No more birthdays. :(

Good morning everyone. I hope you all have a nice sunny day.

- I think I received all of the BD candy envelopes. I’m adding to the last list on page 103. So 8# = love of quilts; #9 = Crispy-frog; #10 = Travelinggranny; #11 = AHWU; #12 = Grannyrosie; #13 = NZquilter; #14 = logcabin82; & #15 = SewBizgirl. I want to thank-you all for such lovely candy. I still plan to open and sort on my birthday.

- I hope all have a fabulous Thanksgiving Day.

happylab, I didn't see my name on your list. I mailed your candies last week, hopefully they'll arrive soon. I'll send out another set to you.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Today is the day when you may be starting the cooking and baking for the day of feasting with friends and family. While stirring a pot or making a pie pause to consider all that we have at our fingertips. We have so much to be thankful for. I include my QB friends and specifically my Birthday Swap chums. I have been so blessed by the grace and knowledge that has been expressed by this group toward one another. You have freely shared ideas, links to new quilts, photos ad of course those sweet little fabric squares to expand our stash. Such kindnesses are so precious.

Enjoy a your celebrations and pop back next week to celebrate Happylab's birthday. If you are free, there is a Special Virtual Quilting Weekend thread for this long weekend for those who will be devoting time to quilting or crafting between bites of yummy leftovers.

Kele, wait another week, my mail is slow.

I plan to enjoy the VQW and start the BHMQ which the 1st step starts Friday.

happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqAj...atthewWestVEVO

Kele, good news your package came in the mail today. Thank-you everyone.

Ibex, the little video you posted has made more than one of my family giggle. Tee-Hee-Hee!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Lab. You have waiting patiently and now it is time to celebrate, enjoy, whoop it up, and feast on cake. Take a bow the day is all yours!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear HappyLab!!!!
Happy Birthday to you!
And many more!

You can open your candies now :-)

Happy Birthday, Happylab! Your turn to blow out the candles and open the candies!

https://external-content.duckduckgo....4dc&ipo=images

I have posted the 2023 swap page and will add the names of those who have indicated they want to continue to the 2023 list shortly. 2022 swappers there is still time to join the 2023 group if you are still deciding. The sign-up for next year will close on January 1. I would love to see you all back again.

Pass the word on to your friends, on and off the Quiltingboard. It would be grand to build our group to 20 or 25.

Have the twins arrived? Inquiring minds want to know. :) A quick update sentence would suffice. Praying that all is going smoothly for the whole family.

Hi everyone! No twins yet, and - despite being so uncomfortable and in pain - I am glad. I really don't want them to spend any NICU time! I'm almost 34 weeks, and both babies are measuring the size a of single baby at this time, so I feel bigger than full term. This pregnancy has been my hardest by far. I can't believe it won't be long before I'm a normal size again and will be able to walk probably without limping. My varicose veins have been really bad and I limp everywhere. (We had one scare where the pain was so bad, we thought it might be a blood clot and rushed to the hospital to get it looked at. Thank heavens it wasn't... Just bad varicose veins!) I'll be able to see my feet again soon, lol! Still no bed rest, either, which I am so glad for! I think the house would totally come apart if my doctor ordered bed rest. My DH has been needing to work out of State, 3 hours away, for the past four months and only coming home on the weekends. (This inflation and economy really hit his career hard. Topeka doesn't have any new job sites and there are 300 guys in Kansas City IBEW local in the books before DH, waiting for work to pick up.) So I've been keeping this ship afloat with four kids and pregnant with twins by myself. I pray I never have to do this again!!!! I've saved up enough money that DH will hopefully be able to take two weeks off when the babies arrive. Poor guy, he is starting to stress about missing their birth. I'm going to give him all the warning I can. Right now it looks like I'll need a C-section because Baby A is breached and I don't think there is room for her to flip anymore.

I'll let you all know when the twins arrive. I'm hoping they arrive no sooner than Christmas, maybe even into January.

What a stressful time NZquilter! I'm praying that all works out the best way for everyone, and that you get much needed support from family and friends.

NZ... wishing more help would come your way. You are a strong woman!

