Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A Gift Received

After talking about and showing the gifts I made this year, I thought I could share one handmade gift that we received. (Then, I swear, I'll be moving on from holiday-related posts!) Jim and I were the lucky recipients of a wonderful gift this year - a christmas quilt, made by my mother.

I was shocked and surprised when we opened this present Christmas afternoon, because I had seen this quilt before! On a summer trip to A Scarlet Thread in McDonough, Georgia with my mom I saw the most fabulous Christmas quilt kit - it was everything I wanted in a holiday quilt! Reds and greens in bright, modern fabrics with splashes of non-christmas colors too (pink and lime green). And the pattern is bold and yet simple enough for the fabrics to breathe on their own. Mom quickly convinced me I didn't have the time or money to buy and make this quilt kit, and I left it where it was. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened it up this christmas! I had no idea she had sneakily purchased the kit on that shopping trip. The family friend who was shopping with us that day did such a good job distracting me I didn't even notice Mom was being sneaky! She deserves an oscar for that distraction-performance.

So that's how this exceptional quilt came to live on our couch! And such good timing - with the winter "Snowpocalypse" here in Atlanta, we've needed all the quilts we've got on the couch and bed.

And without further ado, here is the beloved Christmas quilt.

Here we are opening on Christmas morning


close-up of the front and backing
This quilt is BIG - perfect for both of us on the couch of for laying on our (queen-sized) bed. The backing is a beautiful red and white fabric with a holly leaf / poinsettia print, and the quilting is a beautiful pattern of the same theme - holly leaves and berries - very intricate and perfect for this quilt.

I am so thrilled to have this quilt, I can't even tell you. It holds a special place in my heart, and I can promise I won't be putting it away with the Christmas decorations just yet.

6 comments:

  1. WOW! that is so beautiful! what an amazing present!! Your mama is the best!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my gosh - it's so beautiful! More than a little bit jealous. I don't come from a family that "makes" things (although spending time with Molly is enough to make me want to change that trend!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. SO PRETTY!!! And I love love love giant quilts. I have two on my bed right now. Its red and green but it looks year-round instead of just Christmas (come on - pine trees are year round!!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's beautiful! What an awesome gift...I'd be so happy to receive something so lovely too...so I'm glad you took time to share with us!

    How fun that she bought it while you were with her too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is so gorgeous. I had a quilt made recently for my friend who is suffering from breast cancer. We all wrote messages for her and they were then able to embroider them in our handwriting on to a quilt. The end result was amazing! x

    ReplyDelete