Friday, August 3, 2012

Think Christmas Blog Hop - A Simple "Merry Christmas" Quilt & Tutorial - Part I


Welcome to Day 5 of the Think Christmas Blog HopMadame Samm and Lesley of the Cuddle Quilter have put together an awesome array of Christmas inspiration.  I share the day with these amazing quilters/bloggers:


I know that they all have something special prepared for you.  I can't wait to go visit and get some great ideas for my own Christmas creations.

Oh, and before I forget, I want to let you know there may be a reward for those of you who stick with me to the end of this post (HINT!  HINT!)

But for now, grab a cup of Christmas cheer, sit back and relax while I share with you my 
 Simple Merry Christmas Quilt

and Tutorial (Part 1)

The quilt is designed in two sizes:  
49 blocks, which measures 59-1/2 inches square finished
or
63 blocks, which measures 59-1/2 inches by 76-1/2 inches finished

As it happens, I designed the quilt (thanks Amanda for the inspiration!) for 49 blocks,  but I'm not a fan of square quilts.  I like a quilt that keeps my toes toasty, so I added two more rows.  The basic concept and design is the same.  Choose the one that you like best!
 
Fabric Requirements

For the square quilt (49 blocks):
      25 colored blocks
      24 white blocks
      1 FQ dark solid
      Approximately 3 yards backing fabric
      
For the rectangular quilt (63 blocks)
      32 colored blocks 
      31 white blocks
      1 FQ dark solid
      Approximately 3-1/2 yards backing fabric


The colored blocks in this quilt are from a Fat Eighth bundle of Ruby by Bonnie and Camille.  I love it's old-fashioned Christmas feel at the same time it has a modern flair.  So fresh!  I really love it!


The white is Kona White.  The dark solid is Kona Charcoal.

The backing fabrics include 2-1/2 yards of the red swirl and 1/2 yard of each of the other two Ruby prints.  (More about the backing in tomorrow's post.)

You may also wish to use a piece of fusible web (I used Wonder Under because it was what I had on hand) about the size of a Fat Quarter (18" x 22")

Other Tools and Supplies
Normal sewing accessories like sewing machine, thread, bobbins, etc.
Scissors (paper and fabric - can't stand it when someone uses my fabric scissors on paper)
All seams are 1/4"
RST = Right Sides Together

The Blocks
Choose 25 (or 32) prints from your Fat Eighth Bundle.  You need 9"x9" blocks, and you will notice that a Fat Eighth is 9" wide, so just cut 9" off the length and you're good to go.

Cut 24 (or 31) white squares 9"x9".  You can get 6 squares from a standard width of Kona, so you will need to cut 6 9" widths, then subcut into 9" squares.  
The Letter Blocks
Choose a font for your letters.  I chose HOWSER from among the many fab free fonts at eighteen 25.  If you haven't visited eighteen 25 drop by and give this blog a look-see.  There's lots of neat stuff there!

Once I downloaded my font (she gives instructions on the blog), I imported it into Microsoft Word and set my font size to 300.  Then I typed in MERYCHISTMA (because R and S are duplicated) and printed out my letters.  Sadly, each letter printed on a full sheet of paper, but oh well.  I traced the stem of the "I" a second time to serve as the hyphen in "CHRIST-MAS".



I carefully cut out my letters with the paper scissors and traced them print side down onto the fusible web.  Remember, they need to be in reverse on the fusible web to turn out right on the fabric.  (Yes, I have made this mistake a time or two!)  
NOTE:  You can skip the fusible web and trace directly onto the dark solid fabric and adhere using another method of your choice, if you wish. 


Then I pressed the fusible web onto my Kona Charcoal.  

A note about fusible web - I really have a love/hate relationship with this stuff.  It makes some things so much easier!  But, I haven't found a brand that I love, so I tend to buy whatever is on sale or whatever is available.  I have found, though, that there are a few tricks to working with this product that keep me from tearing my hair out.  

First, this is one product that you need to PRESS, not iron.  Pick up the iron and place it down, leave it for a few seconds and do it again.  Don't move the iron over the fabric or you may have a mess.

Second, use a HOT iron with NO STEAM.  My experience is that the steam prevents the fusible web from bonding with the fabric.

Next, go over each area using the pressing technique described above TWICE to make sure you get a good bond.

Let the fabric COOL completely before cutting or trying to tear away the paper.

