Hello quilting friends! I’m popping in today to share pictures of my finished Pink Patchwork Christmas quilt. I’m thrilled with how this quilt turned out: the color scheme, the chipper Santas, the pretty machine quilting . . . it all makes me smile!
I realize pink is not everyone’s favorite color, and some folks would argue it’s definitely not a Christmas color. But there is a tender sweetness about this quilt that tugs at my holiday heartstrings. In fact, it might go down as one of my favorite makes. I’m trying to put my finger on why that is, and I think this list sums it up:
- Delectable shades of pink and pinky-red, even when they don’t match, play so nicely together.
- Spunky Santas and darling mice remind me of favorite “Golden Book” stories from my childhood.
- An array of stripes and checks offer both visual interest and overall cohesion.
- Collecting fabrics from several different designers (and at least three different fabric companies) provides an artistic challenge.
In this picture, I hope you can see the darling machine quilting. Katy at Woods Edge Quilting used a panto called Twist Tie. Doesn’t it have a nice retro vibe? You’ll also notice that my quilt has a scrappy backing. I didn’t have quite enough of the white (with mice) and pink (with smaller Santa faces) to piece a backing. I was a few inches shy. So I rummaged through my Christmas fabrics and found a green Lella Boutique text print which I used as a horizontal band, joining the other two prints. I love it when the back is almost as cute as the front!
I also brought out the crochet hook because every sweet Christmas quilt needs a candy-colored granny square pillow! My yarn of choice was Scheepjes Stonewashed (sport weight) in the colors Moon Stone, Rose Quartz, Carnelian, New Jade and Canada Jade. My crochet hook of choice was a Clover Amour hook, size G 4.0mm.
As I mentioned in my November 5 post, my quilt top finished at 55 ½” wide by 66 ½” tall. I cut my squares 6” x 6” and ended up with 120 squares, enough for 12 rows with 10 in each row. (I chose 6” squares because I had a sweet panel from the “Twas” collection by Jill Howarth for Riley Blake Designs. The Santa squares in that panel were 6”. )
It may be difficult to find the “Twas” fabric, as it came out more than a year ago. (If you scour the internet, you may be able to get your hands on some.) Otherwise, you could always search Etsy or other online stores using search terms link “pink Santa fabric” or “pink Christmas fabric” or “pastel holiday fabric” or “retro Santa fabric” or “vintage themed Christmas fabric”.
I hope this blog post inspires you to make a simple patchwork quilt from fabrics that tug at your holiday heartstrings. Go on, get carried away quilting! You deserve it!
~Taunja
