Imagine spending Christmas in the peace and quiet of the country. You are in the fresh air, with good company, a roaring fire, and a bright star overhead. A hammock swings gently in the evening breeze. A lantern lights the words in your favorite book. If only life were so easy!
Here is a Christmas card from the Campground, in quilt form, to make and hang in your home.
The pattern should be ready by next week and available at Maryland Quilter.
Last year around this time I renovated a haunted house quilt. This year, I’m remaking another quilt, Christmas in the Campground. Here is the original quilt, designed in 2011:
A few weeks ago I decided to make a pattern of the quilt to sell in my shop. I thought it would be an easy project. The quilt was already made, writing the pattern should be a snap. I’ll just make another version of the first one, taking pictures and writing the pattern as I go. But then, as I looked at the quilt, ideas came to me. I thought, what if I just did this, added this, changed this, moved this, took out this, and pretty soon I had a completely renovated Campground quilt. It is taking me weeks instead of a couple days to complete and I’m not done yet.
Here is the new 2015 version of Christmas at the Campground, in progress:
Here is a detail:
I hope to have the quilt and pattern done by next week.
It is 90 degrees in Maryland today. The only ice and snow I can imagine is in a snow cone with grape syrup squirted on top.
But the calendar says Labor Day is over, so pack up the swim suits and dig out the sewing machine. You know where it is, under the beach towels. Clear the sea shells and glue off the craft table, plug the machine in, stretch your fingers and start sewing!
If you start today, you will have those cozy quilts made for Suzie and Jill and Billy and Mike. Work hard and you might even get around to Great Aunt Betty!
I’ve done my part, I made the first quilt. I even made a pattern of it, just for you.
This quilt is so easy and fast to make, you really do have time to make one for everyone on your list. Here is the pattern: Christmas Argyle Quilt Pattern . Here is the quilt, also for sale at Maryland Quilter: Christmas Argyle Quilt.
The top and bottom of this Christmas quilt has a border in my favorite fabric design,The Ghastlies, by Alexander Henry. The Ghastlies remind me of the Adams Family or the Muensters. Remember those shows? Kinda funny, kinda scary, weird. That’s the Ghastlies. The particular Ghastlie design used in this quilt is “a ghastlie holiday” in red.
This holiday quilt will make you smile instead of stress:
The quilt is available in the shop here
Every year in November I design a new Christmas ornament. One year it was redbirds, last year was Beta fighting fish. This year’s ornament was suggested by my daughter, Evelyn. She wanted a snowman. She was probably thinking of Olaf, but I was thinking traditional.
I love making the ornaments in batches. Making so many allows me to streamline the pattern, improve it, and experiment, too.
So here is the Maryland Quilter 2014 ornament:
If you want one, buy any item in the shop and mention “snowman ornament” in the comment section at checkout. I’ll include one in your order through December 20, 2014.
Fall is the season of squirrels. Everywhere I look, there they are running up and down the tree trunks. I love them all, even the ones that figure out how to raid my bird feeders. It’s amazing to me how the animals have a complex society in my backyard. They live, fight, love and die right outside my window, whether I notice or not.
So here I am, sewing virtual squirrels on baby quilts, while the real squirrels carry on outside my window.
This baby quilt is available in my shop, here
Free shipping on everything for the holidays!
What is the best size for a baby blanket or quilt? I’ve been asking myself that question for a couple years and I have the answer: Babies need some of every size. When they are newborn and need swaddling, bigger is better so their feet don’t stick out. When they are in the stroller, smaller is better so it doesn’t drag on the floor. When they start to crawl, any size works.
I have many large baby blankets in the shop. Now I’m stocking the virtual shelves with smaller stroller quilt blankets. Here is one of the newest and cutest, with Frog and Toad fabric:
And since I’m still stuck on Halloween, here is a bats quilt:
Frog and Toad is available here
Halloween bats quilt and the pattern are in the shop here
The Mockingjay quilt pattern was inspired by the Hunger Games series of books written by Suzanne Collins. It has a beautiful blue mockingjay bird with outspread wings breaking through the barriers of the restrictive government. The pieces of the circular barrier are falling away as the mockingjay flies through. The Mockingjay art quilt captures the theme of the Hunger Games and keeps in the spirit of the simplicity and folk style of district 12. This pattern arrives in a pdf format that allows you to print the applique pattern.
The pattern is available in the shop, Maryland Quilter, for instant download.
Christmas stresses me out! For some reason, every year I inflict myself with so many goals and projects that there is no way I could get them all done. I do this to myself. This year will be different (I think I said that last year, too, and it was merely better). This year my Christmas sewing projects are going to be ones that bring me lots of joy and no stress. This is the year of the pot holder! I am having a blast designing pot holders. I’ve made them for everyone in the family, I’ve made them to sell in the shop, and now neighbors, friends and even the school bus driver knows what they’re getting this year!
Here is a collage of some of the 50+ pot holders I’ve made so far:
Do you want a set of pot holders or a new tea towel? Come by the shop, Maryland Quilter, and get one. Use this coupon code, Maryland10, for 10% off and you also get a free 2013 handmade Christmas ornament:)
Maryland Quilter 