Bluebirds and Christmas Quilt Along

Yesterday the directions for Step 3 of the From My Carolina Home  – Christmas 2015 Quilt Along came out.  You can find Step 3 here:   Christmas Table Topper .

While I “thought” I was ready, I soon discovered I was not.  Turns out, I had pulled the WRONG SIZE pieces of red from my scrap storage.  So, I gathered up those 3″ red squares, and stored them back in the Scrap Storage bins, and searched among the 2.5″ bins for enough “red”.  Then I dug deep into the overflowing baskets under the ironing board and managed to again pull out just what I needed. A little starch, a bit of time with the iron, and off to the cutting mat and onto sewing!  Thanks again to my friend Cindy & Nancy and many others for their scrap contributions!!  Check out these pieces!!  (note – in an effort to “save space” here on WordPress, I am linking some of my photo’s back to FLIKR.  Let me know if this is driving you nuts, or works out ok please!)

Then it was on to Part 2 of Step 3….well…..again, I was not ready.  I guess I just failed to ready the directions fully, and I had to get busy and make more 1/2 square triangle brown and neutral blocks….like 40 more.  So, I got busy and did a little more marking, stitching, cutting, pressing, trimming and sewing and now the Part 2 of Step 3 is complete. Check out those pieces!     I’ll tell you what, I hope I do better reading the instructions for Bonnie Hunter’s  Allitare Winter Mystery Quilt 2015 which comes out on Friday morning next week!!!

With this Christmas 2015 Quilt Along, I am to wait until Friday for the assembly instructions, but I did “look ahead” and am contemplating some assembly between now & then, just to move the project along.  While I am contemplating, I am rethinking my “scrappy” decision on the project, but it will be what it is!

While I ponder, I went ahead and got the last of the applique elements ready and fused to my Little Bluebird pattern by Pat Sloan.  I am quite happy with the outcome and anxious to get the red and green thread out to do the final applique stitching on the vines, the berries and the hearts. I love the cottage look it lends and have loved every step in the process.   Already as I look at it, I am thinking ahead to the binding ….and trying to decide how I will do it.  While I get it layered up for quilting, I am going to contemplate what color and what method to use in the binding.    I have a large piece of the “vine fabric” ready to cut on the bias, which will make a nice binding and give a bit of contrast. I also have plenty of the outer border fabric and that wonderful stripe that is the inner border. Oh, the decisions!!!  Never mind the quilting….my brain did a speed up and I skipped right over that process.

 

My Little Blue Bird

 

I have never been a “cheddar” fan, but I really like the way it works in this pattern.  I loved making this, and I am already thinking ahead to that backing we made in class and get on with Ma-Ma’s Flower Garden.  Oh, the fun.  (I say that as I think of the Christmas things I keep sliding to the back burner).

All in all a good Saturday of sewing!  What are you working on?