The Christmas season may be several months away, but we quilters know it’s never too early to get a jump on holiday sewing projects. Today I’m happy to share one of my favorite patterns, Picking Petals, made with the festive Comfort and Joy collection by Dani Mogstad of My Mind’s Eye for Riley Blake Designs.
There are so many darling details to enjoy in this fabric: holly berries, sweet little snow globes, woolen mittens, and delicate wreaths.
Comfort and Joy includes classic red and green, some pale aqua, and a nice bit of bold black that makes the other colors sing. For background fabric I used Riley Blake’s Cream Stitched Circle. For the stems I used Riley Blake’s Christmas Green Shade, which is a terrific green solid with the faintest hint of cross hatch texture.
When machine quilting this project, I tried something new. Rather than using Aurifil 50wt thread, which I typically use for all my piecing and machine quilting, on this project I selected two Aurifil 80wt spools: 2886 light avocado and 2026 chalk. I’ve used 80wt for hand applique before, and I found it to be silky smooth, fine and strong. Now I’ve discovered that I also like it for machine quilting. The finished look is soft and subtle.
Picking Petals is a versatile pattern, and I’ve made it in several fabric collections, including Strawberry Fields Revisited (Fig Tree & Co. for Moda), Calico Days (Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs), and an autumn colorway. I can happily say that I love it in Christmas fabrics as well! The standalone pattern is available here.
I’m also happy to share that LouLou’s Fabric Shop is offering kits of Picking Petals in Comfort and Joy! The kits include my pattern, along with everything you need to make the top, binding and backing. If you are looking to get a jump on holiday gift making, this a great place to start!
The good news doesn’t stop there, friends. Those kind folks at LouLou’s fabric shop are offering a giveaway to one of my readers: one Picking Petals pattern and a charm pack of your choice from LouLou’s inventory! (Thank you, LouLou’s!) To enter, simply leave a comment below and be sure to include your email address. The giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only due to the high rate of international shipping. Comments are open through 5:00 pm (CST) on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. At that time, I will do a random drawing and announce the winner. *Only one comment per person/per email address. Email me if you are having trouble leaving a comment and I will leave a comment on your behalf. (carriedawayquilting@gmail.com)
Thanks for stopping by the blog today! I hope you get carried away with some holiday quilting real soon!
~Taunja