Sometimes a pin inserted between the fabric and the paper will allow you to separate the paper from the web without messing up the mesh bond.

Carefully cut out your letters using very sharp sewing scissors.  I find that my embroidery scissors work very well for this purpose.

The Layout
Take your pretty piles of colored and white squares and lay them out on your design wall.  It so happens that my design wall is the living room floor, and although I thought I took lots of pictures of this process, I can't find any without the letters already on them.  (I just remembered that those are the paper letters I cut out.  I think I placed them there to remind myself to use subtle prints that wouldn't overpower the letters.  And if it looks like they are standing on their heads, I'm sorry.  It's a small room and the best shot I got was from the wrong end and made them upside down.)  But anyway, the process is simple.  



ROWS 1, 3, 5, 7 (and 9, if you are doing the rectangular quilt):
Lay a colored block, then a white block, then colored, and white 7 across so that both corners are colored.

ROW 2, 4 6 (and 8, if you are doing the rectangular quilt):
Start with a white block this time and alternate white and colored until you have 7 across.

The letters will go on rows 2, 3, and 4.  You may want to choose some of the more sedate prints for these rows so the letters are more pronounced.

Fusing the Letters

Once you have the layout you desire, lay the letters on the squares where they will go.  The "M" in "Merry" goes in Row 2, Block 2, for example. 

Pin the letters on the fabric squares.  (I know, I know, this is a pain, but trust me!  If they get separated, you will wish you had used pins.)


Fold the fabric square in half both directions and finger press to find the center. 
Remove the paper from the fusible web and place the letter on the fabric in your desired location.  Use the same technique for fusible web above to adhere the letter to the fabric square.

Repeat for each of the letters in your quilt.

Return to the living room floor "design wall" and place the letters in their respective locations.  HINT:  Before you stitch, check your spelling, 

Stitching the Rows
Gather up your rows from your "Design Wall" and stitch together.  Note that I pinned each row individually  in the upper right hand corner to help me keep track of my placement.



Stitch the blocks together RST using a 1/4" seam.


Press the seams to one side, alternating directions with each row to reduce bulk.  Pin the rows together with the seams going opposite directions and stitch.


Voila!  Your quilt top is done!  If you come back tomorrow, I'll help you finish your quilt.



I hope you like my simple Merry Christmas quilt.

And now, if you've stuck with me this long, I think you deserve a reward, don't you?  


The giveaway is now CLOSED!

I have a luscious little bundle of Denyse Schmidt DS Quilts Fat Quarters to give away to one lucky reader.  Here's how you enter:

1.  Leave a comment below telling me of  your family's favorite Christmas tradition.

2.  If you are a follower of my blog, you get a second entry.  Yup, even if you become a follower today!  Just leave a comment to let me know. 

3.  For a 3rd chance to win, visit my facebook page and leave a comment.  You can even "LIKE" it if you wish - I'd really like that!  (All commenters on the FB page will be numbered after all the comments on the blog.)

You have until Wednesday, August 8th to enter.  The winner will be drawn sometime on Thursday, August 9th.  Please be sure I have your email address so I can contact you.  No email address = no valid entry. 

Also, you might want to drop back by occasionally...  I'm amazingly close to 200 followers and 300 posts, and that seems like it might be another good reason to celebrate.  Just sayin'...

Thanks for visiting!  And even though it's still August, Merry Christmas!

174 comments:

  1. I love your quilt. Check your spelling, ha, ha, I know what you mean about that! Favorite Christmas tradition was stringing cranberries and popcorn and wondering if the pets would leave it alone. Also loved leaving a treat for Santa and the reindeer and a battery for Rudolph's nose! Now with my children all grown and living far away I really miss that.

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  2. I am now a follower. Thanks for the great giveaway

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  3. Your quilt is gorgeous !!and one of my Chrsitmas traditions is sing carols and supper with all family 24th of December.That`s great, all singing,eating and enjoying.Also decor the home with tree and ornaments and put the Belen( don´t know the english name for this).

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  4. Thanks for the tuto.Of course,a new follower.

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  5. Thanks for sharing the lovely quilt and tutorial with us. I must try it!

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  6. I'm a new follower and I look forward to more great posts.

