Christmas in June

The Folk Art Christmas Quilt

I just love it when I can make something early for the Christmas holidays! It doesn't happen every year.  But this year, I saw a  small Christmas quilt that I fell in love with instantly!  It is the  "Folk Art Christmas" quilt, from the book, "Crafted Applique'... New Possibilites,"  by Lara Buccella.

Folk Art Christmas quilt
by Lara @ BuzzinBumble

                                                         
Lara Buccella, the  extremely talented quilter and designer at BuzzinBumble blog, has her first book published now, and I was so thrilled (and lucky) to be a part of her book tour this past month.  (You can see my book tour post HERE.)  
                                                      

The book can be purchased
at BuzzinBumble {here}

                                                       
Normally, I would shy away from making a quilt with all of this intricate applique'  as the main cornerstone of the design.  But,  I had new confidence, having used Lara's crafted applique' technique a few weeks before , and  I dove into making the Folk Art Quilt with excitement!!

I was happy that I  washed and starched the  fabrics a few days in advance of my "getting down to the nitty gritty" of pattern tracing and cutting applique' shapes out.  The process turned out to be quite enjoyable for me!    And the pieces were easy to cut out, with no fraying edges, using my small scissors and teensie thread cutting scissors for those round berries and thin stems.

Lara's directions are clear  and thorough. I felt like she was sitting beside me at the table, showing me the steps along the way in a private class!  

This is my quilt... as it hangs in my living room ... in June!!  

Folk Art Christmas quilt      made by Susies' Sunroom

I really loved the quilted background that Lara has on her quilt, and so I decided to try to quilt a little on  mine.   I used a chalk pouncer to outline some hearts from a stencil.  

It is far from perfect, but seems to add the texture in the negative space that I was looking for.

The quilting ... close up.  And, you can see the thin gold striping
in the fabric

I like using the white tone- on- tone fabric, for the applique'.  It reminds me of  powdery snow! 

I really LOVE these doves!  Lara drew this part of the design , way back in high school!

The Folk Art Christmas Quilt:

Pattern:   By Lara Buccella, in the book "Crafted Applique'... New Possibilities"
Size:   18 " x 27 "
Fabric:     Striped Christmas fabric  from JoAnn Fabrics   from my stash!!
               I used the same fabric on the back and for the binding, as Lara had done on hers
               White Tonal fabric    from my stash  

Batting:   Warm & Natural 100% cotton (scraps)
Stitching:  Straight stitch , outlining the applique'  shapes
Quilting:  I used my walking foot and Guterman thread.  The hearts were marked with chalk, with a pouncer and stencil.
For Hanging:  2 upper corner pockets, to hold a small dowel rod


Here are some more photos :

Folk Art Christmas on my pencil Christmas Tree

Yes, we still have our little pencil Christmas Tree up in our dining room.  It's in the corner, so you have to sort of "look for it" to see it!  My husband and I like it so much, we decided to keep it up year long.  I only have a Star of Bethlehem hanging on it now.  

Note to self:   I need to make a Christmas tree skirt for it, AND a year-round tree skirt!  

I also wanted to share with you a little tip: 

                    Using Crafted Applique' to make a Patch

I used the Crafted Applique' technique to make some patches for a tote bag purse.
My SIL showed me her beloved  (and well used) tote bag, where the bottom corner edges were fraying.

See the bare spot?

I prepared a patch.

The patch... hmmm  looks like it can work!

I sewed the patch on by hand, as it was not possible to use my machine at the corner, on this lined tote bag.  I didn't have to turn the raw edges under, using Crafted Applique' technique !  Yay!

You can see my  handsewn stitches, in the light.  (My thread was lighter than the fabric)
But the patch bent nicely and shaped-up ,like a corner

It went so well, that I decided to patch the other corner of her tote bag, as it was beginning to fray as well.

Here are both corners, front and back .... repaired and ready to go for more use!

 You know how good it feels to make something for another person when they just love it?  Well, my SIL really loves this "simplified" Bow Tucks Tote bag, and my mother asked me to bring along my Folk Art Christmas mini quilt.  She asked if I could " leave it at her house until Christmas , "  because it reminds her of living with her grandmother, who was Pennsylvania Dutch.   { She has only seen a tiny picture of it on her little cell phone, so far. }  I  will be making a second Folk Art Christmas quilt soon... for our house!  LOL 

I'm off to my sewing room!

Linking up at:   Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story  and 
                          Let's Bee Social  @ Sew Fresh Quilts  and
                        Crafted Applique" Sightings @  Buzzin Bumble