🎄It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas🎄

Happy 4th Sunday in Advent!!! Christmas is coming next weekend! I was inspired by Sarah at Confessions of a Quilt Addict to share my Christmas decorations, some hand made, some from Japan, celebrating the birth of Christ!!!

The view from our front door--we got a bit of snow this past week!!!

Lucy Boston Day

Happy birthday, Lucy Boston! She would be celebrating her 130th birthday today. Lucy Boston, famous to quilters for her "Patchwork of the Crosses" quilt, was also a British author, an artist, and a restorer of an old cottage and English garden. She was born on December 10, 1892 in Southport, England, and lived to the age of 97. 

This is Lucy Boston's original quilt called "Patchwork of the Crosses", made in the 1950's: 

Tama Quilters is a small group of quilt friends that met in each other's homes in Tokyo, Japan, in the 2000's. We continue to do biannual "summer homework" where we make 6 blocks--one to keep and five to swap with the other members. For the summer of 2019 it was decided we would make Patchwork of the Crosses blocks! Here's my finished POTC quilt!!! ⤵️

➕National Positive Thinking Day ➕

Happy National Positive Thinking Day!!! September 13th! I have a special finish today--this is my 7th National Day quilt out of 8 that I'm finishing this year!!!

Quilt Info:

Contributors: Tama Quilters of Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, Japan

🍦National Ice Cream Day🍦

Happy National Ice Cream Day!!! July 17th! In 1983, President Ronald Reagan declared the third Sunday in July as the day we celebrate ice cream in the USA!!!

This is my 6th National Day quilt out of 8 that I'm finishing this year!!!

Quilt Info:

Contributors: Tama Quilters of Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, Japan

🎈National Hot Air Balloon Day🎈

Happy National Hot Air Balloon Day!!! June 5th! I have a special finish today--this is my 5th National Day quilt out of 8 that I'm finishing this year!!!

Quilt Info:

Contributors: Tama Quilters of Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, Japan

TGIFF & Cherry 🌸 Blossom Quilt

Happy Cherry Blossom season!!! And welcome to this week's TGIFF--Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday!!!

Japanese 🗻 New Year's Quilt

Happy New Year, 2022!!!

Welcome to the first of my National Day quilts of 2022!!! I have eight different National Day quilts I'll be putting together throughout the year, on the following days:

2022🐯Planning Party

Welcome to my 2022 Quilt Planning post! Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl hosts a link party every year, and gives us an opportunity to share our plans for the coming year and link up with other quilters!!

🐱National Cat Day Quilt🐱

Happy National Cat Day!!! October 29th! In celebration, I have a new cat quilt to show you!

Check out the National Cat Day Quilt Link Party by clicking on the button below! ⤵️

Quilt Info:

Makers: Myself + 4 Japanese Quilters

More To Come 🙌

There's a lot of behind-the-scenes sewing going on in the Grace and Peace studio right now! Here are some things to look forward to:

Kelly Young is hosting a blog hop featuring her new book, Scrappy Improv Quilting, and I'm a part of it!!! I'm very excited to introduce the quilt I've made from this fun book on September 22nd! 

Kelly makes improv easy for everyone, with her illustrated steps and instructions to make 22 mini improv quilts!!! I'll be sharing my version of Kelly's pattern, "Downpour", on September 22nd, so come back on that day to see it!!!

Here's the full blog/book hop schedule with links:

Scrappy Improv Quilting Blog Tour Schedule-

8/31- Intro, Single Block Beauties, and Simple Shapes

9/7- Seasonal Sensations, Standards With a Twist

9/13- Summer Blossom- Lori @ Crossquilt
           Up, Up, and Away- Sandra @ mmm...quilts!

9/15- Flutter- Rose @ Something Rosemade
           Botanics- Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

9/20- Face the Sun- Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts
           Full Spectrum- Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

9/22- Prismatic- Anja @ Anja Quilts

           Downpour- Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting ➡️ ME!!!

9/27- Funkytown- Vasudha @ Storied Quilts
           Cherub Wings- Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

9/29- Chapel Window- Kris @ Sew Sunshine
           Winter Frost- Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

10/4- Heartstruck- Rebecca Grace @ Rebecca Grace Quilting
           Star Spangled- Christine @ Triangles & Squares

10/6- Birds of a Feather- Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts
           Fall Foliage- Susan @ Quilt Fabrication

10/11- Ornamental- Gail @ Quilting Gail
            Churn, Churn, Churn- Cynthia @ Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

10/13- Sunset Crossing- Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts
             Positivity- Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts

10/18- All Dressed Up- Linda @ Flourishing Palms
             Shockwave- Anne-Marie @ Stories From the Sewing Room

10/20- Sweet Bee (a bonus thank-you pattern), Finishing, and Wrap-Up 

The second event I'm sewing behind the scenes for is this little cutie's birthday party, mid-October!!!

We got to spend some time with her, our daughter & son-in-law and 2 granddogs over the Labor Day weekend! 

The birthday party theme is llamas and cactus, so look for some related stitching, to be revealed after the party, mid-October!!!

The third event I've been stitching for behind-the-scenes is the National Cat Day Quilt Link Party over at Susan's blog, QuiltFabrication. It will start on National Cat Day, October 29th, and run for several days. I have a new Japanese-inspired cat quilt I will share on that day! So get ready to link up your cat quilts and/or quilt cats on that day!!! You can link from a blog or Instagram.

I invite you to come back on these special days!!! Grace and peace!!! ~Nancy

Linking up with Midweek Makers, NTT, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF, Whoop Whoop, Peacock Party, Finished Or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, From Bolt To Beauty, Patchwork & Quilts.

🐶National Dog Day Quilt 🐶

Happy National Dog Day!!! August 26th!!! In celebration, I have a new dog quilt, dog blocks, and dog photos to share!!! 

Check out the Dog Day Quilt Link Party by clicking on the button below!!! ⤵️

Quilt Info:

Makers: Myself + 4 Japanese quilters