Women of Advent – A Quilt Pattern and Bible Study

Christmas is a beautiful time of the year, full of meaningful traditions and experiences that we share with our families and friends. Advent is one of those traditions celebrated by millions of Christians around the world, whether it be as the start of the liturgical calendar and celebrated from four Sundays before Christmas Day, or as a daily devotional from December 1st through to Christmas Day (24 or 25 days – take your pick!).

Each year, my family hangs up an Advent calendar that I made several years ago. It’s not perfect, with some wonky seams and a few stitches beginning to come undone, but it is still firmly a part of our family’s favourite traditions. There are 25 pockets and in each goes a part of our wooden Nativity scene that is created day by day – a numbered wooden star, animal or person is set in place on a wooden stand, ending with baby Jesus. The kids will often find a chocolate coin or some other little treat or fun activity to do popped in the pockets too! 

A popular tradition used through the season of Advent is that of the Jesse Tree – a tradition that started in the medieval church, using symbols to tell the story of God’s redemption woven throughout the Bible. It is a rich journey through the Bible, from Adam through to Christ, and comes from Isaiah 11:1 – There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. (ESV). 

Women of Advent was inspired by this tradition, looking at many of the same stories but from the women’s perspective, and the stories of other women both in the family tree of Jesus and those that played a role in God’s plan for His people.

The opening chapter of the gospel of Matthew includes a genealogy of Jesus, detailing the rich history that fills His ancestry from farmers to kings. Genealogies were extremely important to Jews, as they provided a pedigree to your legitimacy and your origins mattered. Matthew demonstrates that Jesus has a powerful and prophecy-fulfilling ancestry – from the tribe of Judah, and a descendant of King David.

But what is also included in this list of ancestors are five women – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. The gospel was written for a Jewish audience sometime in the mid-first century, and to include women in a genealogy was extraordinary. I have always been fascinated with these women and their stories, and the role they played in the narrative of the Bible that was so important as to have included them in the genealogy.

As women, we also have a unique perspective that we bring to our reading of the Bible. We see things differently when we read the stories of women in the Bible, knowing how women work and think and believe. And yet even in that, we are from different cultures, backgrounds, situations, and more. We are united as God’s daughters, with a rich diversity in our lives that will provide a wide range of thoughts and learnings, and I can’t wait to explore this together!

I invite you to join me in a journey through the Bible, exploring the women of Advent and the lessons we can learn from their lives that are applicable even today in 2020.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

– Galatians 3:25-29 (ESV)

FAQs

What is Women of Advent?

Women of Advent is a quilt pattern, but it’s also a Bible study and a creative community exploring their faith through quilting – with forever access to all of these!

The quilt pattern includes 24 quilt blocks inspired by the women in the Bible who are included in the genealogy of Jesus and others who played their part in the redemptive narrative of the Bible leading up to the cross, which is block 25. The block patterns are released in batches of 6 each Monday through November so that you can prepare and sew in your own timing throughout the week, and includes tutorials for the techniques used. The finished quilt measures 72″ x 72″. This is all held within a private online classroom via Teachable here.

The Bible study is delivered through daily devotionals sent via email Monday – Saturday throughout November. At the end of each week, they will be uploaded to the relevant week within the course.

The creative community is through a Facebook group, allowing us to share our thoughts on the women’s stories and the lessons we’ve learned, as well as sharing our quilt progress. Please note that if you’re not on Facebook, you will still get all the content – this is an option for those who desire to be a part of the community sewing along.

When is it happening?

This first round is running throughout November.

Yes, an Advent program happening in November! Why? Because December is busy, y’all! I know you don’t have time to make quilt blocks each day, for a start. And I also want you to use this as an opportunity to prepare your hearts and minds for the real Advent season. As you know, 2020 has been. a. year. As we come into Christmas and the joy that is celebrating this time of year, I don’t want us to lose the wonder of it all, so this is the perfect opportunity to re-focus on what matters.

If you’re not able to join this time around, I will be running it again next year – most likely in July (Christmas in July!) and November again. But do note – you will have forever access to the patterns and the Facebook group, so there’s no pressure to complete the quilt part this November.

How much is it?

As a special launch early-bird price, Women of Advent is just AU$37 until 9am Saturday Oct. 17th (AEDST). At that time, the registration price will go up to $49. Doors close at 9pm Thursday Oct 22nd (AEDST).

How much fabric do I need?

The Women of Advent quilt is a unique pattern with such variety in the designs of the blocks, and it depends on your creative vision for your quilt – are you wanting each block to be more realistically coloured, or are you wanting a particular colour palette?

If you’re wanting the blocks to be more realistically coloured, then you’ll be using scraps and pulling out bits and pieces from your stash as you go for the prints. As a rough guide, most blocks use about a fat eighth of prints, with some using a bit more – the smallest piece is a 1 1/2″ square, the longest is 3 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.

If you would rather work within a colour palette and grab some fat quarters to pick and choose from, then I suggest about 20 fat quarters. Within that, choose 3-4 fat quarters each of 4-5 colours.

You will also need:

• 4 1/4 yards (3.9m) background fabric; OR,
• 3 yards (2.75m) background fabric plus 1 1/2 yards (1.4m) sashing fabric – if you would like the sashing fabric to be different from the blocks
• 4 1/2 yards (4.2m) backing fabric
• 5/8 yard (0.6m) binding fabric

The finished quilt measures 72″ x 72″.

What piecing techniques does it use? Is it beginner friendly?

There’s half-square triangles, simple curves, and stitch and flip (like flying geese).

I firmly believe any quilt is possible if you take it one step at a time, so if you have some confidence in yourself and know how to use a sewing machine, you could absolutely make this quilt. There’s tutorials for the three main techniques, and I’ll be there every step of the way to help with any questions.

Is there an option to just to do get the devotions if I don’t quilt?

Not at this time, but it’s certainly on the list to consider for next year’s rounds. I’m keeping it simple this time, because, well, 2020!