Peppermint Bark Christmas Quilt

 A few years ago I stumbled upon this Peppermint Bark fat quarter bundle at a great sale price and I waited for a pattern that would showcase those great colors and prints. 

The Cleo Quilt pattern from Kitchen Table Quilting felt right and in June 2024 I started pressing all the fat quarters. I also threw in these 2 plaid prints because I think every quilt needs some plaid. 😉

The chiddlers wanted Christmas snuggle quilts and I gave them each one last year so I'm looking to replenish ours and I think this will fit the bill. On another afternoon, I cut everything up and put it in a bin until I could find some time to sew. In July I sewed all the blocks and worked on trimming them in batches.

And then we moved. With all of our outdoor projects, it took a while to set things up in my sewing room, but this was the first project I reached for to work on in our new home. Once I made 4 blocks, I was hooked and I put it all together quickly. But then it sat for over a year as other projects took precedence 

But I finally had it quilted and made it my evening binding project just before and during the Olympics. Sandy quilted it with a design called Hot Cocoa. The prints are busy and it's difficult to see the quilting, but it shows up nicely in the back

It finishes at 72" x 92" 

The wind has been howling here for 3 days, making it a challenge to take pictures

I just really like the way the fabrics work together

These trees are my favorite

 A red Grunge from my fabric pantry was pulled for the binding.

Even though this is a Christmas quilt and it's February, we all know that we'll blink twice and it'll be time to drag this out

Everyone else is ready for spring, but I've enjoyed every stitch of this Christmas-y quilt while I was binding it.

Songbook: Fingerprints of God Quilt

 A few years ago I made this quilt for a friend's daughter as she headed off to college

She likes a Boho look so that was my excuse to buy Stephanie Sliwinski's  Songbook collection. I love Stephanie's tea towels and she showed her 1st fabric collection for Moda before it was available. I eagerly awaited for it to be released and I loved it so much that I bought a 1/2 yard bundle.

And when she came out with her sophomore collection, A New Page, I bought a fat quarter bundle. I don't have any empty bins so it sat on a shelf where I looked at it every time I walked into my sewing room and dreamed of making something. 

I am planning a quilt using the little panels at some point, but there's enough fabric for multiple projects and this quilt demanded to be made first

 

I love the scrappiness of this pattern from Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting - the triangles create such a fun movement across the quilt and I enjoyed making this so much that I'm planning another one. Here's a link to the pattern: The Cleo Quilt

Erica is the mastermind behind the Plaidish Quilt that has been so popular (it's on my list to make too). She's got a lot of great patterns in her arsenal.  

But  this Cleo pattern, was at the head of the pack so in September of last year I figured I'd try a few blocks and see if I was on the right path

                                          

Yes please! 

                                

Even trimming the blocks didn't feel like a chore

I never even really laid out the blocks when I pieced the top. I just tried to not have the same fabrics touching. I just let everything fall where it landed and I'm so pleased with the result. If you like to move blocks around, this one may make you crazy because once you start, you may be moving blocks forever, but for me, the joy is in the scrappiness that results when you just sew. Our girl happened to be home when I was in the process of piecing the top and she promptly claimed it. She's going to have quilts coming out of her ears, but that's not a bad thing. And that also means I get to make another one since this one will be living with her. 😉 Edited to add that I am making another...for me! 😂

I found this 108" print for the back

                                        

 and used this rust print from the line for the binding

Sandy used a quilting design called Chantilly Lace that compliments the fabrics perfectly.

At 71 x 82, it's just the right size for couch snuggles. I'm calling it Fingerprints of God, after a Stephen Curtis Chapman song that I have loved ever since he released it over 20 years ago. I don't listen to music when I sew but, the lyrics just kept replaying in my head as I worked on this.

I am just delighted with the finished quilt

Oh, these colors and prints and design are just so good together!