Did you do any “Christmas in July” sewing this year?   Every December I swear that I’m going to start first thing in January to sew for Christmas.  I plan to do a little each month so that come the next Christmas I don’t have to deal with the frantic rush to finish or with the sad reality that there was so much more I wanted to sew in time for the holidays and just didn’t have time.  January slides by without a stitch.  Then February is gone.  I rationalize that I’ll start in July.  Yes.  That’s the ticket!  Did it happen this year?  Um, no.  But there’s still lots of time left so I started browsing and planning today.  Here are some patterns I found….

A church and 22 houses surround the Christmas tree in this village.  Every house is a pocket and the roof is a flap.   The grandkids will love this Advent Calendar!  I’ll love being able to use my scraps to make the village as colorful as I want.

This All Tangled Up reindeer looks just how I feel when I get out the Christmas lights.  Thankfully the tree is pre-strung and I just have to deal with the lights that surround the windows.  I know a few people that could relate to this image…. it would make a great gift for them. 

Having a nativity scene is difficult with little grandchildren who think the pieces are toys.  Northwoods Nativity is a great alternative.  The nativity is visible so the little ones can see the wonder of Christmas but they can’t dismantle it!

Chick-A-Dee Hollow has an entire line of Vintage Ornaments.  The design is preprinted and precolored.    The embroidery and embellishment (you know, the fun part!) is all that’s left to do.   This looks like a great take-along project and would make a great little gift.  Or maybe an entire set of them as a gift for someone special.

Well, I think I’ll spend part of my week with some Christmas fabric and Christmas patterns.  I’ll think about the snow to come, and think cool thoughts.   Maybe then I won’t even notice that the heat wave is still here.

In the last post, all the talk about washing fabrics got me to thinking about “wash day” and clothes hanging on the line to dry.  I always love the look of clothes on a line and, depending on what clothes, it can make a great picture.   But the best is when the quilts are hanging.   One of my neighbors still uses a clothesline and occasionally the quilts are out.  I love it those days!

I found a few patterns that feature full clotheslines . . .

A Day At The Beach sounds pretty good right about now, doesn’t it?   Someone has already been swimming and their swimsuits are hanging out to dry.  This paper foundation pieced pattern by MH Designs is packed with detail, including a couple three dimensional effects with the kite tail and the clothesline.

It’s Quilter’s Wash Day with three beautiful quilts hanging between two bird house poles.  Another paper foundation pieced pattern by MH Designs.  The paper piecing technique will give you sharp point and near perfect looking quilts even working in such a small scale.  Finished size is 15″ x 20″

I’ve been working on the Periwinkle Lane blocks – I love them! – and I’m looking forward to Block 12.

I also found a few jigsaw puzzles with quilts on clotheslines…..

I’m so glad I have a dryer and don’t need to hang clothes or quilts outside in the winter time, but this sure is a pretty picture of Amish Winter.

This makes another pretty picture but with all the birds Meeting At The Clothesline it makes me a bit nervous….. I hope those birds respect that quilt!

Well, all these pictures and all this talk has got me in the mood.  No, not the do the wash, to quilt!

Most quilters are firmly in one camp or the other when it comes to prewashing quilting fabric.  Sometimes because they believe strongly in the reasons for their side. And sometimes because that’s what they were taught and it’s become a confirmed habit.  There are advantages to each practice.

Washing your fabric will let you know ahead of time if a color is going to run.  It’s so upsetting to put hours and hours into finishing a quilt and then have a color bleed and ruin your work.  Tossing a color catcher in the wash water with your fabric or your quilt can prevent a disaster…. it’s a small price to pay.

A pretty red fabric.... much prettier if the red stays where it belongs!

The wash water (and it can be just plain water, you don’t really need to add soap) will wash out the chemicals added when the fabric was produced.   If you are sensitive to this kind of thing, washing first is a good idea.   Both the washer and the dryer will cause the cotton fabric to relax and to shrink a bit.  Your finished quilt will be more true to size if you have pre-washed.

Now, if you don’t prewash, you get to play with your fabric right away!  Washing will usually require that you press the fabric…. no washing = no pressing (unless it was really wrinkled on the bolt).   The fabric will also be a little stiffer because of the chemicals and because the fibers are still stretched from the manufacturing process.  This means it will be easier to rotary cut.

And when you finish your quilt made from unwashed fabrics and run it through the washer and dryer it will come out all crinkly and puckery…. a ready made vintage look!

