Around June 2012, you may have noticed the free quilt pattern from Moda for the fabric line Dear Mr. Claus. As soon as I saw it, I had to make it!
The fabric is designed by Cosmo Cricket, and it is adorably retro. They also designed matching stickers, paper, and gift tags available here.
I ordered a fat quarter bundle which provided plenty of fabric for the packages, including gift tags.
Since some of the fabric was directional, I really worried that the package pieces needed to be cut properly. There were two different patterns for packages (4 pieces each) and then they are rotated in each block to give variety. I am easily distracted, so I went ahead and made patterns for each piece and labeled them for cutting all the fabric.
I made two test samples just to make sure I didn't mess up the directions.
They were so darn cute, I went ahead and cut out the rest of the packages.
I cut the gift tag fabric using pinking shears and machine appliqued them to each block.
Extra fabric was required for the sashing, cornerstones, borders, backing, and binding. I was able to join a few sashing strips, and then I ordered the remaining fabric.
I finally finished the top last week. Then I got my dear husband to do all the free motion quilting.
I can't wait to give it to my dear mother-in-law. I hope it reminds her of wonderful Christmases past and many more to come.
I also have some leftover fat quarter material and gift tags to make some other fun goodies!
Have you made anything for the holidays yet?
oh my goodness! i love the quilt. as soon as my local quilt shop got this fabric i bought it (actually took it from the the box that UPS dropped off ten minutes earlier!!!!) i brought it home with intentions of having it made for this christmas but time got away from me. i also was worried about the direction fabrics being correct when sewn into the "packages", but with your little tip of the pattern pieces i feel a little more confident, thanks for that idea. i love seeing the quilt completed gives me something to look forward to for next Christmas
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so glad someone got something out of this post!
DeleteAfter I posted, I washed the quilt, and the labels started unraveling!
I should have known to stitch them down more.
After the quilt had already shrunk, I had to cut out new labels, fuse them on, and ask my dear husband to stitch them down with his FMQ magic!
I think it's ok now.
Just found your blog by googling dear mr claus. I love this quilt & am interested in making one for next year. Yours turned out great! I'm curious as to whether you think this was easy enough for a beginner. Also what did you choose for your backing. I have a hard time deciding what would go with the binding (either the red or green stripes) without being too busy. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Jocelyn! Thank you for commenting! I don't think I would do this one as one of my first quilts, but a meticulous beginner could certainly give it a chance! The pattern was well-written, but I am easily distracted. Some points I would consider are:
Delete1. It may be hard to tell in the pictures, but the gifts come in two different sizes "A: and "B", so there are seven different pieces to cut out for each present (4 for the package and 3 for the ribbon). 10 presents are in "A" and 10 are cut in style "B". The ribbons around the packages are slightly different placements, so A and B are slightly different. The best thing was to make pattern pieces and label them all and then stack them in order.
2. If you use this exact fabric or another type with a print that requires you to cut them in the same direction, you may want to pay special attention to some pieces that look like squares but are not. For those, just make sure to draw an arrow up on the pattern pieces, so you know which way to cut them so all the package pieces match (the Santas for instance).
3. You want to be precise in pinning and sewing where the ribbons intersect, so they do not look jagged on the corners. The best way to achieve this is to press adjoining pieces in opposite directions so that you can "lock" the two sides together when matching seams.
4. The same thing applies to the sashing in between packages, so that the rows are lined up and not shifted or staggered.
5. For the backing, I used the striped green, but you could you whatever you prefer! You could even piece the back!
6. I get bored easily, and after about 5 blocks or 2 rows, this got very tedious. It is good practice, but I really had to plod along to make such a big quilt. Some people have no trouble with this. This is an ambitious project to start as a beginner!
7. The gift tags - I straight stitched them down and naively thought that the pinking around them would prevent them from raveling. When I washed it immediately after I took these pictures, the labels were ruined in the washer and I knew I would have to redo them. The 2nd time, I fused them down with Heat N Bond and my dear husband quilted all over them to hold them in place. It was a disaster barely averted!
8. As a beginner, I got more fulfillment from doing a quilt for a wallhanging or pillow, but I know I do not have as much patience as many quilters that I admire!
Good luck, and I can't wait to see what you do!
Take care,
Steph