winter is just round the bend

Today is Black Friday in the United States - something that doesn't exist here in Germany. It is a great sports event (not really but it feels like it), and I miss it every year. My sister and I would actually get up around 4 a.m., brush our teeth, drink a cup of coffee and start out the door to get the BEST possible bargains at our favorite retail stores. {Black Friday is the biggest shopping day in the United States where you get better bargains the earlier you shop.} We would try to get all of the Christmas shopping done on this day. Sorry Sis! I know you are having fun at the beach this year.

We, my German-American family and I, normally celebrate Thanksgiving on the Saturday preceding the fourth Thursday of the month which usually coincides with the first Adventswochenende. We invite friends over to share the day with us. We eat a huge brined turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake (totally from scratch - I cook fresh pumpkin into pulp as well), rosemary dressing, gravy and mashed potatoes. I love my American Thanksgiving, and I have learned how to make everything from scratch to make it 100% authentic. Why? Because you can't get all of that stuff in a can over here.

Although we decided not to have Thanksgiving this year, it makes me all the more excited about Christmas. I have more time to concentrate on my projects and planning the larger Christmas get-together at our home now that we finally have the room. So that is going to be my main focus until X-Mas...finishing a few projects including Christmas presents and planning a big Christmas in our new home.

I finished up a few Advent Calendars. The one at the top of the post above I made for Amy as a part of our quilt exchange through Doll Quilt Monthly. It is a really great group of women who swap quilts every month with optional themes. I am really enjoying it and learning lots of new things. The Advent Calendars below have been in the works for two to three years. I finished them just today. My kids already have one, but they always want the NEW. The other two matching ones will probably go to my niece and nephew in the States.

And now off to the very important part of the post. Who was the lucky person to receive a giveaway charm pack to start making lots of Forgotten Five Minis???

KAHOLLY - my daughter drew your name! I had to laugh. Now you can really sew lots and lots of your new favorite pattern. ;-) I'm still waiting on a picture of your current one.

Karen, please contact me with your address, and I will send your package including this yummy charm pack called Coquette right out (on Monday). Thank you everyone for your support!

gefaltener Stern - Anleitung in deutsch

Good morning ladies and gentleman! I know there are actually a few men out there that like to quilt and sew too, so I don't want to neglect you.

A few months ago, I came across a technique that I didn't know - the fancy folded star written by Maria Wallin of notonlyquilts.com. It looks somewhat similar to the folded trivet star that was seen a lot around in the 1980's and widely spread throughout Amish Country in Pennsylvania.

I kept this technique stored on my hard drive (as my son would say) until the theme of "stars and stripes" for the Doll Quilt Monthly swap approached. I pulled it back out and thought I could use this technique for my stars.

So, I made my little quilt and took it to my local monthly quilt group (guild); they really liked it! We decided I would show them how to make the stars using Maria's technique with her permission of course! Maria is a very sweet young Swedish woman living in/on Malta. She told me everything was okay, and I could go ahead with the translation of her technique/pattern into German.

I have made three stars now using this technique and all of them are very unique. The most important thing that I can say is, take your time and pull those fold snug, and make sure there is a flowing contrast on the fabrics you pick out for your stars.

I am looking forward to next month's Quilttreff to see what the ladies have done with their lovely folded stars. (I just showed them the technique, but didn't say how or what they should use them for.) Even though we all started out using eight different pieces of fabric, we agreed that using six would also look very nice like the one pictured above. Sabine, the owner of Quilt Oase, decided to use bright-light fabrics making the center spiral out. I personally think it looks very pretty, but she thought the fabrics got lost along the way. I hope to have more pictures next month from our Quilt Group.

You can download the tutorial in GERMAN. Or go to Maria Wallin's website for an English version. Oh, and don't forget to show me your finished stars!

Diese Technik ist mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Maria Wallin (notonlyquilts.com) von mir aus dem Englischen für Euch übersetzt worden. Die Anleitung darf nicht für gewerbliche, sondern nur für private Zwecke bzw. in unserer Patchworkgruppen benutzt werden.

Diese Technik geht schnell und kann mit geringstem Aufwand gefertigt (genäht) werden. Sie sieht am schönsten aus, wenn kontrastreiche Stoffe von innen nach außen gehen.

Hier kann man die Anleitung herunterladen. Schick mir auch ein Bild von Deinem Stern!!