Scrappy Christmas Tree trim

For the Bernina "Sew Something Special" appeal I made this Scrappy Christmas Tree decoration and here is the tutorial if you would like to use up some of your scraps too.

To make your own Scrappy Christmas tree you will need the following :

• 9 scraps of fabric increasing in size from 1.25" square to 5.25" square
• Sew Easy Circle Template or a compass
• Scraps of toy stuffing
• Approx 50 seed beads or other embellishments
• 18" thin cord/embroidery floss
• Scrap of Christmas ribbon
• 1" wooden thread spool

You will also need a large wool applique needle or similar and textile glue

Step 1

 

Using the Sew Easy Circle Template or a compass draw a circle on the wrong side of each of your fabric scraps and cut out using pinking shears if desired. The circles in the Template set range from 1" to 5" in diameter, increasing in 0.5"increments, so use the same measurements for your compass if using that instead.

Step 2

Machine or hand baste around the largest fabric circle approx 1/8" from the cut edge. Pull the thread up to gather the circle in on itself. Tie off the threads and pad the resulting yo-yo lightly with scraps of toy stuffing. Don't stuff the yo-yo too heavily, you only need a little to give the tree some body.

Repeat with the rest of the fabric circles. I didn't pad the smallest two yo-yo's as they didn't need it.

Step 3

Attach your beads/ embellishments to all of the stuffed yo-yo's except the smallest one.

Step 4

With the gathered side facing upwards, attach the largest and next largest yo-yo's to each other, stitching through the centre of the yo-yo's.

Continue stitching in this way until you only have the smallest two yo-yo's left.

Step 5

Turn the smallest yo-yo gathered side down and slip stitch it to the second smallest yo-yo, which will be gathered side up.

With the fine cord/embroidery floss stitch through all of the layers including these last 2 yo-yo's leaving a tail at the bottom of the layers. Stitch through the bead/ornament for the top of the tree (I used a small bell) and leaving a hanging loop stitch back through all of the layers again. Knot and tie off the excess cord at the bottom of the tree. Knot the cord behind the tree top ornament to secure.

Step 6

Spread the textile glue around the sides of the thread spool and wrap the ribbon scrap around smoothing the ribbon as you do.
Glue the cotton reel to the bottom of the yo-yo tree.

Bring out the mince pies and mulled wine and start decking these halls! 

Fabric Cards from scraps

If you are racing to get your projects finished before the FAL Q2 deadline, then maybe you shouldn't read this, but if you are so organised that they are all done and dusted already then pop on over to The Littlest Thistle to check out my tutorial for Fabric Cards from scraps!

We'll get that scrap pile reduced somehow :)

The countdown begins!

With holidays and the like ticking things off my to-do list has been a bit hit and miss this month, but I am delighted to report that I have managed to sneak in under the wire with my project for August for the 12 WIP's in 2012. For some reason I decided that August with temperatures of 35degrees+ was the perfect month to finish a Christmas project. No, I don't quite understand my thought process either! Still, I am delighted to have finished the Countdown to Santa mini quilts, which have been on my to-do list since I bought the Nancy Halvorsen pattern book many moons ago.

It was a bit bizarre sewing Santa figures in blazing sunshine but then I guess that is not unusual for quilters Down Under! I have had the pattern and the material for these mini quilts for several years and every December 1st realise that it is too late to do anything about it for yet another year, but not this year. I have lots of Christmas fabrics winging their way to me from the Christmas in July 10" Charm Swap so who knows I might even get another set made for my son and daughter-in-law before Decemeber 1st this year. I am not promising anything though, just in case :)

The stand for the quilts and buttons for the Santa quilt have been on order from the US for nearly a month, but haven't turned up yet. Fingers crossed that they too will make it before December 1st, or I will be really miffed!

I can't complain about the PO however, as my bag of scrappy goodness from Grammie Q's giveaway arrived whilst I was on holiday so I picked it up today.

I can see a happy hour ahead sorting these scraps into my ziplock colour bags. I have already spied several triangular scraps in there that will be ideal for the Up, up and Away quilt in the Sunday Morning Quilts book that I would love to do someday. The quilt is based upon corner square triangles and needs some astronomical amount of triangles, so it will be a while before I get to starting it but every little helps as they say.

This was not the only goodness winging my way recently as I was also the lucky winner of Celtic Fusion Fabric's recent giveaway so found a bundle of Scandinavian goodness in my postbox.

Gwen has some great fabric bundles she calls cloth stacks too, so I couldn't resist popping a couple of the Simply Citrus bundles in my basket. Forgot to take a photo of them but you can see what tempted me at the link above.

It has been a while but it is nice to have a finish to link up with at  TGIFF , Can I get a Whoop-Whoop , Little Quilt Monday and Manic Monday.

Don't forget to link up your paper pieced projects at Quiet Play's PPP Blog Hop link party  there are some great prizes up for grabs.

If you haven't already check out this week's bloggers on the Let's get Acquainted Blog Hop at

Aug 28
        Lucy from Charm About You
        Ella from throw a wench in the works
Aug 30
       Elaine from Dashasel Sews
       Jess from The Elven Garden

Have a great weekend

P.S. That is the number of days left before the bearded gentleman arrives!