Merry Christmas Eve!

This year, I actually planned ahead, and made a quilt for Christmas. Initially, I was to present the block of the month at my guild, so I chose the Cracker block. I liked it enough to play around with it, and decided to make "Christmas Cracker". It needed a bit of explaining at the guild meeting. If you are unfamiliar, the English have a custom of having a small, wrapped object called a cracker that they open at Christmas time. It is shaped like a cylinder and tied on the ends. There are little presents and trinkets inside. Well, to make a short story long, it resembles the shape of this block.
It is hanging in the dining room. The hanger is a iron curtain rod. The quilt hangs closely to the wall this way. I've included some close-ups so that you can see the wonderful quilting my friend Sandy Rice did on this quilt. Alternating blocks have holly, and the shape of an old Christmas ornament on them.

Where the light triangles come together she quilted a small feather wreath.

Isn't she talented? I am thrilled with it. I have always been a dedicated hand quilter, but this look would be difficult to achieve with hand quilting. And, it wouldn't be done for Christmas this year!