My daughter is pretty miserable too. Her (one) baby is due mid January, if she makes it that long. She is only 5 feet tall and this is the second baby. She has been BIG for a long time. Back problems too. It's tough right at the end, but so worth it! She will have a C Section too, because she couldn't deliver her first. I think the C section is the safest option for both of you. Wow... you'll have 6 children soon. Imagine that! Praying this last month goes as smoothly as possible. And Merry Christmas to you and your family of 'littles'...

Good to hear from you, NZ. Keeping those little one in place as long as you can is important for them. Please call on your friends when you need help. Strong women know how to call for assistance. I bet your oldest children are pitching in to life as easy as possible by complete small tasks on their own for the good of the whole and their mum.

Wish I could swoop in to mop floors, clean bathrooms, and play with the older children. But distance is a factor I just can't change. I bet you are much more ready with the practicalities of daily living than you think. You seem so organized.

Prayers for you family, doctor's wisdom and grace and peace for you. Twins are such an unexpected blessing. We will all be waiting to hear names, date and how you and Papa are doing when the time arrives and you begin to juggle family in a new way.

Ideas! If you've done a few of these birthday swaps, you can always use new ideas for all those little squares you have collected. I saw this design and thought how cute it would be in our candies.... This is a 'for pay' pattern, but I bet we can get some ideas just from the picture.
https://bearcreekquiltingcompany.com...lusions-quilt/

Oh goodness, yes! That would be easy peasy and the tiny little sashing would be a good precision challenge.....for me any way! Thanks, SBG. Always ready for new ideas. Saved the photo of the pattern the source. Wouldn't it be fun as a random scrappy piece, though I do like the single color way also. I keep looking at it and have some ideas. It is not unlike the "ups and downs of Covid" that I designed and my local quilting group made in 2020. Love it! Thank you so much.

NZ -- thank you for the update. Sweethearts arriving soon! Hang in there. Hubby will be by your side and those babies will be so treasured by all of us! One foot in front of the other is all we can do. Lots of love and prayers from my house to yours. --ibex94

I saw two patterns using panels and candy squares. Look how cute these are:

Those are really cute sewbizgirl!

I have never in all my years of quilting used a panel. These two have taken the panel to another step with the 2.5's enhancing the printed picture in the center. I like them. I may need to investigate using a panel in the future.

My candy Christmas tree is being built finally! Maybe the piecing will be done by Christmas! I am still debating the layout but you all have given me all the candies I need to do a small tree hanging. I don't think I will do the half-triangle tree but I've attached it just for the visual comparison.

I do love the candy treatment on those panels. Thank you for posting those Sewbizgirl!!

I cannot remember if someone pointed this pattern out already but it came through in one of the blogs I am catching up on. Maybe I will try this one, too! Here's a link to the pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/9534306...FBQUFBR09mNFJZ

the blog that led me there is responsible for the screenshot I have attached: https://weddingdressblue.wordpress.c...9/let-it-snow/

Ibex, I like the second tree quilt, with the scrappy red border!

Me, too, Sewbizgirl. It will let me use more of my candy colors, too.

Hi all. I am making a Candy Bucket List album with links to patterns. There are so many amazing candy quilts in this Birthday swap forum. If you haven't already made a Candy Album to showcase your candy quilts, please do! For those of us who are new to Candies, it will serve as wonderful motivation. May I add your pictures of your quilts if I cannot find a pattern link for it? I will credit you with the quilt, f'sure. I have loaded a small sample of copied images into the album if you want to take a look at how I intend to do it. If you do not want your quilt there, let me know and I will delete it without a problem. Your quilts are beautiful and I want to add them to my bucket list but I can do your quilts on a private list on my computer, too. So many projects, so little time!

To get to the album, click on my name to view my profile. The albums are on the right of the page on my computer. I have no clue where they would be if you are on a tablet or phone looking at images.

Merry Christmas!!

I knew someone else had posted that snowflake! Thank you Gannyrosie!

