Friday, December 20, 2013

O Christmas Tree


I was able to get this Christmas Wall Hanging finished this week.  It is a quilt for my home, and is actually my own Christmas present.  My mom gives us money each year, and this kit and pattern is what I spent my money on.  It was low on the priority list, and I am so glad that it is finished and I can enjoy it until I take down the Christmas decorations. 

As I mentioned in this post, I was originally going to use a more detailed pattern.  But I decided to simplify it.  I love the finished result. 

I kept working on this quilt little by little amidst the rest of my Christmas stuff.  One day I made the binding.  Another day I basted it.  A couple days later I quilted it. 


I thought I would do a more detailed quilting, but ended up keeping it simple.  Once I sat down at the machine, I traced around the snowflakes on the tree with my finger.  I couldn't get it to flow well.  So I decided to stipple on the red panel.  If I can keep a flowing pattern with my FMQ, then my stitches look so much better. 

I did something different on this quilt too.  I used a red thread in the needle...


And a green thread in the bobbin.  I was a little nervous, but you can only see a tiny bit on red thread on the back if you look VERY close.  My tension was really good, and I was a happy girl. 


I stippled in the green borders, and quilted in the ditch around the stars.  I just love how these stars float in the border.  It made binding so much easier. 


I was able to get the binding sewn down by machine right after I finished quilting it.  It was so nice having the binding already made, so I didn't have to get out the iron.


Then I did the handwork on the binding another day. 


A few thoughts on binding by hand... 

What do you do while you do the handwork on bindings (if you do it by hand)?  I used to watch TV or movies while doing handwork, and I calculated how long I spent by how many movies I would watch doing it. 

I have since found that I bind much faster if I am not watching something.  So now I listen to music, a talk on tape, a book on tape, or I enjoy the silence.  Most of the time now I just enjoy the silence and spend my time pondering my next quilting project.  I bind much faster, but enjoy the peace and quiet.  With three active boys, I look forward to quiet in the house.  ;)

I love the way the green binding turned out, and the green snowflake print on the back. 


But I especially love it hanging in my kitchen.  (Most of my decorations are in the basement family room, temporarily dubbed the Christmas Room.) 


I know it would look so much better with a centerpiece on the table runner, but have I mentioned that I have three ACTIVE boys?  ;) 

Quilt Stats #77
Name:  O Christmas Tree
Pattern:  My own design
     inspired by All That Glitters
Fabric:  Starry Night by Northcott
Size:  about 41 x 52 inches
Batting:  Warm and Natural
Date Finished:  December 2013
What I learned:
  • I can use different colors of thread in the needle and bobbin if they are the same value.
  • I like stiffer batting (100% cotton) in wall hangings.
  • I LOVE Christmas quilts... but that is not really new ;)
I now have plans for using up the rest of my Starry Night fabric.   I have a lot left, because I didn't follow the pattern I purchased.  I am thinking about a large disappearing 9 patch starting with 8" squares.  What do you think? 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with Whoop Whoop Fridays at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

13 comments:

  1. Some of the stars look like snowflakes at first glance, and while the top photo was loading, I thought the entire tree was made of snowflakes! It's beautiful, and I like the idea of using two different thread colors in the quilting process.

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  2. Ohmigosh that is beautiful! How absolutely gorgeous! Well done. Have a Merry Christmas!

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  3. Very very pretty! Simple elegance!!!
    Merry Christmas!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo com
    ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com

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  4. So pretty. What a treasure to put out every year. great job!

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  5. That is really pretty and finished just in time for Christmas.

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  6. What a lovely and festive quilt! It makes for such a nice wall hanging and looks beautiful in your dining room!

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  7. What a wonderful Christmas quilt! Love it!

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  8. That is a beautiful Christmas hanging, it looks great in your dining room

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  9. Seriously superb work! I love it. And I love it that you made it for yourself - why don't we do that more often?! Always do my hand binding sat with DH watching a film - he can tell me if I missed anything whilst my eyes were cast down :D

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  10. Oh, I love it! I love that you used different colorways. Looks so Christmasy.

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  11. Thank you for showing your use of panels today. I've never used panels, but now see that they can provide special themed interest and that patchwork doesn't only have to be cutting small pieces and sewing them together again!

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  12. See....another great example of a simple but beautiful quilt from a panel. THANKS for sharing your inspiration.

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