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  7. We open our presents on Xmas eve - we all are impatient !!
    Great posts deserve the number of followers you have

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  8. Thanks for sharing! Love the idea of the Merry Christmas quilt.
    We love to sing karaoke on christmas eve. Thanks for the giveaway :)

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  9. Our family tradition is not to give gifts at Christmas, but hubby always buys me something one week ahead! Not dutch to give gifts on Christmas Eve of Day. And we always like to cook a nice small dinner Christmas Day.
    Love your christmas quilt! I even have that fabric line but never thought of it as Christmassy! Became a follower too as I loved the other posts too! Hope to see you around on my blog (Craftluver Marianna)

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  10. This quilt is adorable! You have provided an excellent tutorial with all those great pictures and instructions. Your fabrics are so perfect and that font sure does the trick! I stayed away from using letters before, but thanks to you, I may now attempt some in the future! Thank you so much for participating and offering such a great giveaway. Merry Christmas to you and enjoy the rest of the hop. Our traditions...lobster sandwiches on Christmas Eve before Midnight mass...but two years ago, they stopped midnight mass...so now we have the sandwiches before we head to 6:00 pm mass...not the same, though.

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  11. Hi Wendy, what a merry quilt, thank you for the tutorial. Our traditions are that we have no traditions, just go with the flow.

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  12. Hi Wendy, I am a new follower. I would like to "like" you on Facebook but cannot find the symbol.
    I will come back to look at Pininterest. Just in case you cannot contact me if I am lucky enough to win Denyse's fabric (haven't any) zuzanzap (at) gmail (dot) com.
    thank you for the giveaway.

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  13. Wonderful quilt and thanks so much for the tutorial...it is in a safe place for future reference.....I love DS fabrics and would feel so lucky to win....happy holidays to you..

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  14. Oh I forgot my tradition I make the Christmas tablecloth and whoever is at our dinner signs it and then we pull a winner every year.....thanks again

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  15. One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to open stockings first thing Christmas morning, then have raspberry cream cheese coffee cake while my husband reads the Christmas story from Luke 2. Thanks for the giveaway! I've never used any DS fabric and would love to make something with it.

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  16. Wow!!! What a tutorial. There will be no mistakes when they follow your instructions. Great quilt to boot. Thanks for all the ways to win .

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  17. I have just become a follower and I must say one of the favorite things about christmas is the family getting together. Have a merry christmas in august.

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  18. Christmas in a moment......I love your design wall! Much more practical!!! My wall is in the dining room. :D

    One of our favorite family traditions....looking up at the starry night trying to imagine what it was like for the sheperds when the host of angels announced the birth of Jesus in the stable.

    sowingstitches [at] gmail [dot] com

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  19. it's a good idea to write on a quilt. love it. hope you enjoy the hop, please stop on my blog sunday, have a giveaway too. thank's for the chance to win, good week end to you

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  20. Thank you for a very thorough tutorial for a lovely Christmas quilt.

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  21. We always put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving. We also drive around after church on Christmas Eve to admire all the lights. I love Christmas!

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  22. Your work is fabulous! Thank you for sharing today. My favorite tradition is decorating with my daughter. I have a 12 foot tree, she is 6 foot so she is halfway up the tree. Lol

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  23. Your quilt is super cute!

    Christmas tradition: decorating ginger bread houses (even though the kids are 19 and 16, we still do it!)

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  24. Yes my dear you have many blocks in your Merry Christmas quilt lol. Merry Merry to you..
    it is festive...and has me thinking THINK Christmas..

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  25. I love your Merry Christmas quilt. Thanks for the tutorial. My family's favorite tradition is Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma's.

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  26. Wow! A Christmas quilt a long. This is so cool!

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  27. Beautiful quilt and thanks for sharing your great tutorial! My favorite tradition at Christmas is a White Elephant Exchange between all the family members! Thanks for a wonderful giveaway also!

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  28. you always have such cute ideas! Love this

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  29. Christmas tradition is making cookies for the family.
    Kwiltypleasures.blogspot.com. Come see me. I am following you.

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  30. A great tutorial. And thanks for the font info.
    I'm a new follower, too.

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  31. That was a great tutorial--thanks! I haven't braved the use of that iron on stuff, but someday....maybe. Love your quilt and I think it would be so nice to wrap up in it on Christmas morning. :O)

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  32. I see a lot of new followers, like me. Will be back again.

