I made these ornaments for a group of special friends that I have the pleasure of working with.
I created them from Kaffe fabrics left over from my Dear Jane blocks/quilt. I added small white ribbon bow loops to the tops of all of these before putting them in gift bags.
It felt so good to know that I was able to re-purposing fabrics that have special sentiment to me.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
every quilt tells a story....
Here are my blocks for the finish of month #2 of our local Dear Jane club.
I discovered a darling reproduction Christmas tree fabric in my stash.
I thought it was the perfect piece to use in block F3 - Snowball.
And speaking of snow - here is a picture of my (almost 3 year old) grandson in front of his first Snowman of the Season.
every quilt tells a story....
Here is my newest little miniature - ready to quilt and frame.
I used assorted brown 1800's reproduction fabrics against natural cotton muslin.
Made from 80 pieces of fabric, this little quilt will measure 6" once framed.
I know it's not a Christmas related quilt - but the inspiration DID come from one.....
Below are pictures of a scrappy Christmas Tumbler quilt that I created recently as a pre-cut quilt kit for Kelly Ann's quilt shop.
(the quilt is draped over a cutting station)
For Scale - and really just for fun... Kelly Ann held my little Thimble quilt up against the Tumbler quilt.
(the tumbler blocks each measure 6" in size)
It's been over a year since I've made my last miniature.
It was such a treat to work on something this small scale again.
every quilt tells a story....
Here is the Pinecone ornament pattern that I promised to share with my blog followers and friends. The pattern is being provided to you for personal use only and is copyright protected.
Materials needed: (48) 2-1/4” squares of assorted fabrics, size 8 – ½” appliqué/sequin pins, 1 medium styrofoam egg approximately 2 and ½” x 3”, 1 piece of ¼” wide ribbon – 28” long. Your choice of adornments to fill the small opening on top such as buttons, fabric Yo-yo’s, wool felt cut-outs or silk evergreens.
Basic Construction/Assembly:
Set aside (2) fabric squares.
You will take each of your remaining 2-1/4” fabric squares and fold them in half diagonally (right side of fabric facing out) Then fold them in half again to create a folded Quarter triangle.
The pinecone is constructed of 7 rows of folded triangles. Before you begin pinning your triangle rows you will cover the very bottom tip of the egg and the very top center of the egg. To do this – center a fabric square on the top of the egg and secure by placing a pin thru all 4 corners of the fabric. (push the pins thru the Styrofoam until only the pin head is visible) Repeat this process with a fabric square stretched across the bottom tip of the egg.
Row One: is made up of 4 folded quarter triangles. Attach your triangles to the egg approximately ¾” up from the center (or close to the edges of the square you just pinned onto egg) You will secure each folded triangle by placing a pin near the 2 corner points along the raw edge approximately 1/8” away from the tips. Overlap the triangles slightly so they fit neatly around the egg.
Rows #1 and #7 are made from 4 triangles. 
Once you’ve completed row 1 you will assemble row 2 using 8 triangles. Pin the triangles to the egg as shown in the 2 diagrams below – begin by pinning 4 triangles lined up with the triangles of the first row approximately ¼” up from the tips of the first row.
Then pin the remaining 4 triangles in place alternated between the first 4 triangles.
(this is an illustration of what rows 2 thru 6 should look like with 8 quarter triangles in each row)
And here is how row 2 actually looks as you pin the folded quarter triangles onto the egg. (first 4 triangles are directly over the ones in row #1)
And pieces 5,6,7 and 8 pinned in the alternate spaces:
Rows 3,4,5 and 6 are also constructed using 8 folded quarter triangles pinned in the same order as Row 2. Row 7 is the last row – it is made from 4 folded quarter triangles – just like row #1.
Here is an illustration of the row assembly:
Here is what the pinecone will look like after pinning all 7 rows:
There will be an open space on top about the size of a U.S. quarter.
You can finish the top of your Pinecone by embellishing it with additional quarter triangles or buttons, fabric Yo-yo’s, felt cut-outs, silk evergreen stems, etc.
Add a ribbon loop on top to finish your ornament by creating several smaller loops and one large loop of ribbon. Attach to the ornament using a fancy “ball” or bead head pin. I recommend dipping the pin head into tacky glue first to insure it stays securely in the egg.
I created 3 Yo-yo's (approximately 1" finished size) and glued them to the top of my Pinecone ornament - covering the open space. Then I attached my ribbon in the center to finish.
These ornaments take about 30 minutes each to complete and would look darling placed on your dinner table or hanging from your Tree or door knobs this holiday season!
Wishing you and your families the Happiest of Holiday Seasons!
I've been away from blogland the past few weeks due to a virus that swept thru my household. Despite feeling crummy most of the time - these hands were certainly NOT idle. Here is just a peek at some of the things I've been working on since mid-October:
As you can see from the picture above, I'm starting another Dear Jane quilt - Lady in Red. My new "Club" year began last month here in VA and I'm happy and quite astonished to announce that I have 80 new students for my 2013-2014 classroom program.
Here are a couple of Christmas project peeks - they are finished and will be on display from now thru QUEST at Kelly Ann's as kit samples. I'll take better pictures of them at the shop this weekend. The first is my Zip or Zag pattern made in holiday prints and the 2nd is a peek at a scrappy Christmas Tumbler quilt.
I also made a quick & easy Quilt throw to use thru Thanksgiving. It was a 2 hour project. I backed the quilt top with soft brushed flannel homespun rather than batting and backing and it drapes lovely. Now it just needs binding.
And for bearing with all my above blabberings.... a special treat just for my friends and followers...
Do you like these darling little pinecone ornaments? I think they'd look lovely in both Fall and Holiday/winter fabrics.
On Monday, November 18th, I will provide a FREE tutorial and pattern with you to make your own pinecone ornaments. They are fast to make and you could display them on your table this Thanksgiving or hang them from your Tree. So start gathering your supplies. Here's what you will need: tiny applique' or straight pins. Strips and scraps of fabric (at least 2.5" wide), ribbon and a small/medium styro-foam egg approximately 2-1/2" x 3-1/4".
every quilt tells a story....
As promised, this is a very quick project to make - so today I'm providing you with the final cutting and assembly instructions for your Windswept Table Mat.
Last week we went thru the process of creating pairs of identical 8-1/2" fabric strips, placed them right sides together and set them aside.
To complete this mat you will place your pair of fabric strips on your cutting mat.
You will place your 60 degree triangle ruler as close to one edge of the fabric pair as possible. The 8-1/2" line on your ruler should line up with the bottom edge of your fabric strip. Begin cutting your triangle pairs, flipping your ruler with each cut so that the left (or right) side of the ruler is always facing the edge you just cut out. You should have 5 pair of triangle sections cut from this pair of fabric strips.
Cutting is now complete for your table mat - so let's begin with the assembly process...
Keep out the 3 sets of triangle pairs that match nearly identical along the wide bottom borders and set the other 2 pair aside.
Sew 2 pairs of triangles. (right sides together) Be careful to line the striped section of the triangles together. It's a good idea to pin these.
Press open.
Add another triangle to the left side of each pair.
Now you have 2 half-sections that are made up of 3 triangles.
#3 - Right sides together, pin the center section to make sure the 2 pieces match up properly. Sew the 2 halves together, press open and your Table Mat is completed.
You should have plenty of fabric left over to make a couple more of these table mats.
I hope you enjoyed this free pattern tutorial. If you make this table mat and wish to share, please add your blog link below so we can stop by and see your Windswept Table Mat.
every quilt tells a story.... 
