Category Archives: Christmas & Other Holidays

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Enjoy Christmas Quilting with a Winter Top Hat Snowman Quilt

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Christmas is in the air!  I returned home from Thanksgiving to see beautiful Christmas lights throughout my neighborhood. Our tree is going up this weekend. I’m also in the mood for Christmas quilting and sewing and as a result designed this Winter Top Hat Snowman quilt pattern. This is about the only way I can get cozy with snowmen as it doesn’t snow much here and when it does, it’s not enough to make a nice size snowman that doesn’t start dripping immediately.

Winter Top Hat Snowman Quilt PatternThis pattern is pieced with appliqué noses. Buttons are used for embellishment for the eyes and mouth. The size is 47 1/2″ x 60 1/2″ and can be easily adjusted to make it larger or smaller. Now what kid (or adult) wouldn’t love a snowman quilt to snuggle with to stay warm!

The pattern for Winter Top Hat is available in my  Etsy shop for easy download so that you can get started immediately.

I hope your December is filled with the wonder of family and friends, along with some cherished quilts!

Phyllis

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Wholecloth Quilts – Easy to Make for Great Gifts

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Spoonflower is great for purchasing fabrics that you can’t find anywhere else for yardage as small as a fat quarter or for cut and sew projects. I recently opened a Spoonflower shop with many of my fabric designs and I’m continuously creating more. I also created wholecloth quilt tops that are easy and quick to make as a 42″ x 36″ quilt. You can also cut them apart for the blocks or use as a center panel of a larger quilt. These quilts are also great for a beginner quilter. Coordinating fabrics are available for each quilt.Love a Nurse Quilt Top

Love A Nurse quilt top is available in light blue and pink color choices.  Red, navy blue and yellow choices will be available in less than 2 weeks. These quilts make a thoughtful way to show your appreciation for a nurse and all that they do. Just make your quilt sandwich, quilt and add binding and it will be finished.

Kitty Cat Wholecloth Quilt top Spoonflower

I created this Kitty Cat quilt as a quilt pattern that is available in both my Etsy and Craftsy stores in a larger size appliqué quilt.  The fabrics were from my Purr-fect Balance fabric collection available to quilt shops. I used the art to create the Kitty Cat wholecloth quilt top for Spoonflower for those who want to make the quilt without creating the appliqués for the cats.

I have several other quilt tops in my Spoonflower shop am in the process of quilting them. I love the size for quilting with my sewing machine and hope to finish them before Thanksgiving. The weather has turned cool enough that they feel good on my lap while sewing the bindings.

I wish you a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and time with people you love!

Phyllis

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Christmas Cheer with Christmas Sewing and Quilting

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December is always such a busy and fun month to enjoy the holiday festivities. I enjoy visits with family and friends throughout the month, the rush of holiday activities, and the Christmas decorations everywhere.

Christmas flower pot for entertaining

I haven’t had a chance to put my tree up yet but it will go up by the weekend. Meanwhile I do have a few decorations out. This pot containing white ornaments is a terra-cotta flower pot that I painted red and white. While I only use it at Christmas, the red color can double up for Valentine to hold goodies for the kids or a kid’s party. It’s very easy to make with a clean flower pot and red and white paints.

With cold weather, its fun to sew or quilt while staying warm inside. This Christmas Wrap Apron is very easy to make in a couple of hours and will dress up your holiday cooking. The pattern is available from Etsy as a download.

Free Christmas Apron Pattern

I have designed several Christmas quilt patterns which are also all available from Etsy. There’s still plenty of time to sew a fun quilt for a Christmas gift, to decorate with or just to snuggle under. This stocking quilt is fun for kids and is created by piecing. You can use your scraps or pre-cuts for this the stocking pieces.

Christmas Stockings Quilt

You will enjoy this Christmas Holly quilt for many years. This pattern is very versatile and can be made as shown below, or by making only the center wreath section for a smaller quilt or table topper. This quilt uses the techniques of appliqué and piecing. The holly pieces can be made from your green scraps or pre-cuts.