    Sandi T.
    sandit1@sbcglobal.net

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  33. I decorate Thanksgiving weekend, un-decorate New Year's Day.
    Lessons and Carols at Christmas Eve candlelight service at my church.

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  34. Great tutorial for a really great quilt , simply but charming ,love it!! Thanks also for the link to the font . Thanks for sharing .

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  35. I am a new follower , thanks for the chance .

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  36. I think your quilt is a fabulous idea. Well done!

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  37. You have a very addictive blog. You are a very creative lady and I have enjoyed myself while visiting. My mom loves Christmas Eve. So all of her family including spouses, kids all get together for snacks and chit chatting. Then we exchange gifts. It takes a while, but you are making Mom happy. Thanks for giving all of your followers a chance to win such a fantastic giveway.

    Sandi T.
    sandit1@sbcglobal.net

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  38. Our Christmas tradition is going to church Christmas Eve. The kids put on a Christmas program. Then home to Christmas goodies and opening presents!

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  39. Hello... i just become follower #213. Hope it's a lucky # for me. :0)
    Sincerely,
    Tricia

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  40. My favorite Christmas tradition is celebrating the birth of Jesus with family and friends! Thanks for sharing your tutorial and the link to new fonts.

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  41. We like making homemade goodies & cookies and me & my children then pass them out to neighbors, friends, and Others who might get the chance at homemade things like senior shut in's, woman shelters, etc. It helps them to remember that it is better to give then to receive.
    Thanks for the wonderful tut and the chance to win that great collection of FQ's.
    Sincerely,
    Tricia

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  42. Thanks so much for the font info. I love using fonts, and this will be a great resource. We love to spend the Christmas Eve with friends. It started when we had some with no local family almost 25 years ago, and has grown to quit a fun event with many! Thanks for sharing your great post with us!

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  43. We always plan to watch a Christmas movie together.
    Thank you for the tutorial. Your Christmas quilt is so much fun!

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  44. Thanks for the fantastic tutorial. Well, we are pretty much empty nesters now, so my husband and I are finding new traditons for the two of us.
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  45. My favorite tradition with my family is just to gather together - we live far from each other, so the time together is precious. Thanks for the chance to win this wonderful Denyse Schmidt fabric - love her!

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  46. I am a happy follower of your blog!

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  47. I also commented on your facebook page - thanks for the extra chance!

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  48. My favourite family tradition is that we buy two new christmas decorations each year, usually from a weekend or week away, so our christmas tree is full of memories

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  49. What a great tutorial. The letters are so perfect that in the first picture I thought you photo-shopped then on!! LOL! I love how simple can be so pretty. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

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  50. My favorite Christmas tradition is going to church to watch the Christmas play. Loved your quilt and thank you for the giveaway.

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  51. I love fast projects like this, thanks so much! My 'design wall' is the office/sewing room floor so I totally get that! Also thanks for the chance at the giveaway, good job!

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  52. I am a new follower now! My favorite family tradition was wrapping last minute gifts on Christmas Eve. My mom would always give me my sister's gifts to wrap and she would have to wrap mine. I'd go into my own bedroom, put on A Christmas Story, and do that:) Still to this day I think back fondly on that although my sister lives in CO with my 7 y/o niece and I have my own family and home now.

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  53. What a wonderful quilt. I love the lettering. My favorite thing to do is bake cookies and smell the house up. When the kids come home for the holiday, the first thing they go is to the table with fresh baked cookies. They cannot resist or say hello mom! I love it. I always love feeding my kiddos. My husband makes turkey rolls every year in the pit and yes, I also do a turkey as well. Make sure our kiddos go home with doggie bags when they leave. Also, the pit is burning all thru the holidays when the kids are here and my brother-in-law know not to come unless he brings his famous rib to cook. Lot's of food around our house. Plus I love visiting with my grandchildren. So many memories! Thank you for sharing your tutorial and I am a new follower and will be back for your finish quilt. Judith, Texas

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  54. Check your spelling is ALWAYS good advice. My husband bought me a little iPod one year for Valentine's Day, and he had it inscribed. It said " Happy Valentie's Day.". Hahaha. Good thing he finally saw the humor I n it. :). My favorite holiday tradition is visiting my extended family on my mother's side. I grew up with my cousins, and it always feels great if my cousin Lisa and I get to spend a few minutes walking on the family farm and catching up. :)

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  55. And I guess I should say that I'm a follower. :)

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  56. Twas The Night Before Christmas read to my brother and myself on Christmas Eve,
    then we'd be sent off to bed. Early Christmas morn we'd wake up to a stocking laying at the foot of our beds with all kinds of little goodies tucked inside from Saint Nick.
    I've just been added to your followers list.
    Thank you for the chance =)

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  57. It looks like it would also be a great use for all of the Christmas prints in our stashes. Cute idea.

