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Photo image by AuntSewsie

The most wonderful Christmas tree of all times was at my grandmother's. It was magical and magnificent. Especially to a 5 year old. I remember well how it would magically appear on Christmas eve, bedecked with straw stars, shiny balls and candles all aglow. We had to wait until we heard the tinkling of a bell to let us know that the Christmas angel had finished and we could go into the room.

The packages are were nice, the bowl of freshly made cookies were wonderful (I can still taste my grandmother's butter cookies to this day), but the tree was what it was all about. It sparkled with metal tinsel cared for gingerly so that it would last for years, candle light filled the room and my grandmother's angels rested on the breakfront. I now have my grandmother's angels, a gift from my mother right before she died. So the memories become real this special time of year. - Marlis from Lubbock, TX

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Click the picture to continue to learn and review with former teacher of the year, Jan Krentz.

Yes, new classrooms are currently under construction so you can find the lessons you are looking for.  Watch for announcements soon.

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O Tannenbaum - by Ricky Tims (pattern available)

Although Wichita isn't "small", for a number of years there was a Christmas Festival that included fireworks. One year we had snow on the ground at festival time, which wasn't common. I made a pot of mint tea, then added hot chocolate mix and filled a thermos. We bundled up, gathered sleeping bags and the thermos and found a spot on the riverbank to watch the show. I'll never forget the beauty of fireworks above the snow, tucked into a sleeping bag with a cup of hot mint chocolate. Sharon from Wichita, KS

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The remarkably talented Jinny Beyer is a wealth of quilt knowledge.  And we are thrilled that she generously has joined us in the TQS Classroom to share with all of us her secrets to "Designing Fabric" and to "Using Border Prints". 

In Jinny's Lesson #1, she shared her pattern for her White Nights Lap Size Quilt.   This modified log-cabin quilt is pieced using Jinny's White Nights collection.  The collection draws its rich, bright colors form the Hermitage Musuem in St. Petersburg, Russia. The intricate border design was inspired by the gilt work at the Palace of Peter the Great.  Wouldn't you love to make this quilt?  Now you can!

One lucky person will win Jinny's "White Nights Lap Size Quilt Kit".  Valued at $118, it's free to one of you this weekend!  To enter, click on jinnybeyer@thequiltshow.com and write "White Nights" in the subject line.  Deadline for entry is Monday, December 7, 2009 at midnight PST.  So hurry!

(Note: you can also just type the email address into your email program if you are having problems with the link)

To see more of Jinny's patterns and kits, visit her at www.jinnybeyer.com.

To watch Lesson #1: "Jinny Beyer Designing Fabric" click here.

To watch Lesson #2:  "Jinny Beyer Using Border Prints" click here.

Stayed tuned for more TQS lessons from Jinny!

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It's for one day only, but the perfect way to start your Holiday shopping...for yourself! Tomorrow is Bernina's St. Nicholas Day Celebration.  You'll get special financing on a new Bernina.  Visit the Bernina dealer near you or the Bernina USA website for details.  And then with your new machine, be sure to watch the Bernina Educational videos on the TQS website by clicking here.  Everyone deserves a gift for themselves, don't they?! 

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The Full-Spectrum Natural Fibers, Quilts & the Textile Arts Exhibit at the Binghamton University Art Museum in Vestal, NY, which we highlighted in a previous video, will be closing December 5.  This show actually includes three distinct exhibits, The Evolution of Fibers, Vibrations:  Color Resonance in Antique Quilts, 1860-1940, and a Contemporary Quilt Show featuring quilting pioneers such as Carol Doak, Libby Lehman, Hollis Chatelain and many more.    Click on the flyer for a panoramic view of this glorious celebration of quilting from a completely different perspective.

If you missed the original video of the Full-Spectrum exhibit, click here.

For additional information visit www.artmuseum.binghamton.edu.

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Show and Tell photo image submitted by TQS member Hildur

We used to live in a 3rd floor flat with no access from the outside (no balconies or fire escapes). We did not own a tv set or tape recorder, and the family radio was in the kitchen. Every Christmas Eve the livingroom door was locked during the day. My parents and I spent the evening in the kitchen. At some time I would hear a bell ring in the livingroom, and my father got up, saying: "Well, Hannelore, that sounds like Father Christmas has visited us." He would then go and unlock the livingroom door.

The Christmas tree (with real candles) always looked stunning and my presents were under the tree. Next to the tree, on a sideboard stood a small bell. I never managed to work out how my parents managed to light the candles and ring the bell in a room that had no access except for the door, and that was in full view all the time so nobody could sneak in or out. My parents also never left the kitchen.

The year before my father died I asked him to share the secret. He smiled at me (then 54 years old) and said: "But you know, Hannelore, that was always Father Christmas." I still have the bell today, but it needs a little shake on Christmas Eve. Hanelore from Hamburg, Germany

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On July 21st Margarita shared her quilt top with us. She asked for your ideas regarding how to quilt it. We thought it would be fun to see how the issue was resolved! A+ to Margarita and Beth!

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Show and Tell quilt submitted by Lorchen

We always had rice porridge for lunch on Christmas eve. Mom made a lot because Santa loves porridge. She put the leftovers in a bowl, put suger and cinnamon and a dash of butter on it, and we went outside and put it in a safe place for Santa to eat when he delivered our gifts. I believed in this for many years, because the bowl was always emty on Christmas day.

She told me later that some of the neighbour cats would eat some and she would remove the rest. Another important thing was to make sure all our animals and birds got plenty of food. - Britt from Florø, Norway.

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Photo by Sewbasket

Our Christmas tree always had TONS of presents under it. When we were small, my sister and I liked to play with the packages. We would arrange them in stacks according to the name on the tag or maybe build a wall with them. Sometimes we would line them up, end to end, and make a train going out the living room, down the hall, into each bedroom and back into the living room. Many years later, my mother told me "Do you remember when you and Candy would play with the packages and have them winding all over the house? I used to love watching you do that."  - Susan from Wichita Falls, TX

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