Christmas Holly Applique Quilt Pattern

This Christmas Tree and Bow quilt pattern is dimension made with “petals” that are sewn to the quilt and drop down loosely to give the feeling of a tree. The bows in the border are appliquéd, and the bow at the top of the tree is made of ribbon that is stitched on.

Dimensional Christmas Tree Quilt Pattern

I hope that December is filled with joy for each of you and that you are surrounded by the people you love. And that you get in a little Christmas sewing and quilting!

Phyllis

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Merry Christmas in Red and White!

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I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, filled with love and laughs and with good health! How did Christmas get here so fast? It seems just a blink ago, we were celebrating Christmas in 2014.

Christmas Pappermint

My thoughts have been in red and white the past few weeks while preparing for Christmas. Maybe it’s because I have been eating so many of those pretzels covered with white yogurt and crushed peppermint candy. Its one of my favorites and I’ve been eating it non-stop since Thanksgiving. I’m almost to the bottom of the current container, so I will head out in the morning to stock up again and then diet later when the candy is no longer available!

I would love to hear the little traditions that you repeat each year for Christmas, the little things that have become special for you.

Wherever you celebrate the holidays, I wish you the best!  I know for some it can be a sad time, or bittersweet with memories as life’s ongoing events don’t take holidays.

I want to give Thanks to our military for keeping us safe and to their families for their sacrifices!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Phyllis

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Create a Christmas Holly Wreath Quilt for the Holidays!

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Christmas is rapidly approaching, just a few weeks away! Get started on your Christmas quilting with this Christmas Holly quilt pattern. This pattern is made with piecing and appliqué of the holly leaves to form a wreath in the center and holly swags in the borders. Embellishment is added with beads and/or buttons and ribbon.

Christmas Holly Applique Quilt Pattern

This quilt can be made in two sizes.  The full size is 68″ wide by 84″ high. This is a good size for a throw or to lay on top of a bed to add Christmas cheer.  Welcome your holiday guests by putting it in a guest room.

Christmas Holly applique Quilt pattern

The smaller version leaves off  borders and is approximately 55″ x 55″ square, a perfect size for a table topper or wall hanging as well as a quick gift. This pattern is available from Etsy as a pdf download.

For the holly appliqué leaves for the wreath, you can use green fabrics from your stash or fat quarters, charms or other precut packs.

Wishing you a fun Christmas with lots of holiday quilting!

Phyllis

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Say “Merry Christmas” with a Christmas Stockings Quilt.

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One of the traditional and fun activities of Christmas is hanging the stockings to be filled by Santa. I have a collection of stockings that I have made over the years or received as gifts, all in a variety of techniques including sewing, quilting, applique, embellishment, embroidery, cross stitch and needlepoint.  With stockings on my mind, I designed this “Christmas Stockings” quilt pattern.

Christmas Stockings Quilt

This quilt pattern was created for the Quilt Dash, a fun way to visit online quilt shops.  It starts Monday, December 15, 2014  and runs through December 28. This fun Christmas quilt pattern is available for purchase through Phyllis’ Etsy WhimsyColor store.

This pieced patchwork quilt, sized 46 ¾” x 58″, with 12 blocks. It’s easy to adjust if you want to make it larger or smaller.  I designed it to be a scrappy quilt so that you can use a multitude of fabrics or the scraps you  have on hand.

I hope you join the Quilt Dash and use this pattern  to make your Christmas stockings by creating a heirloom quilt.

Merry Christmas and happy quilting!

Phyllis

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Say Merry Christmas with a Christmas Tree Quilt!

