Well, it's December and it's been a very fun and productive time since going to Quilt Market in Houston. Thanksgiving was great
Speaking of holidays: Hanukkah = Christmas this year, date-wise, of course. Both will have celebrations beginning the evening of December 24th! And...BONUS...Hanukkah will span into New Years as well!
As we prepare for some holiday gift giving, my friend Peta Minerof-Bartos (Peta Quilts - The Not Sew Guilty Sewer) is curating the sewmamasew.com "Handmade Holidays" collection featuring creative gift ideas for Hanukkah giving!! Along with other wonderful crafters, Peta asked me to join in and share a favorite new pattern for this season and every season of celebration!
Light Up and Celebrate is my new pattern and has been a hit in the Phoenix area - in the classroom and in home studios around the valley of the sun!
Take some time and have fun with this really fast and easy pattern. Make it once and see how smoothly it goes, then make a few more and tweak it to make it your own. (See the two pictures below!) Follow the rules once, then improvise! #lightupandcelebratequilt
Happy Hanukkah!!!
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Light Up and
Celebrate!
An Original Design Pattern By Bonnie Bobman
For One (1) Mini quilt of varying size:
HANUKKAH version
Fabric:
Candle
Fabric: Fat Quarter or Scraps equal to at
least a fat quarter
Flame: 1/8 yd or Scraps to make one 2” x 2”
flame for each candle
Background Fabric: 1/2
yard Complementary fabric or solid
Binding: ¼ yard fabric
of your choice
Batting: 26”
x 20”
Backing: 26”
x 20”
Please read the
directions before cutting.
All Seams ¼” WOF
= Width of Fabric 44/45 Standard Quilting Fabric
Cutting:
Candle Fabric: Cut
1 strip:
2” wide x 10” long
Cut
8 strips: 2” wide x 6” long
Background Fabric: Cut 3 strips of 2” wide width of fabric (44/45).
Sub
cut these 2” background strip into one 3” length and one 2” length for each candle :
9
– 3” x 2” pieces
9
– 2” x 2” pieces
Cut
1 strip of 4” WOF - subcut into 2
strips 4” x 22”
Cut
4 strips of 1” WOF
Cut Flame fabric: Cut
9 pieces of 2” x 2”
Construction:
Place the “candles” on a table/design
wall in the order you like. Place the 3”
background piece at the bottom of the candle and the 2” back ground piece at
the top. (Picture 1 & 2)
Stitch the three pieces together to
begin creating candle sections.
Press.
Place flame fabric at top of candle
piece (Picture 1&2). Stitch to the candle and press.
Picture 2
Arrange the candles in a final
design you like. You may stagger the
candle if you like or keep them all the same.
The bottom edges will vary, but not for long!
*If you rearranged your candles, you
will now trim all the candles at the bottom using the shortest one as the common
length to cut. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of background fabric on each candle at the bottom.
Take a
straight edge rule and cut across all the candle bottoms. *
Place a 2” wide background fabric
piece and place it at the top of the candle flame. Add enough length to complete the candle strip
to a 19” height. Stitch to complete
candle column. Press. Repeat for each candle section. (Picture 3)
Picture 3
Repeat for all candles. (Don’t worry about the tops – you will trim
soon!)
Adding the Background:
Cut 1” background strips into
lengths for the spaces between your candles. The hanukkah design will have 8
strips.
Stitch these spacer strips to the
right side of all candles except the last candle on the right.
**Begin sewing at the bottom.
(Picture 4)
You will now have “double columns”.
Leaving the farthest right candle alone. This candle will anchor the group at
the end.
Press toward the spacer. (Picture
4)
Stitch the double columns together
beginning at the bottom where they have been trimmed, adding the last remaining
single candle to the right edge. Press.
(Picture 5)
Stitch each 4” x 22” fabric pieces
to the left and right sides. Press. (Picture 5)
You might notice some “wonkiness” –
this is good!
Trim top even.
Add batting behind the completed top. Place the batting on top of the wrong side of
the backing fabric. “Quilt as
desired”. Bind and don’t forget to add fabric
on the back corners or tabs for hanging”!!
OPTION:
"Improv" this
project:
These measurements do not need to be exact. A
little variation will make your design more improvisational!
Embellish with beads, ribbons, bows, funky stitches…Have
fun!!
Original design 11/2015
(Thanks for your patience with this site. A new webpage is in construction for 2017!)
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