Roberta's Coming Out of the Woods, Too!

It's taken me forever to get this post up, but it's just been that kind of time around here lately. Finally, I am sharing Roberta's Holiday Forest. What a beauty!

We both started in the same place but have ended up with two very different quilts. She used a vertical spacer between the columns, as did I, but was much more adventurous when it came to mixing the prints for her trees.

And the addition of that gorgeous border? Well, it's a show stopper. It just puts it in a league of its own. Drool.

She thought that she might have goofed by inserting the narrow dark green border between the trees and the floral, but with the tiny pink flange and that beautiful teal plaid binding they just all work so beautifully together.

Roberta used a non-holiday panto called Moulin Rouge to quilt it, giving her lots of lovely texture. To me, it looks like the winter winds blowing across a snowy field of trees. Love those little circles scattered throughout.

She enjoyed finishing up hand stitching the binding last week and is now the proud owner of her very own Holiday Forest. 

I suspect that hers is also ideal for napping under 😉; I'll have to check....M

New Year, New Quilt. Or Two.

A belated happy New Year everyone. I've been enjoying making a slow stitching entry into 2025.

Binding Holiday Forest (both of them) seemed like a good way to finish off one year and begin the next, and I wasn't wrong. Binding has gone from being the one part in the quilting process that I was always impatient with to something that I look forward to - a chance to relax while enjoying the finishing touches.

With all of those scrappy trees scattered about, this is a really great Christmas quilt and it has already met the 'nap test' (a few times) in it's short life.

I have Roberta to thank for being able to make it using gorgeous Laundry Basket fabrics; she generously shared her stash with me. She's also made one, choosing to add a few borders, and it is a stunner. I will share it with you next time.

There are a select number of pink trees in the quilt and they are my favourites. Many, if not all, of the fabrics are not what I would consider Christmas prints but they still work beautifully; it's the variety of texture that really gives it life. Selecting the perfect coordinating tree trunks was SO much fun!

This paisley backing has been in my stash for longer than I can remember, waiting for just the right project, and this was it. I think that there's still a large enough piece for at least another lap quilt.

And, the cheery red and white plaid binding reminds me of candy canes. 

For the background fabric we both chose a soft winter white with a mottled grey and beige print that looks like delicate mini cattails and it adds a snowy softness and depth. Add in all of those little jingle bells in the panto and voilà - a Christmas quilt!

I have fond memories of the quilts that we made and used when we were growing up. They were all very utilitarian, made to cover a bed and keep us warm. So often they were made from used clothing. Then I never imagined the possibility of making a quilt just for Christmas, but now I have about four in the house and a few more that I have given away. It is a genuine treat....M

 

LOL

Apparently I had Roberta laughing out loud when she read my last post about saving all those tiny HSTs from my Holiday Forest project.

She is making the same pattern and, lo and behold, couldn't just toss her trimmings either. Girl after my own heart.

We started working on our forests around the same time and it's been fun to be able to track my progress with someone else. Hopefully it means that I will be able to keep up with her!

Before we began, she made up a test block in blues just to see how it would work. Lovely, isn't it? Especially that blue and white print second from the top. After seeing the block worked up there was no turning back.

For her throws (we're both making two) she's using most of the same fabrics as I am, so in no time at all her work space looked like this. Who knows, there might be a blue one in her future. (Didn't think to ask what that lovely bundle against the wall is for.)

She's also been more adventurous in her colour combos than I. Where I tended to be very monochromatic in building my trees, she has used a couple of different colours together and I really like it. Maybe I should learn to colour outside the lines a little more?....M

Look Out For That Rabbit Hole!

You didn't really think that I could toss all of the beautiful trimmings from the sew and flip angles in the Holiday Forest blocks, did you?

When I sew each diagonal seam, I automatically sew a second parallel seam a very scant half inch from the first seam before pressing and trimming, ending up with this little pile of lovelies. There are eight in each block, so they do add up.

Not wanting to lose too much momentum with making the tree blocks, they sit to one side and are slowly being pressed and trimmed to HSTs that measure 1 7/8". A fresh blade really helps get a crisp finish.

They would make sweet little basket blocks or scrappy little Bear Paws. I haven't really had time to play with them yet but I'm certain that there's a bright future for them. 

Lots more trimming to come. 

Waste not, want not is an adage I live by, though these little diversions down rabbit holes do help explain the speed at which some of my projects advance. Or don't....M

Chillin'

I love the quieter pace of the days between Christmas and New Year's and when it rolls over into the first week of the year I'm more than happy with that, too. There are a few volunteer commitments that keep me busy throughout the year and they will ramp up again in the coming week, but for this week I have stayed offline as much as possible and spent some time playing in the sewing room.

The Christmas tree came down today - 😞 - but there's lots more trees coming to life downstairs.

Roberta put me on to a collection of Laundry Basket Quilts fabrics and I had come across a sew along for how to make the trees for Holiday Forest so, despite that long TO DO list of mine, this one suddenly found its way at the top of the list. Can you say holiday squirrel?

These fabrics are to die for. Seriously. Not sure if it's more fun planning each tree combo or sewing them together but it has been such a lovely way to welcome the New Year....M