Christmas quilt pattern

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!!!

This celebratory table runner can be made for any season–Christmas, Hanukkah, wedding, anniversary. The pattern is an easy quilt-as-you go technique and has 4 lengths. Add ribbons and bows for embellishment. Christensen Creations cc2408

Have you done your shopping? No matter. You can still wrap gifts, which is fun, right? Well, I’ve put them right onto your table. Use any 8 fat quarters (or scraps or “fat fifths” from www.thefabrichut.com) and 4-5 spools of ribbons, quilt-as-you-go, and PRESTO! The cutest table runner!

“Gift Boxes Table Runner” by LJ Christensen

These are bright colors, but clearly, you can choose your own and decorate perfectly to match your decor. Or choose wedding colors or maybe Hanukkah or an anniversary celebration?

“Glitzy Gifts” is a traditional quilt construction, but the new pattern is…

Quilt-as-You Go!!! I purposely designed the blocks to line up in vertical lines so that you sew through the edge of the block, the block underneath, the batting and the back at one time. Then fold, press. Sew on next block and fold again.

Not only does it sew up quickly, but I recommend fusible fleece to speed it up even more–virtually NO pinning. Then I use narrow fusible paper-backed tape (such as Heat and Bond) or you can cut slivers of fusible yardage to tack down the ribbons. Later you edge-stitch them through all layers, adding a little more quilting, and stitch right through the knots to attach the bows. How’s that for fast and easy?

As usual, you bind the edges, but I include the instructions for that, too.

Personally, I just wrap my binding from the back and top-stitch it, clip it with Wonder Clips (best buy ever from www.thefabrichut.com),, but you can do as you please. If you go to www.thefabrichut.com, check out their price on superb titanium rotary cutting blades–I use them all the time.

Also, if you join thefabrichut.com free Facebook quilting group (quilters from all over the world), you can look for my latest video–a 55-min sewalong that’s recorded—on THIS PATTERN and all my little tips. I think you’ll like the group–lots of fun and discussion and photos of stunning quilts.

For once, I’m actually ahead of the curve for a Christmas project! And if you’re near Wetumpka, come to The Kelly Art Gallery in downtown during our huge Dickens Christmas celebration this weekend….and sales through NEXT weekend for the Christmas parade as well. I’ll have this runner out for sale! Hurry! It’s going out tonight for the Kelly members-only Sneak Preview shopping night!

Onward to Christmas shopping. I’m still not done. Are you?? L

Joy to the World,

which we really need this coming year. While it’s too late to get this quilt done for Christmas, it doesn’t matter! Just leave off the holly, and it’s a year-round throw. If red is too harsh for your room, try it in cranberry or pine green. Actually, it’s beautiful in royal blue, but it could be any color. You could also change the tune–it has “Joy to the World,” but you could make it purple and and do Prince’s “Purple Rain” or in gold for “Fur Elise” or even pastel with “Rock-a-Bye, Baby”-hey, it’s YOUR quilt and your choice. On sale for $3.50 until the end of the year. CLICK HERE

What makes it amazingly more simple than it looks is the use of faux-piecing for the keys and my friend, black BIAS TAPE, for the black keys and note stems. Also use a braid for the lines of the music. I always look for shortcuts, and this quilt is full of them, yet still very impressive. Yes, some time-consuming applique, but on the other hand, very little piecing.

If you are more interested in the holly, you can get the pattern for just $1 through the end of the year. It looks hard, but the trick is in using water-soluble stabilizer and old-fashioned yoyos. CLICK HERE

Basically, you use fusible web to glue two leaf fabrics together, back to back. Zigzag around them in a leaf pattern, cut it out, THEN sandwich it between two layers of the water-soluble stabilizer and do a wider satin stitch that covers the first. Pull off excess stabilizer and soak off the remainder. If you leave a little, though, it stiffens the leaf. The yoyos are just stuffed with a little polyfill and pulled tight. Hello, holly!

I’m wishing you a fairly Merry Christmas and hopefully, a grand NEW YEAR! I’m eager to stop making masks and start making new quilts. I have lots of designs in the works….so keep tuned!

Joy to the World

and a Happy New Year! I’m celebrating with song. This quilted throw is primarily a music quilt, but the pattern includes the 3D Jolly Holly I showed in the Christmas blog. It’s a lovely touch, but optional. (Try the 45″x60″ quilt in royal blue, for instance, without the holly!!) While the music in the applique is the actual opening of “Joy to the World,” it wouldn’t be difficult to insert any favorite tune–what a wonderful gift for someone.

Don’t hesitate, though, at the level of difficulty. While there is some work on the appliques, the piano keys are a cinch! Really, the ivory ones are faux-pieced from the back with tiny rows of stitching, not piecing, and the black ones are BIAS TAPE. (My friend, Mr. Bias Tape, comes through again!) Also, the lines of the music are made of tubular bias or narrow braid–very easy. Lots of step-by-step instructions with diagrams show you how. I dare you to try–it’s on sale for just $3.50 until Jan. 15. Click here!

