Today is December 14 and is the first day of Hanukkah (which starts in the evening). I've made several Hanukkah quilts over the years and, as you've already seen, I have several Hanukkah blocks in my Block a Day Calendar. Let me show you a few of my Hanukkah themed creations: This is a variation on my Seven Sisters pattern. Star of David table topper : 24" x 28" I made some paper pieced dreidels and turned them into coasters. But, the first ones were made into little drawstring bags and were published in Modern Quilting Magazine. Dreidel gift bag Two gift bags using very old Hanukkah fabrics! Here are 3 coasters I made: 6" Paper pieced dreidels for coasters I made these dreidels into blocks for a quilt using some Michael Miller prints: And one more using Hanukkah fabrics and my Starfish pattern : Festive Starfish quilt: 44" x 44" Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

Sometimes we make errors. Sometimes they're BIG errors. But the good part is that we can fix them! My new calendar has 3 blocks in December for Hanukkah. One of them slipped through with some serious cutting errors. Let's see 3 of them and then get the FREE pattern.   I shared this yesterday: December 4 Four and Nine Block: 16" I remade it using the Golden Harvests fabric by Benartex.  Four and Nine Block in blues and golds Then I have the Jerusalem Block for December 6 (tomorrow). It's 10". Here is how it looks in the calendar. I decided that the center needed something exciting so I added my 6" paper pieced dreidel. Jerusalem Block with  paper pieced dreidel  in center. Do you remember my Dreidel Bags that appeared in Quilting Arts Magazine a few years ago. That's the block I used for the center of this! Dreidel gift bags using 6" paper pieced dreidel block The Star of Hope is our FREE block . It's the December 5 block and I got it ALL WRONG in...

Why is this block called "Four and Nine?" Well, it's a 9 Patch with several 4 Patches in the same block! I shared this block back in July for the Benartex Christmas in July post. This is actually one of my Hanukkah blocks! (Hanukkah is later in the month) Four and Nine: 16" I first planned it in the calendar colors of just blue and cream . . . but then realized I wanted the navy blue and orange/gold as you can see in the top photo. I also made it using some really old Hanukkah fabric for the center. Isn't that the cutest print!? Four and Nine with Hanukkah fabrics If you don't have your calendar yet: Check your local quilt shop for my calendar so you can have your own  Four and Nine  blocks. You can find my calendar here, also: on  Amazon at  C&T Publishing and in  Barnes & Noble  stores

Today is the first day of Hanukkah 2022. While it's not a major Jewish holiday, because it comes around the same time as Christmas, it is embraced as one. When I lived in Maryland many years ago, my neighbor Heather (Jewish) told me that it became a way for her family to counter all the bling and lights and presents and parties of their kids Christian schoolmates! They wanted lots of presents, too! Hanukkah card I have had a small amount of Hanukkah fabrics in my stash for at least 20 years. The fabric in the card above is one of the oldest. I came upon a set of these window cards in the Dollar store (meant for Christmas family photos) and decided to feature some fabric. I put batting on the back, quilted it in a swirl and glued it inside. I love this! Hanukkah Dreidel Coasters (6" square) I designed a simple Dreidel block for paper piecing and made a few coasters. You've seen these before. I used the same pattern to make a little gift bag. It appeared in a quilting magazi...

While I'm not Jewish, I do have Jewish friends and neighbors. And, believe it or not, I have some Hanukkah items on hand for gifting when needed! I've even made some special blocks for my quilt guild's holiday block swap. I made 12 in Christmas fabrics and 12 in Hanukkah fabrics! I don't know where the pattern for these came from, but they will finish to 10". 4 of my 12 blocks I've made cards using those "window" openings and placed some pre-quilted fabric (just fabric and thin batting) inside. Hanukkah Card I've made coasters using my paper piecing Dreidel block. Dreidel Coasters I used this in my Dreidel gift bags which was featured in Quilting Arts Magazine a few times (2015 and 2021). The simple 6" block is paper pieced. I built the bag around the block. Dreidel Gift Bags And last December, my local library asked me to fill their display case. I devoted half to Hanukkah and half to Christmas. Display case with my holiday items By far, my...

 Do you remember these fabrics and blocks? My Dreidel Block is part of my Cookie Cutter series. This is the Pearl Essentials collection from Benartex. I used it to make my Star of David quilt and 3 dreidel blocks. Pearl Essentials fabrics My Star of David topper is one of my favorites. It's 24" x 28" and uses no templates - just your trusty multi-sized 60 degree ruler. Star of David Table Topper Here's the center star up close. You can see that those light "diamonds" aren't diamonds at all but a pair of triangles; no y-seams! Center of Star of David Table Topper Here's a pic of all the units - only diamonds and triangles! Two sizes of triangles and diamonds I made 3 Dreidel blocks that have been waiting for a new home and they were purchased the other day. Do you remember these from 2019? They each measure 10.5" x 10.5" Maybe they could become a runner?  3 Cookie Cutter Dreidel blocks The FREE Dreidel pattern is transferred to freezer p...

So many ideas, so little time! But, if you buy this issue, you will never run out of gift or decorating ideas for years to come. The Quilting Arts 2021 Holiday Magazine hits newsstands November 23 and it is filled with SO many beautiful things! Holiday issue  I received my copy 2 weeks ago and have looked through it every, single day since! While there are, of course, Christmas and a few Hanukkah items in there, small gift ideas for any time of the year are there, too! I especially like the Passport holder (which hangs around your neck with a see-through case). My Hanukkah Dreidel gift bags are there as a re-run from 2015. I still have some of the paper pieced units and I plan on turning them into coasters. And I have one of the bags, too! Dreidel Gift Bags (in my Etsy shop) Remember, Hanukkah comes "early" this year: November 28/29! My local library has a display case that I plan on putting my Hanukkah and Christmas mini quilts in for the month of December, and you can bet...

December 10th is the first day of Hannukah (begins at sunset). You still have time to make some small gifts for your Jewish friends and relatives. I have made several quilt-y items over the years that feature Hanukkah fabric. First, the greeting cards: Snowflake window greeting card with Hanukkah fabrics Here is an English Paper Pieced block from Katja Marek's calendar. I'm going to make it into a coaster. This Hanukkah fabric is at least 15 years old! Now for some recent items. You've seen these before. This is my Star of David Hanukkah Star . Star of David table topper. NO y-seams! 24" x 28" And my dreidel blocks made from the same collection: Single Dreidel Block: 10" finished And 3 blocks together. They may become a table runner or 3 little gift bags. Raw edge appliqué Here are my paper pieced dreidels, featured in Modern Patchwork Magazine, Holiday edition a few years ago: Paper Pieced Dreidel gift bags That's enough for today. I still have more idea...

I enjoy English Paper Piecing and I remembered some ornaments I made almost 20 years ago for a demo I did in a local quilt shop. I had some extra Sunburst motifs leftover from a few quilts and discovered they work with 1-3/4" hexagons. I used one for the front, one for the back (that means two papers, for those of you who know how to EPP). Put them together back to back, inserted some ribbon, and stitched around the edges by machine. Magic! Ornaments! Sunburst ornaments, Side 1 Sunburst ornaments, Side2 I made these cards in May for my lovely mother in law (Jane), who was locked down in her retirement home in New York. She loves to write to her friends and ran out of stationery. She asked me to help. Of course! Again, I used those Sunburst motifs and some companion fabrics; cut out hearts and fused them right to the card stock. Paired them with envelopes and made her SO HAPPY! These can be holiday cards, too. Dig out your Christmas (and Hanukkah) fabrics. Happy heart cards I had s...