It might be a bit too early to start thinking about Christmas in the rest of the world, but in the quilting world, the time is now! We’ve got 3½ months to gather ideas, shop for fabrics, and make quilted projects to decorate our homes and to give as gifts. Plenty of time!!
And I’ve got a great place for you to start!
Quilters Newsletter’s latest special issue,
Best Christmas Quilts 2016, is available in print or for download now at the
Quilt and Sew Shop and wherever quilting magazines are sold. It’s a beautiful issue, with 26 projects of all shapes and sizes to help you celebrate the Christmas season.
I’ve got a couple of fast and fun projects in Best Christmas Quilts 2016.
On page 58, you’ll find my Mittens oraments.
These darling little mittens are easy and so much fun to make, and the best part is that you can stuff them with treats just like a stocking! Use them to decorate your Christmas tree, string them up as a garland, or tie them to a gift.
Each mitten takes only a fat eighth of fabric plus a small scrap for the mitten’s cuff, so you can easily make them with fabric from your stash. And you can use your imagination for the hanging loop—try cords or ribbons in white or other colors, or even metallics. Careful though, these mittens are addictive!
My second project is found on page 60 of Best Christmas Quilts 2016. It’s a 12″ x 20″ pillow called Sweater Weather that was inspired by Nordic sweaters and perfectly named by my daughter.
I love the monochromatic color palette of this blue on blue version of my pillow, but I think it would look beautiful in burgundy, red and ivory:
Or maybe traditional red and green:
Or a more modern red and green:
Or even blue and gray:
And if solids aren’t your thing, this pillow would also look great in batiks or prints—the possibilities are endless!
Happy quilting!
