Saturday 21st December - O Oriens - and December cover story stitching

Ang's parcel arrived this afternoon;

As full of exciting treats as an old-fashioned Christmas pudding. I've taken the photograph sideways on; her contribution is the band of patchwork along the bottom and up the right-hand-side. When the whole piece is completed and made up into a book cover, her Christmas message will be along the edge of her back cover. You might be able to make out the word 'IMMANUEL', meaning 'God with us'. What a lovely word to carry through the year.

The parcel also had a pen, bookmark card and mini knitted Christmas jumper ornament. Just wonderful to unpack all these goodies!

This my piece; it's based on my appliqué Advent calendar that comes out every year. I had some fabric left over from the quilt backings, so cut a square. I then used a bit of green felt from my Corinne Lapierre Advent Calendar and used metallic threads for the decorations. 

This is the real Advent calendar,  hanging on the wall. BB takes a bauble from a pocket every morning and hangs it on one of the assorted gold buttons on the tree.

There are a couple of glass angels, and a glass Nativity scene for Christmas Day.

Looking at the cover story cloths, I reckon there are only two places left. Then, of course, we need to have them up, and add fancy embroidery along the borders between all the patches. I'm really looking forward to that. It's been such a joyful project so far, much smaller in scope and effort than the cross-country collaboration.

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21 December – O Oriens

O Morning Star,

splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death. cf Malachi 4.2

Very appropriate for the shortest day.