    One of our favorite traditions is the lighting of the Advent candles. The children always want to be the "lighter".

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  58. My fave family tradition is going to grandma's house a few days before christmas and we bake cookies and make a christmas craft. Our christmas is celebrated with her in christmas eve. We have a breakfast and take lots of photos.

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  59. I am a brand new follower
    Gmama Jane

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  60. Christmas means family of course. Since my younger sister and I live so far away from each other, her family drives 10 hrs to stay with me for Thanksgiving. That is actually Christmas for me just being with her. Although we don't decorate for Christmas till 2 days after when my sister and family go back home. it keeps me from crying all day!
    Blessings
    Gmama Jane

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  61. Thanks for the great tutorial on fusible web. I, too, have a love/hate relationship with it!! I loved your Christmas quilt!! Our family has many traditions surrounding Christmas, but my favorite, now that I'm a grandmother, is arriving at my daughter's house at 6am to do Christmas tree and breakfast with my 4 awesome grandkids!

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  62. Great tutorial and quilt - thanks for sharing.

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  63. Christmas means food. We start early Christmas morning with lots of sticky buns, then after the presents, we have snackies while we cook, then eat in the afternoon and have leftovers in our pjs before we go to bed. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  64. I've become a brand new follower of yours and will check back often! I'm heading to FB now to like you page!!

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  65. I like your idea. August should be "Finish it for Christmas" month, especially since it really starts crunch time for machine quilters. I don't have the skill to do machine quilting, so if I want a quilt machine quilted for Christmas I have to plan ahead. Christmas presents don't always have to include a holiday them. Remember, it's the thought that counts.Christmas has become a "low-key" holiday around our house when my father died on Christmas Eve many years ago. My mother outlived him, but also died around the holidays, followed by my mother-in-law in January. I was working then, so to relieve the stress, we decided to not get a tree and we haven't had a tree in a long time, now because we have 3 cats who love plants and we do it for their safety. I know it's not a pretty story, but it was a stress reliever at the time which was what we needed. I don't know if we'll have a tree as long as we have cats, but I'd much rather have the cats as they are an endless source of enjoyment now that our two girls are on their own. Thanks for the giveaway and good luck finishing all those projects.

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  66. Love the quilt and yes I totally know what you mean with fusible web.
    My favourite tradition has got the be the big family turkey dinner at Xmas

    bonnielarson58@gmail.com

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  67. I enjoyed your tutorial, you did a great job. I don't know what kind of fusible webbing that you used before, but I use the Lite Steam-a-Steam II. You got to be very gentle with it, but I like it. Your quilt is lovely and a great idea. As for my tradition...we always baked lots and lots of cookies then passed trays to family, friends, neighbors, postman, bank, etc. It was kind of our gift to everyone.

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  68. I am new to your blog, but I am not a follower and promise to be back. Thank you for your giveaway, I am off to your facebook page.

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  69. When the kids were little and it was soooo hard to wait for Christmas morning,we started the tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve. It was exciting for them, and made the waiting a little easier. Funny thing, most of the time the gift(of course, picked out by mom) was new PJs so that they would look cute in Christmas photos!

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  70. I am a new follower I love finding these new sites through the hop.Thank-you.Becky
    derry04@yahoo.com

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  71. my favorite tradition is on christmas eve my husband and I sit togethor with NO interuptions wrap presents listen to one particular "a very special christmas"cd and just talk and laugh. Thank you for the give away Becky

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  72. I myself do not have facebook so I follow you on my friends site.Thank-you. Becky
    derry04@yahoo.com

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  73. When we were still at home and later after we kids were all married our Christmas Eve would start at 6:00. No one could open a present or start eating any of the fruit or candy until it was 6:00! I don't know why that ws started unles it had to do with my Dad's work schedule. He worked swing shifts. The tradition has stood all this time!

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  74. I am a new follower! love what i have seen so far, thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas!

