Welcome to Melva Loves Scraps and the Christmas in July blog hop!
It would seem that we are never really happy about what season of the year it its... in the winter, many long for the warm summer and all that goes with it... gardening, vacations, playing in or near a body of water.... a time that many layers of clothing are not required to be comfortable outside and windows can be open wide, allowing the scents of outside waft in.
And in the summer, many long for winter and cooler temps... because the summer heat (and humidity) can be unbearable. There is just something so comforting when there is a warm, cozy fire in the fireplace. Winter is also a season of many holidays and family gatherings... such as Christmas!
So, in the midst of the summer heat, as Dave and I were longing for the 90+ degree temperatures to drop, we pulled out one of our favorite "winter time" movies - New in Town. It is a story that takes place mostly during a Minnesota winter. It stars Renee Zellweger and Harry Conick, Jr. and we find it hilarious. We have most of the lines memorized, but that just adds to the humor.
There is a Christmas scene in New in Town when all of the residents go gather for caroling around the town tree. It's a time that the two lead characters begin to acknowledge their attraction to each other. It's very sweet...
As I pondered a small project for this blog hop, I wanted to have something "Christmas", but not overly Christmas... something that could be used throughout the year.
Since I have been playing with scraps lately, particularly "strings", I stitched up four trees using some Christmas scraps. They offer a small pop of red, but not too much for my taste.
In my Christmas scraps I found a neutral print that featured the gifts from the song Twelve Days of Christmas. I was excited to discover that there was enough for a narrow sashing strip between the tree blocks.
The scrappy piano key border was made 2-1/2" wide with HST cornerstones and offers a nice frame for the mini.
I've written up a pattern for these trees... you can find the link near the bottom of this story.
The quilting is simple straight lines, a chevron pattern, following the shape of the trees. I didn't stress over having them perfectly spaced, most are 1/2-inch apart, some a little closer, others a tad bit more like 3/4".
I auditioned several different border options, but the piano keys were all that those little trees wanted. My original plan was to treat it as a round robin quilt with each border making it a little larger. Try as I may, this mini quilt did not want to grow larger! The trees as the center of the star isn't bad... but they were just too small to be the focal point. The "star" wanted to be the STAR! The angled strip border simply screamed NO to me.
On the back of my mini quilt I used a portion of a panel that features gingerbread folks... which inspired me to make some gingersnap cookies to be included in my photos. :) The recipe is gluten free and quite yummy and comes from Homestead on the Hill's Holiday Treats book. I did a big-stitch binding finish which is printed with holly leaves and red cardinals... I included one of my personalized tags.
I'm not very good at doing cut-out sugar cookies... the dough always gives me fits when I am rolling it out... the ginger snaps were a snap to make, and more my style. ;)
I've taken up enough of your time. There are several other bloggers that have joined me for this Christmas in July hop. Be sure to visit them! There are a few prizes available! BUT, consider it a scavenger hunt to discover which quilters are doing them. 😉 Here's the link for my String Christmas Trees Pattern. The pattern/tutorial is listed for $2.00 but you can get it for FREE by using the Code: XMASNJULYFREE. The code is only valid for the duration of this blog hop ~ July 24-27, 2025.
Before you go...
What are your favorite holiday cookies to make?
Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you.
Merry Christmas (in July) & Keep Piecing,
Melva
July 24
July 25