. Everything has gone together so well and all your hard work has had fabulous results and given you a Christmas quilt to be proud of. The overall effect of all the festive colours and designs is so cheerful and I’m delighted to have made a small contribution to it.
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Oh! Thank you so so much! Wasn’t it fun to open the packages of beautiful blocks? The finished quilt feels very special with my friends from around the world all quilted together. Thank you again, my friend!❤️
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that’s a gorgeous quilt Tracy! Did you quilt it yourself?
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Thank you Claire! Yes I have a long arm quilting machine. I used a loopy all over pattern. It seemed to match well. Thank you for stopping by. I have missed you!❤️
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That is quite some quilt, a real explosion of Christmas loveliness! I really like how all the variations of red and green work so well together, it’s a real celebration of friendship, traditional handwork and seasonal joy. Congratulations! I’m glad you’ve got such a great quilt to remember F2F by; I think we’ll have to suspend the F2F block swap indefinitely, for safety, and because mailing things overseas has become both uncertain and increasingly expensive. Glad you were able to join us this one last time.
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Thank you so much for organizing everything Kate. I know that must have been so much work for you. You are so wonderful! I love my quilt and am so very happy that I was able to join in at least one year of the fun. Thank you again, my friend!❤️❤️
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F2F has been fun for all the years we’ve done it, but I think it’s time for a break. I also think the postage costs were too much, especially with C-19 causing so much economic hardship. I’ve been glad to do it, and it’s made me a lot of new friends over the years.
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Tracy, so glad to see your post, and to hear that you are feeling better! The quilt is WOW!
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Thank you Kathy! I have missed you❤️. This quilt was a real tricky one, but I’m hoping it gets my creative mojo up and going again. I have plenty of UFOs to finish and write about, lol!❤️
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A few solid blocks give the eye a place to rest. No apology needed.
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Hi Tracy! I am SO thrilled to see a post from you. {{Hugs}} I’ve missed you. When I saw your photo on IG last night, I just knew I’d find a post, too. Yippee! Festive and fantastic sums up this quilt nicely. I love that it’s long enough to cover the pillows (my personal preference). And the fabrics and blocks – what a great remembrance quilt with all your friends blessings. Love the piano key border and the quilting is fab. All in all a big win and you’re ahead of the game for the season! ~smile~ Roseanne
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You and I are glass half full girls Roseanne! Yes, I am definitely way ahead of the game and not behind at all. Lol! —. I agree with covering over the pillows and hang all the way to the dust ruffle. That is why it is one HUGE quilt. But hey, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing it right! We are a great pair and I am so happy to be back with my online friends. Love love!! —Tracy❤️❤️
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Hurray, you’re back!! I was so excited to see your post in my email. I’ve been praying for your health to return and that you could get back to creating. Well, you sure did it in style with this Christmas quilt! It’s just beautiful! And so YOU! (above and beyond).
You looked great in the photo holding up the quilt and I was happy to see that! Take good care of yourself and I look forward to seeing more from you in the future. Sending HUGS, Eileen
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You are the BEST, Eileen!! Your words of concern and prayers of love were definitely a bright spot in my life. Thank you for being you and I am so happy to be back with my online friends. ❤️❤️
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Echoing the consensus of how wonderful it is to see your post. So glad you’re feeling better and continue healthy healing. Your Christmas Quilt is GORGEOUS! and yes I am shouting it 🙂 An award winner for sure. Looking forward to more posts in the future ❤ Sharon
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Thank you Sharon! I am glad to have this quilt done and the motivation to post. I look forward to joining the fun with you all again! Yea!!❤️❤️
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Lovely to hear your voice again. Sorry to read that you have been ill. And what a cracker of a quilt (pardon the pun).
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