Regina Grewe, who lives in Germany, sent me this wonderful email before Christmas. Both her story and her quilt made me grin!
It is finally done! My Santa Quilt needed fourteen years to be finished and it finally decorates our house. In 2001, I saw a beautiful quilt during a trip to the US in the shop window of a quilt shop. Appliqued houses and fir trees and reindeermade up the village at the North Pole, where – as everyone knows – Santa Claus lives. Absolutely irresistible!
Luckily for a beginner like me with no fabric stash at all the store offered not only your book but also a bag for each block filled with colorful pieces of fabric! Of course I flew home with the complete treasure trove … The applique of the blocks by hand went surprisingly quickly – thanks to your practical advice. Full of excitement I decided to hand quilt the good piece – as it should be. But this is soooo not my thing!
And therefore the work was put on the back burner repeatedly. I would do a few painstaking stitches and then set it aside – again…and again. Until I decided this summer that this had to end. I took stitch after stitch and lastly finished. The decorations with embroidery, beads, buttons and all sorts of odds and ends needed additional patience, but finally the quilt is on display! Pictures can be found in the gallery on my website: http://www.reginagrewe.de/03galerie/0306ap_e.html
I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for giving me such neat appliqué ideas. I wish you a merry Christmas.
Welcome to the North Pole, made by Regina Grewe
Detail from North Pole by Regina Grewe
As I said yesterday, Christmas rolls around every year. If you’ve been wanting to start a North Pole quilt of your own, now is a good time! Click here to find the book.
Piece O Cake Blog 
I have had your book since right after you appeared on Simply Quilts with Linda and explained reverse applique. At the time my applique skills were non existent and I didn’t want to ruin this wonderful quilt by sloppy applique. So, the box with the book and a ton of different blues is in my closet. At our last quilt show I entered an applique piece – and was one of the scribes when the judge came around. One of her comments was that this person knew how to applique! (thanks to a class with you and your DVD) So now I’m ready and, yes, you are right. I should start it now!! And if it takes 14 years, that’s OK.
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Congratulations! It’s always nice to hear a good comment from a judge. I hope it doesn’t take 14 years to make your quilt :-).
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Love this!
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It was worth every year…what a beautiful quilt, and yes it makes me smile just looking at it.
Thank you for sharing.
Debra
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Lovely, lovely quilt! I am lacking in holiday spirit these days… so maybe it’s time to work on a few of these blocks. Maybe it will never be a quilt (but then again, maybe it will, who knows!) but it would be fun to have something of Santa’s village on the walls. Maybe even a gift for my recently-married nephew (how did that happen? wasn’t he just 7?). 🙂 Hohoho! And again, lovely work!
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I know that both making and hanging this quilt really does help mom’s Christmas spirit :-).
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I bought the book. Hoping my quilting room gives it up. – Oh, I guess I should probably work on tidying that area. — I have taken 3 of your classes. That your DVD, on-line tutorials. AWESOME. Best I have taken. & I love your attitude during each class. “Happy” Not all teachers try to be happy when teaching on the road.
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Where can I get the pattern for the quilt in the banner at the top of your blog? Thanks so much and Happy New Year!
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That is Tile Tango from my book, The Quilters Practical Guide To Color and you can find it here: http://pieceocake.com/products/the-quilters-practical-guide-to-color-by-becky-goldsmith
Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you so much! I have Millie’s Garden, but I want this one too. Another present for me for Christmas.
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Thank you all for your kind comments on my quilt!
Regina in Germany
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