Hi Everyone, In case any of you are ambitious and are making quilted Christmas cards, this week I thought I’d share some of my tricks for making them, especially if I’m making a bunch at once! It saves a ton of time to make several of the same one at the same time, so that’s one of the things I do. There’s less thinking and thread changing involved! I think it only takes twice as much time to make four as one! Something I do with any project is to start with my batting or fusible fleece a bit larger, and then trim it down later. This minimizes the need for accuracy at first, and allows for lots of stitching which can actually change the size of a small project. But another twist on that idea is to start with a piece of batting long enough for several cards, cover it with strips or your background fabric, do the quilting, and then cut it up. This saves time on quilting, and there is also less waste, since you only need the extra once for all of the cards. I usually do four at once this way. (The purple below already had one cut off the end) It doesn’t work with every type of background, but it does with with several, like stripes, collage, single fabric, or improv! In this photo, the purple one is actually one piece of striped fabric, so all I had to do was add stitching! But doing several backgrounds at once like this is a great time saver.
And of course, I use my acrylic template to cut them apart so I can add whatever applique they are going to get. (I added non skid pieces to mine, they don’t come with that. But they would, if I could find the right product! There are products made for that, but I think my favorite one was something like stair tread strips! But I haven’t been able to find the exact one, so I haven’t included that yet.) Of course I forgot to take pictures of the finished cards, but some of these are headed to the Quilt Tree in Anchorage soon! I also chain sew the binding on, which saves both time and thread. I will link my card binding video here, I have tricks for that too, of course! In case you need some ideas, I will put my five most wintery/Christmasy patterns in here. A couple are available as kits, and all come in printed or instant download form! Happy sewing! Beret
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Beret Nelson's On The Trail Creations Blog PageBeret NelsonI am a homeschooling mom of three fun kids, who are now old enough that I have a little time to pursue my passion for sewing! After several years of making quilted cards and art quilts, I'm now designing kits and patterns. Some of my designs have been in Keepsake Quilting and Art Quilting Studios magazine! I teach classes online, and am starting to do more traveling and teaching. I also have many tutorials, including some on YouTube. I am blessed to live in Alaska where I am surrounded by the inspiration provided by the beauty of God's creation! Free mini art quilt workshop for new subscribers!
"Like" my facebook page!I am also an independent distributor for Plexus supplements, since I credit them with enabling me to be healthy enough to do all these fun things! They target blood sugar and gut health, which are at the root of so many modern health issues. E-mail me for more info, or check out my website! I am as passionate about getting people healthy as I am about getting people creating :-)
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June 2024
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