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  75. We have a number of traditions but one of my favorites is a long one. From the day after Thanksgiving we have candle light dessert and even dinner. We usually have Christmas cookies. We do this till the end of the year.

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  76. What a beautiful quilt top!! I love this idea. Thanks for the great tutorial!!

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  77. Thanks for the tutorial for your Christmas quilt and the link for the fonts. We have a tradition of opening one gift on Christmas eve. And it is always Christmas pjs, because we have to look good for all those Christmas morning photos.

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  78. Your Merry Christmas quilt turned out so cute! My extended family meets for lunch on Christmas day at my sister's house. She makes her enchiladas and we all bring food to go along. All the adults take a nice gift and we do a gift exchange. I have been taking a quilt each year and it's fun to see who ends up with it. Last year there were 4 kindles getting passed around during the "stealing".
    Maybe this year, I'll make a Merry Christmas quilt!

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  79. Lovely work thanks for sharing! my Fav tradition hmmm...opening stockings first is always fun!

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  80. Just joined your blog as a follower.

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  81. what a fun quilt! I love the font too! I will have to check out eighteen25 for the fonts- I love fun fonts! I am a new follower too!

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  82. Our favorite Christmas Tradition....hmmm... after we trim the tree, always have hot chocolate & cookies....but on Christmas Eve...my Husband tells the Christmas Story,from the Bible.

    Your quilt is sooo cool! Tutorial is Grrrrreat! Thanks for sharing! (& for chance to win fabric too!)

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  83. I also just became a new follower to your Blog!

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  84. Great quilt, beautiful colors and a super tutorial! Thanks!

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  85. Thanks for the great tutorial for this super quilt. Thanks for sharing.

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  86. My family attends our church's Advent Workshop each year and make our Advent Wreath. That is a very special part of Christmas for us.

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  87. HAPPY FOLLOWING YOU VIA GFC!

    msstitcher1948@yahoo.com

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  88. We love decorating! Thanks for the great give-away!

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  89. WONDERFUL TUTORIAL!
    OUR FAMILY LIKES TO GATHER ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND READ THE CHRISTMAS STORY FROM THE BIBLE AND OPEN ONE GIFT+THEN HAVE SNACKS! CHRISTMAS MORN WE OPEN THE REST OF OUR GIFTS AND COOK A BIG CHRISTMAS DINNER>SHARING TOGETHER IS THE BEST!

    msstitcher1948@yahoo.com

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  90. My favorite Christmas tradition is driving around on Christmas Eve looking at the beautiful lights.
    Thanks,
    Peggy
    peggy_verdongibbs@att.net

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  91. Christmas Dinner - standing rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  92. Thanks for sharing your very fun Christmas quilt. It is gorgeous. Thanks for participating in the blog hop.
    I am a new follower of your blog and have added you to my bloglist.
    Regards from Western Canada,
    Anna

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  93. Love your tutorial, so good to hop with you!

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  94. Our favorite tradition is putting up the tree

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  95. Our family always go to the midnight service in our local church on Christmas Eve then back home for a glass of mulled wine!

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  96. This would be such a fun quilt to make for a child! Thank you for sharing your work!

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  97. Loved the tut. Very easy to follow. Nice,easy quilt.
    Thanks for sharing and the opportunity to win.

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  98. We go to church on Christmas eve and the celebrate my oldest son's birthday.

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  99. My dear in-laws play host to the whole family - 3 kids w/ spouses, 9 grandchildren (2 married) and one great-grandson (new for this year!) for food, fun and gifts. So lovely to belong to such a close family!!!

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  100. My favorite tradition is spending Christmas Eve at a family church service and then driving all over town to see the lights.

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  101. Hiya! Love your quilt, so cute! My favorite family tradition at Christmas is going to a local facility for special needs children to see all of their decorations. Each unit of the facility puts up different displays and the whole thing just keeps getting larger and larger each year. Thank you for the tutorial and for having the giveaway. Blessed be, hugs!!!

    playamom57 at yahoo dot com

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  102. Hiya again! I am now a follower, look forward to future posts. Blessed be, hugs!!!

    playamom57 at yahoo dot com

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  103. Thank you for a great tutorial!

