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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Chrismons

Chrismons are handmade Christmas tree ornaments with various symbols of Christianity, some of which are more like a monogram. That is where the "mon" part of the name comes from. I had never heard of them either before our group was making them. I searched on the internet and found beaded felt and cross stitch varieties. We are making ours of gold (metal beads) and white (pearls) which is traditional. Here is an assortment that our leader made in advance. The one in the bottom right corner is the one we made last week. This is how we work, beads on a styrofoam plate or bowl, and copper wire.
This is one of the two I made yesterday, with the wires needing to be woven in yet. I couldn't get a good picture. They are even prettier than it looks here and all of the beads are shiny gold, not dark like they look in the center row. We will continue making them next year until we have enough to fill our tree.

The quilt in yesterday's post was a Buggy Barn pattern. If you click here it will take you back to the post where I first showed this top and I explain more about the pattern there.

9 comments:

  1. It looks like you had a productive day. Your Chrismon is beautiful! It looks like a lot of work. I imagine you had quite a crowd and some wonderful camaraderie. I enjoy spending the day with friends and learning old and new things.

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  2. Thanks for the explanation! That should make for a beautiful tree. I like doing beadwork.

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  3. Our church has trees with Chrismons and they are lovely, especially by candlelight... the making of new Chrismons is an on-going project (replacement and addition). There is now such a legacy of volunteers who have helped with the project, making the pieces even more beautiful.

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  4. Thanks for your explanation. What a great way to get together and make beautiful Chrismas ornaments! Yours is lovely. They will look amazing on the tree! Thanks also for the flannel quilt link.

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  5. What a meaningful way to decorate your tree at Church. The Chrismons will be a treasure for years to come. They really are lovely.

    What you produce each day always amazes me.

    I did go back and study your post on your heart quilt. Thanks for the reminder.

    J~MT

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  6. I love ornaments that mean something. I buy for specific family members or I buy Christian ornaments. I really like yours. Perfect!

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  7. Thankyou for showing us the Chrismons. There is always something new out there.
    I have never tried beadwork- either wire or knitting.

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  8. These are very nice ornaments, and would make great gifts.

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  9. Thanks so much for posting about the Chrismon's trees. I had forgotten about them. Back in the 60's when I was growing up one of the Methodist ministers in my county, his wife made them and that church had a huge cedar tree with only the Chrismon decorations and clear or white lights decorating it. It was stunning. People from all around came to see that tree. Several people back home started making them after seeing hers.

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