Joy To The World!

Join Us for the African Christmas Challenge! 

Creating a Christmas quilt that isn't too 'christmassy'.

Christmas in Africa is a big deal! Everything literary shuts down 

from a few days to Christmas till the New Year.

It's also that time of the year when we all leave the cities where we

work and go back home to our ancestral villages.

 

This is for several reasons - to see parents, and extended family

we don't get to see during the other busy months of the year.

There are family, clan, age-group, tribal and other meetings.

Weddings, installation of chiefs, conferment of titles and other honours,

festivals and ceremonies are planned for this period when

everyone is home from wherever they are around the world.

African Christmases are not overtly Chrismassy, colour themed

by green and red, putting up lights, decorating trees,

stockings or wrapped gifts.

 

The emphasis is mostly on family and friends - parties,

gifts of clothing and food and focus on our Christmas carols in

schools, churches and end-of year parties at work.

 

This is why I was drawn to Kate Spain's Joy pattern. 

It's a celebration of Christmas without the modern day

symbols that typify Christmas - snowman, tree,

wrapped gifts, stockings and the other symbols.

 

We will allow our fabrics express our celebration.

That also gives you a chance to work with fabrics that will express your

celebration of Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or any holiday of your preference.

This challenge is quite different from our usual challenges but you will be

challenged and learn so much as we start.

You will get more comfortable with using African fabrics, develop your 

understanding of colour, use of fabric and placement.

 

Within the 4 weeks of the challenge, we will learn how to

select fabrics, cutting the fabrics, piecing and laying out our blocks

to suit ourindividual preferences.

 

It's a large project but at the end of 4 weeks, you will have a finished

a beautiful piece of art you can use in any way you want.

 

The aim of the Quilt Africa Challenges is to: