Day Four of The Twelve Days of Christmas in July!

 

Hi, all!

Day 4 of the 12 days of Christmas in July - where has the time flown? We've had some great ideas already, but there are many more to come. And we've got the next step in our O Christmas Tree quilt along, too.  So let's get started!

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Today I want to share one of my favorite quick ways to get my home looking festive - pillow covers!

This is what the sofas in my living room look like eleven months out of the year.  But the day after Thanksgiving, things change!

I have pillow covers that are made to fit right over the sofa pillows that totally change the look of the room!!

Pillow covers are so simple to make - these are just a piece of buffalo plaid fabric with a cut-out felt snowflake appliquéd on.  (You can see a post about the making of these here.)  They have an envelope back and binding around the edges. And because they fit over the regular sofa pillows, I don't have to find a place to stash those away during Christmas.  End of the season?  I just pop off the covers, fold them carefully and put them in the Christmas decoration bins until next year.  

In 2021, I made pillows for all of the folks my husband works with using some leftover Christmas themed log cabin blocks.  I appliquéd J-O-Y on each one, finished them up and stuffed them with pillow forms I bought in bulk on Amazon.  Great gifts and it literally took just a day to make eight of them because the blocks were already made.  (It's a great way to use up some of those orphan blocks you've got hanging around!) 

Want to know how to make a cute pillow cover from a tea towel set from Target's Dollar Spot?  Click here to head to an old tutorial of mine that will share the process with you.  And if you're interested in learning how to make an envelope-style backing, you'll find the instructions there too.

So now - - - go forth and pillow!

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And now it's time for the next step in our quilt-along!  Today's job is simple, although much more time consuming for those of you making the quilt - we're going to put together the small red and white nine-patch blocks.

TIP:  Once again, I suggest making one test block, using a very scant 1/4" seam.  Press and measure to make sure it is 3.5" square.  If it isn't adjust your seam accordingly.

Assemble your 9-patch blocks using two red-white-red strips and one white-red-white strip.  You will make 16 of these blocks for the wall hanging, or 116 of them for the quilt.  

You can chain piece these to make the process go faster!

Once you've sewn two pieces of all your blocks, cut your thread, turn the long chain of pieces around, and sew the last piece on the other side of the center strip.

Cut the threads holding your string of blocks together, press, and voila!  You've got a beautiful pile of finished blocks, and you're finished for the day.  Set all of these aside to be used in a little while.  

If you don't have time to finish all your 9-patch blocks today, rest easy - the next two days are easy days and you may find some extra time to catch up.  You will only need 16 for the center of the quilt, so try to have at least that many completed.

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Come back tomorrow for some great ideas for spending time with the kiddos during the holidays, and the next step in the quilt-along!

Hugs!

Sarah