Hi, all!
Day Seven! I feel like a little kid again, opening all kinds of wonderful gifts on Christmas morning! So many wonderful ideas from our creative bloggers, and still more to come! Today Wendy of Peaceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life will be sharing her Christmas vision with us. Wendy is so fun and creative, I can't wait to see what she has to show us.
And my blog is being "hijacked" today by Kristi, who has a fun project to share. I'll be yielding the floor to her in a few minutes, but first I want to announce that we'll be having another giveaway here today!
I have two of these bundles to give away today. Each bundle has a canvas tote bag, a zip pouch, and a water bottle, all coordinated to go together. Aren't they fun? I think they'd be perfect to take on a retreat, to guild meetings, or even just to express your quilty, crafty, self to the world! If you'd like one of these bundles for yourself, leave a comment (and email address) below. Today, tell me the most memorable Christmas present you ever got. It's probably the first thing that jumped to mind when you read that sentence, and I'll share mine with you... I remember getting up one Christmas morning, going into the living room (before my parents got up!), and finding the whole Flintstone gang in stuffed pillow dolls - Fred, Barnie, Wilma, Betty, BamBam and Pebbles - that my mom had made for me that year. Isn't it funny the things you remember? So share yours in the comments below and I'll draw two winners for this giveaway. Winners for all my blog's giveaways will be announced on Wednesday July 25th, the final day of the hop.
And now, here's Kristi!
*&*&*&*&*&*&*
Hello friends! I’m pleased to be guest blogging today for Sarah’s Christmas in July blog hop. I’ll confess, Christmas is my family’s favorite time of year. We’ve even been known to listen to Christmas music even mid-summer! So it’s no surprise that I enjoy making Christmas crafts.
Last fall, when I was visiting my mother (whom I see in person only a couple times a year because she lives two states away), we decided to peruse her fabric stash, most of it from the 1990’s. Among many soft florals, she had lots of Christmas fabrics. We found many larger cuts of Christmas yardage, and then we hit the jackpot with a stash of already-cut 4 ½ inch squares in a variety of coordinating Christmas fabrics.
I love the challenge of creating a quilt with an interesting pile of scraps! I love Sarah’s blog especially because she is a master at making odds and ends into something beautiful. Quilty ideas started forming. We looked around a little more and I found some chunks of solid cranberry red and various printed muslins that looked great with the 4 ½ inch squares. I cut the cranberry and muslins into 2 ½ inch squares.
Because my mom and I were just hanging out enjoying each other’s company for the day, I pulled out her 1970s, all-metal Elna SU sewing machine and started in. Having just one remaining day for sewing on our trip, I went with a simple and graphic block: a Double 4-Patch. As I was planning on rotating the blocks around in a variety of ways, I didn’t worry about the orientation of the directional fabrics. The quilt will look good from all sides.
After a few experimental blocks I realized I had enough fabric squares to make a small lap quilt. I invite you to take a ‘shopping trip’ through your Christmas fabric stash and join me in this project!
Vintage Lap Quilt
Finished Quilt Size: 48 inches square
Block Size: 8 inches finished
Number of Blocks: 36 total (6 by 6 square)
- Assorted Red Squares (4½ cut): 36 or cut from about ½ yard
- Assorted Green Squares (4½ cut): 36 or cut from about ½ yard
- Cranberry yardage, cut into 144 2½ inch squares from about 5/8 yard
- Printed Muslin, cut into 144 2½ inch squares from about 5/8 yard
- Binding at your desired size (I used extra cranberry)
The first step is to create the cranberry and muslin 4-patches. Start by chain-sewing all the muslin 2½ inch squares to the cranberry squares. Press to the cranberry.
After you have all the muslin-cranberry pairs, divide them in half and lay them out as 4-patches. The first pair goes on the top with the cranberry on the right. The second pair goes on the bottom with the cranberry to the left. Make a stack of these and chain sew into 4-patches. Each 4-patch unit should be 4½ inches square. Square them up if you need to.
Now the fun part comes with 4-patches for the pressing. We are going to spin the seams! After you sew the 4-patch together, hold it up and inspect the last seam you did. Where that seam crosses the two seams (that you had to match), remove that little bit of seam in the seam allowance on both sides (using your fingers or a seam ripper). The part you want to remove is shown as the green line in the picture below.
When you get that little bit of extra seam removed, you can then spin them. With the unit face down, fiddle with the seams that meet in the middle to make them look like a little checkerboard. This time the cranberry presses toward the muslin.
Finish the rest of the 4-patches, spinning the seams as you go.
Now you’re going to do the same to make the double 4-patches out of the 4½ inch squares and the 4½ inch 4-patch units.
First layout the block.
Sew the top row together, then sew the bottom, pressing toward the 4½ inch squares.
Now sew the top to the bottom. Then remove the little stitches in the middle and spin the seams!
Now you have the finished block! Repeat to make all 36 blocks.
It’s fun to experiment with the layout. These blocks can be rotated around in a variety of ways to make different patterns. Here are some options:
Option #1
Option #2
Option #3
I chose option #1 and decided not to add a border. I like the diagonal rows of alternating green and red squares with the muslin creating another diagonal the other direction.
Sew the blocks into rows and then the rows together and you have a finished top! I quilted the quilt on my Juki 2010Q mounted on my Gracie King frame in wavy lines across the quilt. After doing one direction, I loaded the quilt rotated 90 degrees and quilted the other direction. It gives the quilting a wavy checkerboard feeling, which seemed apt for all the squares.
And here’s my finished quilt, ready for snuggling by the tree!
Hope you enjoy making yours as much as I enjoyed making mine! My 11 year old son has already claimed it! Happy Sewing!
Kristi, a fourth-generation quilter, has been quilting actively since 2013. She loves sewing quilts for kids and using up all her scraps! When not working as a Database Administrator during the day or sewing in her free time, she can be found enjoying the outdoors near her Northern California home with her husband of 30 years and their 11-year-old son. You can follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kristiquilts/
*&*&*&*&*&*&*
Wow! Who knew that being hijacked could be so much fun? Thanks, Kristi, for a fun post and great tutorial. Now I'm wishing I hadn't given away all my Christmas scraps - but maybe there are some more hanging around in there somewhere..... (SQUIRREL!!!)
Remember to check out Wendy's blog, and enter the giveaway below, too! And for those of you doing the quilt-along, use your catch-up day well - we're almost done!
Hugs!
Sarah