Missouri Star Quilt Company has a one-day (12/23/2022) sale of all of their digital quilt patterns. Every pattern is only $2.00. Here are some that could be made with candies:

https://www.missouriquiltco.com/prod...-missouri-star

https://www.missouriquiltco.com/prod...-missouri-star

https://www.missouriquiltco.com/prod...-missouri-star

https://www.missouriquiltco.com/prod...-missouri-star

https://www.missouriquiltco.com/prod...-missouri-star

https://www.missouriquiltco.com/prod...-missouri-star

I like all the Christmas tree options, , Ibex94, but the first one stands out to me because of the candies being on point. I love the snow flake quilt too! It's one on my bucket list!

Jennr8r, MSQC has quite a few patterns that would work for candies. I have a subscription to their Block magazine and there is always at least one pattern that I bookmark for candy use.

Still no twins arrival, but I am hoping very soon! The good news is, Baby A, though breeched, buoyed up into my ribs, making room for Baby B to slide down, head down, into position. My doctor said if they both stay like this she will let me try a "normal" delivery! Hopefully this isn't too much TMI, but I am excited. I really don't want a C-section delivery if possible.

Everyone stay warm in this cold weather! And Merry Christmas!!!
​​​​​​

NZQ, hoping you can have a normal birth!

Jenn, thanks for the links to MSQC.

NZ! I was hoping the babies were waiting until after Christmas like you wanted. It sounds like they are lining up and ready to come into the world. What lucky babies to have you as their mom! I bet you have made tons of quilts for them already :-) .

Wonderful! Thank you Jennr8r!! That is good to know about the magazine, too, NZ. It is time for me to check them out.

The last of my stitching was finished last evening, labels on two quilts. Now today is a day of adjusting plans because of weather and baking accordingly. But I wanted to start my day off with sending you my holiday wishes. .

Merry Christmas to you from ZuZu and me. Enjoy this time of celebration of the birth of Christ, family and those special moments that will make memories for our future.

Merry Christmas to you and Zuzu, and to all who are reading. I got to Memphis yesterday and the city is covered by snow and ice. Now the power is out too, and some of our water pipes are frozen. Not the Christmas I planned, ha ha.

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
It has been an exhausting year with two ailing elders in our family. We are getting better at dealing with all the emergencies and have found some consistent help. I am looking forward to some sort of normal for next year.
I have enjoyed receiving the Birthday Candies from all of you, but always looking forward to sending one out too. I am skipping next year's BIrthday Swaps because 1. I have not been able to keep up with the online blogs and 2. by now, I think most of you already have all the fabric I have and I can't see myself buying any more fabric when I have not got much sawing done. :)
Have a wonderful Holiday! I will be checking up on next year's blog!

Merry Christmas one and all!

Ahwu -- I hear you! Get that fabric used up so you can join us in 2024! IN the meantime, I hope that the caring of the elders goes better now that routines are getting put in place. Sharing the love and laughing through the oopsies that accompany the aging process will help you cause it is all we can really do!

Sewbizgirl, I am glad you made it to Memphis safely. Frozen pipes -- ich! I hope they thaw out without giving you problems along the way. Good thing you are there to take care of any gushers! Be safe up there! Memphis is cold!

WMUTeach -- love the tree and kitty! That is a great photo! Patrice said all is fine with what I have done. The Album with candy ideas will be built slowly over time. I was looking at some of the past birthday swap forums. Wow! Lots of productivity in the group. The Candy album will never be done, lol.

NZ -- did you end up with Christmas babies? We will all find out soon.

Well I got some Marti Michel templates from a swapper and wanted to try them out, so I made this Star and I used some of my birthday candies to make it!

https://i.ibb.co/Ydk9BMw/4045-E159-D...C5-CDD2203.jpg

Yeah, you! Logcabin82, you are a Wonder Woman! So many finishes and such an adventurer.

Today is officially the end of this swapping year, I will check in from time to time as messages appear. Most of you will be transitioning over to the 2023 Birthday Swap Thread. For those who chose to take a year away, lurk and pop in to the 2023 Swap now and again. It is always good to heard from old friends.

Any yes, we are all anxious to hear about the twins. But not as anxious as NZ, dad and the siblings, I bet. We will be patient quilty godparents and aunties.

Thank you for a marvelous and productive year of swapping, creating warmth and bringing joy and smiles to others by creatively using the little squares we have collected all year.