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Friday, November 25, 2011

Time to get ready! Christmas is coming!

Santa Claus is coming to our house on Thursday, December 1st, so Grandpa get the trees up!

Putting up 4 trees every year is a bit of a challenge, especially in a small home, but by golly I do it!  I have a 7 foot traditional tree, a 4 footer with embroidered snowflakes and balls, a 6 foot tall western tree, and another 4 footer that has been a patriotic tree, but last year turned turquoise, purple, bright green and hot pink!  It’s been awhile since my son and son-in-law were in the Navy and Marines and now we have grandkidlets, so I upped the color quotient!

Merry Christmas QuiltI have lots of wall hangings and table runners, and quilts for the season, too. This is one of my favorites.  It is an Art to Heart pattern; ya gotta love those books, and I have a bunch of them!
This wall hanging is called “Merry Christmas Quilt” from I Believe by Art To Heart.  I appliqued the bits by machine with a tiny blanket stitch. I then stitched an inch thick piece of poly batting to the under side using wash away thread in the top and cream on the back around each letter.  Next, I trimmed meticulously around each letter so there was no batting behind the background, only under the letters and leaves.  Next I loaded the piece on my frame as usual (backing, cotton batting, and the top) and stitched around each letter exactly on top of the applique stitching in the same dark thread as not to show.  I did not do any stitching in the cream background as the design was small and didn’t need it to poof the letters out.  I worried that more stitching would take away from overall design and distract from the letters.  I achieved the trapunto effect without it effectively here probably because of the size.   I think the buttons are my favorite part, along with the turquoise fabric because it is unexpected.  Choosing and cutting a different fabric for each letter took as much time as appliqueing these pieces, but I like the variety.  I quilted piano keys in the outside dark border and used trapunto in the red border for dimension. 

Art to Heart patterns make me look good!

Robbie Marie

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