Here we are...just two weeks before Thanksgiving Day and all I can think of is Christmas...Christmas...CHRISTMAS!

The simple truth about working in the world of Embroidery and Applique is that no matter what time of the year it is...it's totally acceptable to be working ahead of the actual Holiday!  We do this because all the FUN ideas we see in this platform are pulling us to squeeze in just ONE more fabulous project before that Holiday officially gets here!

This is WHY, at The Quilted Story, I plan to get these ideas out to you a little head of schedule...so you can do just that...

GET THEM DONE!

Today, I wanted to take a simple covered pillow and dress her up with a special Christmas Wrap...

You can make a pillow wrap for just about any size covered pillow.  Mine is an 18” square pillow cover I found at my local Hobby Lobby...be sure to check them out...they are located in the curtain supplies section, near the fabric and they have a lot of different colors to choose from! 

PS...I also like the fact that these particular pillow covers have zipper closures in them...and that makes it so EASY to add your pillow form and remove it later for washing.

I used a 20” square pillow form...so it would fill it just PERFECT!  I tend to use the rule of thumb of using pillow forms that are roughly 2” LARGER than the pillow cover itself.  I really like the presentation it makes!

PS...don't forget that at the bottom of all my tutorial type blog posts there will be a "Tools of the Trade" which will include the details of what I used to make the project!

Let's get started...

I am using the Aaron Font from Baby Kay's Appliques in the 3” size for the word “Believe” and added the Christmas Bells with Bow Applique (in the 4x4 inch size)...slightly tilted to the right.

I cut a piece of cotton linen blend fabric 8” wide (selvage to selvage) and a piece of 100% cotton batting 7” wide (and as long as the fabric is).  The batting will not only be used as a stabilizer...but it will also give the wrap “body” when you put it around the pillow.

                           I prepped my 8x12 Full Fast Frame with sticky stabilizer and then put the

batting onto the sticky first, and then layered the fabric on top of the batting...centering it, so that there would be “excess” fabric (top and bottom) to make a hem out of over the batting...when you finish your embroidery work.  

 I also added a few of my flat head pins around the edge to secure the top fabric layer and the batting to the frame.  You will notice that I used the straight edge of the bottom of my fabric to match up with the straight edge of the frame itself...and this assures me that I am loading it evenly across the frame.  I also have my center marked with a water soluble pen for a reference point.

Here she goes, stitching away...

 The red clips are only being used to hold the WSS to the frame, my flat head pins are the actual anchor to the frame. 

I just LOVE the way this Aaron Font stitches out...it is so pretty and just perfect for this project!

The Letter “B”...makes my Heart Sing!

Once I removed the finished work from the frame...I press the top edge over the top and the bottom and hemmed it...as you see in this picture below...

 After I hemmed both the top and bottom with a nice top stitch, I put it on the pillow I planned to use and trimmed the length of it to fit with a slight overlap.  I secured it onto the pillow using velcro at the overlap. 

I just LOVE it when a plan comes together...

How about YOU?

Kathleen

TOOLS OF THE TRADE...

-Aaron Font (I used the 3” size...www.babykaysappliques.com)

-Christmas Bells with Bow Applique (I used the 4x4 inch size...www.babykaysappliques.com)

-Fast Frame (I used the Full 8x12 inch size)

-Perfect Stick Stabilizer (I used Floriani Brand)

-WSS (off Brand)

-Cotton Linen Blend Fabric in Stone color (Fabric.com)

-100% Cotton Warm and White Batting

-Flat Head Pins (Hobby Lobby)

-Clover Wonder Clips (Hobby Lobby, Joann's, Amazon and Quilt Shops)

-Red and White Geometric Pillow Cover (18”square-Hobby Lobby)

-20” square Pillow Form (Joann's)

-Velcro (to hold the wrap closed on the pillow)

-Fabric...Red and Silver Glitter Mirror Canvas (Mikriworld.com)

-Thread-Exquisite Brand...Red #3015-Light Gray #1707

-Water Soluble Pen for Marking Center of design

Naked Lotion Bottles are seriously not all that attractive...

Can I get an AMEN?

What's a Quilter to do...

but whip up something super cute and extra SPECIAL too?

The center of this little Lotion Bottle Apron is a Teeny Tiny Paper Pieced Pineapple Block...

using some Fabulous Blue and White Scraps from my Spectrum of Color Quilt LIne. 

It measures at approximately 2" square...FINISHED.

WOWSER...

I gotta use up all the SCRAPS...

Right?

Kathleen

Continuing on with my Hour Glass Blocks today...

First cutting on the line I had drawn and then again from the opposite corner to corner too...this yeilds 4 units.

I pressed each unit to the printed fabric and then RST two of the units together...pinning at the opposing seams.

Then it's back to the machine to chain piece these units together...I like to do at least 20 or so at a time.

Kind of like mindless sewing...you don't have to "think" too hard!

Lol!

After pressing the blocks open...I trim them down to an unfinished 4.5" and you can see the cute little pile of fabric slivers on my cutting board.

Before you ask...

NO...

I don't SAVE those tiny slivers...

LOL!

Quilt on!

Kathleen

Moving forward with my current Baby Quilt Project...I have decided on the Hour Glass Block...

Simply because I have not made one in a SCRAPPY version and why not make it a Baby Quilt...

You know...

just in case the whole thing bores me to death and I just want to get it done!

Does this happen to YOU...or am I the ONLY one who faces this delimna?

I digress.

Never mind the fact that Kathleen has a bazillion projects in various stages of progress in the Studio to date...

It's how I ROLL!

At this point I have a Bucket List of projects that I want to do and what better way to attack the list but by making them into smaller projects...

like Baby Quilts...

Now...there's a PLAN!

Here's the skinny of what I did today...

-Cut 5.5" squares from your Print Fabrics AND your Background Fabric...to make the quilt the same size I am (36" X 44" Finished) you will need a total of 50 print squares and 50 background squares.

-Draw a line Corner to Corner on the WRONG side of all your background squares.

-RST one background square with one printed square and pin to hold in place...do this with all 50.

-Using the line as you guide...sew a 1/4" seam allowance from BOTH sides of the line...this is what I am doing today (in the picture above...be sure to double click the picture to enlarge it for better visual abiltiy)

I like to chain piece...feeding one block in right after the other...it makes for a quicker turn around!

I also like to binge watch something on Netflix and sip on copious amounts of COFFEE...so I can escape reality and live vicariously through a fictional character!

LOL!

Stay tuned...

Quilt on!

Kathleen