WIP - Christmas Edition

Each year I try to make a few of my Christmas gifts instead of buying them. I think that trying to make everything handmade would be too challenging and stressful so by just doing a few handmade items and rotating who gets them each year is a nice compromise.

I will be updating this list every Wednesday with my progress. I think that I may have a few too many items on this list, but I am hoping to get most of them complete. It's still November so I have plenty of time right :)

My list for this year:

1. Lap size quilt for my Dad:

I won a layer cake of Hometown by Sweetwater by Moda earlier this year (or maybe even late last year) and it has been sitting on my shelves waiting for the right project. I decided to make a lap quilt for my Dad with it (I took out the few pink/magenta prints from the layer cake). I was originally going to pick a pattern with some background solid fabric but when I auditioned some background colors, there was not enough contrast with white or cream and the dark gray did not really go. Therefore, I decided that the best pattern would be one that used all of the layer cake prints with no background fabrics with a bonus of being simple and quick. I used the YouTube video of the

Double Slice Layer Cake pattern by the Missouri Star Quilt Company.

I must say, if you want a quick and easy top that this is a great candidate. I had the 6x6 block configuration finished in no time and there were very few seams to match. My plan is to add a 6" border on each side to make the quilt a little larger and back it with a Target sheet (to save some $$).

2. Lap size quilt for my Grandma-in-law

I decided to also make a lap quilt for my Grandma-in-law, Grandma Peg for Xmas. She is 98 years old and has been a blessing in my husband and my life. I used some fabrics here that I do not typically use, but I combined them in such a way to hopefully make them stand out and while still matching her decor of her apartment and giving me open space to quilt in. This is a small lap quilt (about 42 x 55) as she is less than 5 feet tall.

I will be featuring this pattern when it is completed in its own blog post where I will highlight the inspiration to this pattern, how it was developed, and the final pictures. I hope to draft up the pattern and share it free on craftsy. (The quilt top really has straight sides, an iphone picture from me standing on a chair makes for skewing of the image).

3. Folded Star Wall Hanging:

I hope to make one of these folded star wall hangings for my sister who loves these folded stars. I will be using this tutorial from Moda Bake Shop by Not Only Quilts with some green and red fabrics I have picked out.

4. Christmas Table Runner:

Using some left over jelly roll strips from the Nature's Christmas collection by Sandy Gervais for Moda (left over from my Xmas Granny Square Quilt), I made some Daniela Blocks (using the strip tube ruler) for a simple Christmas runner for my Mom. The dark blues in this line match her couches perfectly and I like how this collection of prints reads Christmas without being overly red/green typical Christmas. I still need to add the sashing and border to this one to finish the quilt top.

5. Rocket Pillow:

The last project I have for Christmas is to make a larger version of the Fabric Engineer's Shuttle paper pieced pattern for a pillow for son.

So there are my goals for Christmas. Wow, now that it is all written down it seems like a little bit ambitious. I also hope to have my Vintage Stars pattern and quilt finished and released by the end of the year (or maybe by mid-January). It should be busy but fun!!

Also, check back tomorrow as I will be joining in on the Blog Hop Party Giveaway.

Linking up to WIP at Freshly Pieced.