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  104. A favorite tradition that my family has is playing Dirty Santa every year. We all really put on our thinking caps and spend $10 to $15 for each gift-- some are funny, some are really nice, and we always have SO much fun! We begin planning our gifts very early in the year, and are always on the lookout for special items to add to the gifts.. :-)

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  105. I am a follower-- thanks again! :-)

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  106. My family's favorite Christmas tradition is a holiday meal and gift exchange around Christmas-time. My mother, siblings, nieces, nephews, spouses, and grandnieces all gather at our house for a celebration. It is a special time for 4 generations to celebrate Christ's birth together.

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  107. i love christmas and would like that pdf of your block thank you

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  108. We liked you on FB as Marcia and Margaret and left a comment under your Think Christmas post. Look for the butterfly avatar. Thanks for the post about your Simple Merry quilt.

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  109. We really don't have a family tradition. But for the last several years we went to my sister's home for good food, laughs, and games.

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  110. I am now a happy follower, looking forward to more projects.

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  111. I went to FB and I "liked" your fb. I also left a comment. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  112. Favorite tradition is decorating the tree. Sharing memories about all the different ornaments. Thanks for sharing and for a chance at your giveaway.

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  113. My favorite tradition is opening the presents youngest to oldest, one at a time. Takes a while, but fun to see the gifts like that.

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  114. New follower. Looking forward to getting to know you.

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  115. One of my favorite traditions is making a new ornament each year to hang on the tree.

    Deborah
    homemakerhoney @gmail .com

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  116. New blog follower.

    Deborah
    homemakerhoney @gmail .com

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  117. Facebook Follower and commented (Deborah Brine).

    Deborah
    homemakerhoney @gmail .com

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  118. My husband and I have started collecting Christmas ornaments whenever we go on vacation. It's a nice way to decorate our tree with memories rather than with simple things bought at a store. :) Thanks for the tutorial and the giveaway!

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  119. I'm also a new follow and am looking forward to following along with everything you make! :) Thanks for participating in the hop!

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  120. Thanks for the great quilt tutorial. Our favorite Christmas tradition is decorating the tree. It doesn't quite seem like Christmas until we have our tree.

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  121. Thanks for the tutorial. Our family has purchased ornaments from all our travels, it takes a long time to decorate the tree as we always tell stories about each ornament. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  122. commented on your facebook page

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  123. Thanks for sharing how you made your quilt. Your explanation of how to make the lettering was really clear. I hope to try it soon,

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  124. What a great quilt! :) Our family always gets together on Christmas Eve for an Appetizer Meal. It's fun to try a bunch of different foods! Thanks for a chance to win! :)

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  125. I liked you on facebook and left a comment on your page! :)

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  126. Great tutorial. I am planning to write up a tutorial for my blog this week. You made everything easy to follow. I hope I do as well!

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  127. I am a follower who forgot to tell you my personal Christmas tradition which is reread Dicken's A Christmas Carol and see as many versions of it as I can--my favorite being the Muppet version! Off I go to your FaceBook page.

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  128. My favourite tradition is on Christmas Eve, when as many of the family as possible all come to us and we have a Chinese takeaway meal. Loads of noise, loads of fun, and NO COOKING!

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  129. Really really nice quilt. Our family tradition is for all of us, spouses kids and all to get together that day to celebrate as one big family. Thankfully I now have a much larger house that is perfect for the huge bunch.

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  130. Baking lots of Christmas cookies and giving them to friends and neighbors. Everybody loves getting cookies.

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  131. Thanks so much for the tutorial. I learned a few things about fusible web.

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  132. Thanks so much for the tutorial. I learned a few things about fusible web.

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  133. Great tutorial! I love the font you chose too. Thanks for sharing it!

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  134. My grown children today love opening their stockings

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  135. I am a follower and scrappy sq making buddy

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  136. One tradition our family has is that we open our presents on Christmas Eve. The reason we started this was because my husband works nights and this way the children didn't get up very early on Christmas morning. :-)

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  137. I'm a follower. Thanks for the great giveaway and tutorial.

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  138. Thanks for a great giveaway. On Christmas Eve we go to an early mass, then out to dinner and a movie. Christmas day we get together with extended family for gifts and dinner.

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  139. Christmas Eve we have dinner at home and each person gets one gift. Usually PJ's. I am weird like that! Thank you!!

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  140. I am a new follower because I am going to make this oneday.