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If you are like me, you are wondering how Christmas got here so quickly.  The weather turns cold and for some of you, snow arrives, then the seasonal colors of red and green appear everywhere. Its also a perfect time for sewing and quilting while you stay snuggled inside to stay warm.  My newest quilt for the Quilt Dash online game is “Christmas Delight – Christmas Trees”, designed with a flurry of red and green with the yellow of candle light or fire flames.  This pattern was designed for the Quilt Dash.

Christmas Tree Quilt Pattern

This pattern is now available through the WhimsyColor online store.

The Quilt Dash starts on December 13 and runs for two weeks to give you plenty of time to complete the dash. The online shops participating will have a great selection of quilt supplies and notions so you may find something for your Christmas stocking!

This quilt is approximately 55 1/2″ square and is appropriate for beginners to advanced quilters. I used the red, yellow and green fabrics from my “Celebrate” fabric collection from Quilting Treasures.

So, stay warm, enjoy the holiday festivities and try a little quilting!

Phyllis

 

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Happy New Year and a One-word New Year’s Resolution!

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Each year, as the year gets close to the end, I always wonder how can it be over already. It seems like only a few months have passed. I think working hard and working with something I love makes the time fly faster. I love creating both new art and new quilting/sewing designs so the days just whiz by.

Thinking ahead to the new year always brings thoughts of new resolutions. But by January 10th or so (if that long), they are usually forgotten as I’ve settled back into my normal daily routine. So, I’ve settled on one word for next year’s resolution – TRY. That’s all one can do, and my “try” will be trying some new things and some new directions as well expanding on the things I’m already doing. OK, I know there’s only so many hours in the day to “try” to squeeze my new resolution in, but there are some 2-word sub-resolutions that can help, “Better Organization” or “Less Sleep” (I really don’t like the last one so I need to work on the first).

New Years resolution - try

TRY reminds me of an old saying “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”. I’m not quite sure I like that saying because you don’t have to fail or not succeed to keep trying. By trying, you can improve on something good or successful. TRY can also cover a multitude of plans, from trying to be a better person to trying to keep my plants alive by remembering to water them.

Thinking back over the past year, I am thankful for many things. Foremost, I’m thankful for my family and friends. My son moved back to Birmingham this year, to my delight, so I get to see him much more often. I enjoyed spending more time with other members of my family as well as friends.

I am thankful for all of you who read my blog, comment or send me emails. You all mean more to me than you know!

I wish each of you a great and Happy New Year, peace and happiness!  I hope your wishes and dreams come true!

Phyllis

 

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Redux – Paint a Flower Pot for Holiday Entertaining or Decorating

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The holidays are rapidly approaching but there’s still time to create some great craft projects to help with decorating and entertaining. I want to share one of my earlier Christmas craft projects that is so quick and easy to make and has so many uses – the versatile terra cotta flower pot painted in holiday colors.

Christmas flower pot for entertaining

This painted flower pot can be used to hold food like cookies and candy (line the pot with a napkin first so that the food doesn’t touch the paint). For decorating use, it can hold ornaments or a plant. The size of pot that you use can also determine the use. A small 3 or 4 inch pot can be filled with food or small gift and given as a gift, or placed by the plates at a dinner party as a favor. Simply line with cellophane, tissue paper or fabric, add a food item or other small gift, bunch at the top and tie with a ribbon. Let your imagination come up with many more uses.

I used red and white for Christmas (which can also double as my school colors), but you can use other colors for different holidays – red, white and blue for the 4th of July, shades of green for St. Patrick’s Day, bright fun colors for a birthday, pastels for Easter, and so on. I also painted a flower pot for Halloween.

Easy peasy! I used a very simple design that is very easy to draw.

Wash the flower pot and go over it with alcohol to disinfect it.  With a pencil draw the lines for the stripes around the rim and draw 1/2″ circles randomly below the rim (or create your own design). Paint as shown in the photo.  I recommend painting one color at a time, allowing it to dry before painting with the second color. The white dots on the stripe were added last, after all drying. When all the paint is dry, seal with a coat of clear satin acrylic.

Enjoy!

Phyllis