Christmas Tree Skirt Complete!

Well, the tree skirt is done!  It needs to be taken to the quilter for assembling the layers and quilting them.  I'll need to cut a hole for the tree and bind the edges when I get it back.  Most people who participated in the sew-in for this projected left it whole because they hated to cut into it!  I agree; it's pretty as is, but I do really want a tree skirt so I think I'll cut into mine when I get it back.

It's a great feeling to have finished something! It's a little wavy looking since I pinned it to the curtain to take the picture.

Here it is flat and folded in quarters:

Here ends my chapter (maybe it should my book!) in quilting!

Very Little Sewing...

....as you can plainly see!  I did take my Christmas Tree Skirt and got quite a bit done on it although it isn't finished yet.

It's nearly done, but sadly we've gotten caught up in school!  Never again will we take a summer off--it is too hard to get started and it feels like there's no more time left over for me to sew!!!  After watching youngest dd on the beach, it might be time to start sewing swimsuits.  Getting them to stay on or up all the way seems impossible for store bought ones.  Next year!

The Merry Christmas Tree Skirt

I signed up for a one day sew-in class with our sewing guild.  I've always wanted a Christmas tree skirt and I figured that having an all day class would help get one completed.  Years and years ago, I started a candlewicked one.  Remember that?  Ecru on ecru, using pretty simple stuff like muslin for the fabric.  Anyway, that's sat around as a work in progress but never completed.  It's even survived a dog's gnawing. 

A local lady designed the pattern you see above and instructed the class.  I was a little worried at first since I've NEVER quilted or pieced anything!  (Well, a little crazy patch for a pillow and that floral bag, does that count?)  I went to one of our local quilt shops and got this:

 

I was truly thankful for the help I received in choosing the fabrics--who knew it was so complicated for quilting?  Movement, no movement, sparkle, no sparkle (that one was easy!  a little sparkle is good), thinking about pattern repeats and how it will look when cut....and the list could go on.

Class day came and it was great!  (Minus the feeling of urgency for these other sewing project deadlines that are looming over my head!  But once I started that evaporated quickly.)  The instructor circulated around the room and I didn't have a bit of trouble with all those log cabin squares.  I got 4 of the ivory/green combo totally completed:

And got the rest started.  Those need to wait for some other project deadlines to be completed first, but I think it will be easy to pick up and start working again.  I hope to be done by Christmas, too!  Wouldn't that be great?  Plus I got a name of a local lady who quilts these for $35!  Seems like a bargain to me and I'll be paying someone else to do that part for sure!