Joyeux Noel

A very Merry Christmas to you all. I had grand intentions of writing more this past year, but it wasn't to be. Just the same, I wanted to close out this year with some reflections on the past couple of years. This Christmas quilt is one that spans these past two years. It also represents the last of my international travels and is the one major project I have completed over the past two years. This quilt is by Buttermilk Basin and is titled Joyeux Noel.

In October 2019, I had the wonderful privilege of traveling to Lyon, France, to an international professional meeting. This trip was all the more special because my daughter, who was a college sophomore at the time, came with me. One of the noted landmarks of Lyon is the basilica which sits up on a hillside overlooking the Seine River.

Lyon dates back to Roman times. Its position at the convergence of the Seine and Rhone Rivers made it a natural hub for transportation and communication. The ruins of the amphitheater still stand and are a popular tourist attraction. 

The marble that is featured in this stage area within the amphitheater were transported from many areas of the known world at the time including Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, and Egypt. The detail remains exquisite.

Given my fondness for wool appliqué projects, for Christmas 2019, my daughter gave me the kit for this block to commemorate our trip.

Once we realized that this was the first of nine blocks, I made the commitment to complete the larger quilt. I bought the next two blocks later in the spring of 2020. The challenges of the COVID pandemic and then the multiple petals in the second block proved a bit intimidating for a while, but I finished these next two blocks by the fall.

My daughter bought me the fourth block kit for my birthday in October 2020, and then I bought the fifth and sixth blocks. The final three blocks were my Christmas gift for 2020. Here are the fourth and fifth blocks.

Here are the last four blocks.

 

The final stages involved putting the blocks and borders together. I'm not one to do my own machine quilting, but I am very grateful for those who offer their services and make my quilts look so nice. 

We've enjoyed having this quilt hanging in our family room this Christmas season. It has allowed us to reflect on the trip to France that inspired the gift of the initial block. This quilt is also a reminder of some of the challenges since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I don't know about you, but I have had my share of disruptions and disappointments. Working on these quilt blocks has been a bit of a creative respite from other work and life demands. Some of them were more challenging than others and are reminders of the rewards of persistence and even small forward steps. This quilt is also the one major project I have been able to complete in the past two years. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! In the spirit of a Joyeux Noel, I will leave you with the response of the magi as they followed the star to worship Jesus.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11