So which camp are you in?  Do you prewash?  Or do you just jump right in?  Do you have any other reasons for which rule you prefer to follow?

Kara Schorstein of Seams & Dreams has a wide variety of patterns.  Her quilt designs range from easy modern styles to rather intricate traditional pieces.  Whether you are a beginner quilter or have been quilting for a long time, Kara will have something for you.   And she hasn’t stopped at just quilts.  Several of her patterns are for aprons, skirts, jackets and home decor.

Marble Game uses marble fabrics to frame prints.   The fabric used for the sashing within the blocks is repeated in the narrow border.   Tiny contrasting corners in each block come together to create multi-colored diamond pieces.  This is a great quilt for you to use up some of your scraps. Instructions for crib size and queen size.

Kara Schorstein started with the traditional Irish Chain Block, modified it, and created Crossroads.  Two simple blocks that work together for a striking design.  Instructions are for a table topper with a scalloped border and a queen size quilt.

Need a summer skirt?  Need to look like you lost a few pounds?  Try the Simple Slimming Skirt Pattern.  With sizes from 6 to 18+, there are three style variations and the underskirt is optional.

Need a new purse to go with your new skirt?  Oh, you made two skirts?!  No problem!  Make one of Lizzie’s Reversible Bags and you have a different purse for each skirt!

Do you have an occassional table that you like to dress up and change with the seasons?   Seasoning The Table gives you seven options for appropriate table toppers.  Log cabin blocks grace the center of each and you can choose the layout.

This selection barely scratches the surface of Seams & Dreams quilt patterns….. there are dozens more.

Make a few useful items for your kitchen and brighten it up at the same time.  While you are sewing you could make a few extra and you’ll have hostess gifts on hand ready for when you need them.

Are they oven mitts or are they potholders?  They’re both! They’re Pot Handlers.  So easy to make and with so many opportunities to embellish and personalize you’ll get hooked on sewing these up.  You won’t be hiding these in your kitchen drawer…. you can make them so cute you’ll be hanging them out in the open to show them off and brighten your kitchen.

Add a splash of color to your countertop with a bowl full of Hot Fingers.   At 8″ x 4″ these are just right for quick little hot jobs… opening the popcorn bag, lifting a pot lid to give that stew a stir.  I know.  Too hot for stew right now. But it won’t be long and we’ll be lamenting the passing of summer, welcoming fall, and longing for a steaming plate of beef stew!  Embellish these to match your Pot Handlers.  Or add a small bit of applique.

The Grocery Sack Sleeve Pattern turns that unsightly mess of grocery bags that you recycle into a cute column of color.  It keeps those bags handy and easy to grab.  So much prettier.

You know that kitchen towel that you have hanging around?  Not the one that’s on the counter getting wet, but the one that hangs out pretending to be useful but you don’t really want to use it and mess it up ’cause it’s pretty?  Make a few extra pretty ones and then you can actually use it occasionally!  Prairie Point Kitchen Towels take ordinary towels and promote them to pretty.

Browse this page of Kitchen Patterns and you’ll see a few appropriate kitchen fabrics too!

Whenever a new quilter finishes their blocks for their first quilt, it’s a real eye opener to see the different layouts that can be achieved.  A whole new world of creative fun is opened up for the quilter’s pleasure.  Finding circles and curves in quilts (that aren’t really circles at all…. just an illusion!) is another eye opener.  A new trick learned.  But this trick can’t just be stored away.  Once it’s been discovered, it just has to be explored!

Rings & Things comes in two sizes, full and queen.  “Circles” made from angled lines surround stars.  Extra stars also appear between the cirles. The two different shades of purple add more interest to an already visually pleasing quilt.

Bargello Circles is an eye catcher.  Using circle fabrics repeats the bargello circle theme.  The rectangles that are strategically placed in the center area are given a little more interest by using striped fabric for some of them. 

Illusions is just what all these quilts are about.  When you are not looking for the straight lines, but standing back and looking at these quilts as a whole, the “circles” really stand out.  Pictured here in reds and greens this makes a perfect winter holiday quilt.   Replace the reds with pinks, use a softer green and you will have a garden looking quilt.

Offset Log Cabin blocks and sashing are used to create the circular illusion in Prarie Night Starburst.  This quilt looks complicated but it is mostly strip piecing so it is fairly easy to put together. 

Isosceles 12421 looks like there are curves everywhere…. it really keeps your eyes moving around… and around!

Did you see any you like?  Go ahead, try a circular themed quilts and still use your rotary cutter and ruler.  Have fun!