I guess if you own a quilt shop then you need to have your Christmas fabrics on sale even earlier than other stores have their holiday items… after all your customers need time to make their projects before the season and some even like to plan ahead and be organized… So, if you happen to be someone who makes samples for quilt shops then it’s not a great surprise to be asked to make Christmas samples, even if it is over 90 outside and hot and humid…
Thus it was that the week before last I was at hard at work making a couple of advent calendars and a Merry Christmas banner for Pieceful Heart Fabrics…
First is a Nancy Halvorsen “Joyful Tidings” advent panel from Benartex fabrics. The little people and animals all button on as the countdown proceeds…
Then I made this Makower panel up. It has 24 pockets to put small gifts in. It’s hard to press all those box pleats without burning your fingers but I thought it looked good when it was finished. I made 2 similar Makower ones last year so they don’t take too long now.
It took a whole lot longer to make this Merry Christmas banner from the Nancy Halvorsen Tidings book. Lots of blanket stitch fusible applique and some nice swirly quilting… It still needs red buttons for the holly berries but Gina was waiting for them to come in to the store.
Here’s a close up of that quilting…
I’m going to be offering an advent calendar class in November so people will be able to get their panel made up in time for the holidays… or even use the ones they bought last year! I speak from experience… I think if I were to go digging in my drawers there might just be a couple I bought in 2003. Maybe this will be the year they get used.
After all I do have a grandchild now and just in case you were wondering he is doing very well!!