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  141. Thank you for the very detailed tutorial here. Very nicely done. I think for now, our family photo has become a new tradition with my children. We have grown from 6 to 21 with the spouses and grandchildren. Our photos have become very creative from carrying our leather couch outside to the crop growing in the field behind the house to all finding a place on the playset in the playground. Someone is always thinking of what to do next Christmas! And the family is still growing! I love Christmas.

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  142. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  143. Beautiful quilt and you did an awesome job on your tutorial. Love that you gave tips along the way. Well one of my favorite things is opening gifts Christmas morning. Everyone is still in their pjs and after gifts we all have a great breakfast together.

    Thank you for a super giveaway and a chance to win.

    usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

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  144. I'm already a follower.

    Thanks again for all the chances to win.

    usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

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  145. Love your Christmas quilt! I am beginning to have a fascination with quilts with words on them!

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  146. My favourite family tradition is sitting, visiting and looking at the beautiful Christmas tree on Christmas eve after the stockings are hung with care and Santa has visited. Great quilt!

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  147. Oh I love this quilt. What a fun idea and yes, rectangle is much better to cover up the toes than square. I tend to only do square for babies myself.

    Our family tradition has been ignored over the past few years but, I told hubby last year that next year we WILL be returning to our tradition because it hurts my heart that it has been allowed to get pushed back because of other things we've had happening during that time of the year. My parents started the tradition when I was a baby and I have continued that same tradition with my own three boys. There is a family owned Christmas tree farm near here that I have gone to since I was a baby. The same family still owns the tree farm although their children's children are now running the farm. It's a great family type atmosphere there with huge horses pulling wagons out to the forest so families can go out and cut their own trees down and once you're done picking and cutting your tree down, they have quad runners that are ready to tag your tree and take it back to the barn for you so you can continue riding their wagons around the forest and spend time with your family enjoying the peace and quiet out there. Once back to the barn your tree will be ready and waiting for you whenever you are ready to leave. We have always gone inside where they always have brand new puppies from their Golden Retrievers they raise so the kids love playing with puppies every year. Their adult dogs are extremely friendly and are always ready for lots of petting. There is a huge fireplace always roaring with a nice warm fire and they have a great cafeteria where you can buy lunch or just get hot cider or hot chocolate and sit by the fire where they have someone (Santa sometimes even) reading story books to those wanting to sit on their seating by the fireplace and listen.

    They have an amazing little shop with handmade Christmas ornaments from all over the world. The family supports underpriviledged countries and crafters from those places by selling their ornaments to earn them money. And then too they have hot roasted nuts and homemade fudge they make all day long.
    It's an amazing tree farm with something to do no matter when you go. Oh and they have a great little petting zoo complete even with reindeer.

    One of our Grandchildren is living with us right now along with her parents so I am going to put my foot down and insist we go this year. She will be about 10 months old by Christmas so her eyes will be full of smiles seeing all the bright colored lights at the farm. Her father, one of my twins is the only one of my boys that has carried on the tradition of going to the tree farm each year so I know we'll go this year. I'm happy that he's carrying on the tradition and now his family will be as well especially now that he has a daughter.

    Sorry this is a long one but there's so much to tell about that tradition and the farm I tried to shorten but just couldn't.

    Thank you for the quilt pattern/tutorial. It's very nice.

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  148. I am now following your blog also.

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  149. Great quilt. We trade jammies on Christmas Eve - then wear them to open presents on Christmas morning.

    nhsarab at yahoo dot com

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  150. My father was as impatient for christmas day and opening presents as any child. So, we would open one present on christmas eve.

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  151. Love your Merry Christmas quilt...fabulous color choice. We always got new pj's to wear to bed Christmas eve. Thanks for sharing in the blog hop. WOW ...loving Denyse Schmidt's fabric, thanks for the chance. Happy stitching!!

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  152. Love your quilt, and all the work you put into it. Also for the tute! Love having the family over around Christmas to be able to see their faces when they open up the presents! Thanks for sharing.

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  153. Lovely quilt! I love being with the my family on Christmas. My favorite tradition is opening our stockings on Christmas Eve right before bed.

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  154. I follow your blog via Google Reader

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  155. ENTRIES TO THE DS QUILTS FQ GIVEAWAY ARE NOW CLOSED. FEEL FREE TO LEAVE COMMENTS ON THIS POST WHICH DO NOT COUNT FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

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