Monday, October 21, 2013

BBA Challenge - Prelude to the Holidays



Each month, the Blogging Business Artisans Etsy team challenges its members to make something that fits a particular theme.  The October 2013 BBA Challenge was Prelude to the Holidays:

October! It is time to start thinking ahead to the holidays -- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year. They will be here before we know it!
This month, I challenge you to create a holiday-themed item. It could be a new listing for your Etsy shop, a holiday decoration for your home, a costume or special accessory for a holiday gathering, or a gift you intend to give to a friend or loved one.
Since "prelude" is a musical term, you could also make something music-themed if you wish.

Since I started working part-time at The Quilted Kitty quilt shop, I have been surrounded by beautiful fabrics.  I especially love the fabrics from the Holly Jolly collection designed by Elizabeth Brownd for Robert Kaufman.





Then I began to construct two festive holiday placemats.  The quilt-as-you-go method really is quick and easy:


The pattern even calls for fold-over binding-- I call it "cheater binding":


The finished corners aren't as nice as mitered "real" binding -- but I saved 30 to 45 minutes per placemat.
My hubby really likes them.  We have a cardinal who visits our bird feeder, but we haven't been quick enough to get a photo yet.

The placemats are also reversible, with a slightly subtler print on the reverse side that would not compete with my holiday dishes pattern.


And there you have it!  One more item checked off my LONG holiday To Do List!

TTFN
LeAnn






12 comments:

  1. The fabrics are so pretty and festive!
    I love easy projects like this :)

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  2. Very cool! I haven't had time to sew a stitch since March. =(

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  3. You have definitely met the challenge well! I also love the quilt as you go method. I like to go over the seams after with decorative machine stitching. I'll bet you go nuts in the quilt shop! When I worked at JoAnn Fabrics, my brain would feel like it was ready to explode with inspiration. I couldn't wait to open the boxes to see what new fabrics came in!

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    1. Ha.Ha. We have that same reaction when new fabrics arrive. Temptation at every turn.

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  4. How pretty! I've never done any sort of quilting, but it's good to know that this is a quicker way to do it should I ever want to try. You did a great job! :-)

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  5. What beautiful fabrics...I love cardinals. Thanks for this month's challenge theme. It got my mind thinking Christmas and I got some new ornaments listed :)

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  6. How pretty! The fabrics are wonderful! I wonder if you are now tempted to make more placemats in other themes.

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  7. How pretty -- love the cardinals! This method would definitely be the way to go for someone (like me) who has never quilted!

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  8. Cute! I love (and use) the "cheater binding" method! :)

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