So what is awaiting YOU in the new year? Don’t we always have projects—and more projects? Well, once my new Sewing Studio is somewhat organized, one of my latest plans is to make a Kaffe Fassett quilt. His designs are simple, and his fabric prints are really big, bold and bright. I’m drawn to them, but I confess I waited until a bunch went on sale (hello, Hancock’s of Paducah–thank you!!) I have my own design, but I’m planning to use all Kaffe prints, which’ll be a first for me. This will look very different in big prints:

Sneak Peek at “Which Way to a Kaffe Medallion” in progress by LJ Christensen

I usually start my designs on Inkscape, which is a free vectoring program with a grid. That’s what this is. I export it as a .png, then save it as a .jpg. In the program, I can change colors and sizes, using basic square/rectangle forms. It’s NOT a quilt program, but it works for me. Sometimes I start on graph paper, but I quickly move to the computer because it copies and pastes!

I have lots more designs to do and hope to keep with a new pattern every week…or at least make it to 100 before the end of the year. OK, I said it–you’ll have to hold me to it.

I also want to enter the Alabama National Fair again this year in October–I skipped last year because there was just too much turmoil with the Studio. Entering the fair gives me the competitive motivation to really push for excellence and for breadth as you only can enter one item per category. I made 65 ribbons 2 years ago. Can I do more? That means knitting and crocheting and embroidery and more. I can’t pledge to win, but I can pledge to try! (and while doing so, I get my Christmas presents all made early!)

One thing I love to do this time of year is get out old quilting magazines and books and just flip through, seeing what speaks to me. It’s funny how you see something new every time you flip through. Another thing I like to do is sort my scraps. Sometimes, just seeing and touching them give me ideas (or make me feel guilty and want to use them up in a scrappy quilt). Here’s a good scrappy quilt: Click here for more info.

The “Kite Charmer” is a paper-pieced wall hanging that I made of all different fabrics. It’s a little challenging to get all the points right. However, I have a regular pieced scrap quilt started out of this “pocket lozenge” block, an elongated “snowball,” which is easy and very different from the patriotic look. It can be made ANY size. Click here!

“Salute the Colors” close-up by LJ Christensen

What else is coming in 2020…? Well, for me, it means knee replacement surgery, which I’m not looking forward to. It’ll very likely slow me down. However, it won’t stop me. I’m thinking some cross-stitch or maybe even some hand quilting may be looming in my future. My son tells me, “When you can’t quilt, get out your laptop and design...” Good advice.

Have a Jolly Holly Christmas!

Decorate your house, yourself and your quilts. We certainly don’t have time to start new quilts this time of year. However, sometimes you can cheat just a little and simply whip on or pin on an embellishment to change the look, such as wreath and bows I added to “Log Cabin in the Pines“:

“Log Cabin in the Pines”cc 2305 decorated for Christmas!

To help you decorate, I have a simple way of making holly. “3D Jolly Holly Applique“cc2205 explains just how to make fun double-sided holly leaves and stuffed berries, using paper-backed fusible web and water-soluble stabilizer. Once you know the technique, you can use it for all types of flowers, leaves, and other appliques. I’ve put the pattern on sale for just a $1.00 until the New Year, so don’t miss it! click here for more info

“3D Jolly Holly Applique”cc2205 by LJ Christensen

I have to apologize for letting down my blog this month. Like all the other elves out there, I’ve been so busy wrapping, packing, trimming and participating in two art shows….that I finally ran out of time (not to say energy). But I have to say I’m really blessed this year. My son is home, and he and my sweet husband have been extremely supportive in helping me move into my new Christensen Creations Sewgocreate Studio. No, it’s still not finished (I say, gritting my teeth), but outside of a custom desk, cabinet and a couple of tweaks, it’s nearly there. Now….what to put on which shelf? (What a wonderful problem to have!)

Sneak peak of Christensen Creations Sewgocreate Studio by LJ Christensen

As I look at the photo above, I’m realizing the lavender quilt on the quilting machine does NOT look good with the log cabin quilt. However, what it means is that soon in the new year, there will be a lavender castle pattern. Also note the blue/white one on the top right, called “Wedgewood Plates.” It’s close, too! Many more to come. I counted about 25 new patterns in various stages of development. New this week is “Check Out my Purple Heart,” which I hope to have ready before Valentine’s Day. Then there’s “Sssnakes” appropriate only for intrepid youngsters and “Snowflake,” a simple wall hanging. I had planned to finish it before Christmas, but as we’re experiencing the 70’s here in mid-Alabama, somehow it just didn’t seem seasonal. Maybe Jan and Feb will bring some snow. We’ll see. I like to design when and where the spirit moves me. Right now it’s hard to settle and sew, though, when there’s a new studio that needs to be outfitted and loaded. I confess to discombobulation!

But I’m definitely having a GREAT Merry Christmas! I hope you all are, too!