Tis The Season!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! We have the sugar cookies and caramel corn taken care of and now, it's time to start baking the pies. Don't you just love tradition?

Making sugar cookies

All my packages have arrived except one and thankfully it was just a few stocking stuffers. Out here in rural America, the package arrival dates can be less than as promised. In whatever spare time that I could find, I've been working on the Christmas Stars quilt.

Christmas Stars

All that's left to do is a pieced border of flying geese, which is already cut out. Loving the look of this simple quilt so much. Very 'country living' and cozy looking which is really all that I'm wanting it to be right now.

A closer look

Why oh why haven't I made more holiday quilts in years past? You're going to laugh, but I've cut out two more. They are very simple and nothing that screams cheesy Christmas. Some year I intend to have enough to put on all the beds during the season. A girl can dream!

The quilters who have posted these sorts of pictures this month have made me sigh with envy. Apparently it's time to join the party! Even if I run out of fun sewing these together this year, I will have them prepped and ready to work on when the holiday cycles around once again. Like I mentioned before, I'm never in the mood to work on Christmas quilts until Christmas! Though I intend to work on them a bit leading up to New Years, I sincerely doubt the momentum will hold for much longer. Again with the best wishes for a wonderful holiday, however it is that you spend your time!

*Update for those who are curious about the pattern. This quilt is based on a picture of an antique quilt I saw in the June 2011 American Patchwork & Quilting magazine. It has been in my inspiration binders for years! Super easy to make up your own version.

Make 20-9" {finished} Sawtooth Square blocks. For each block cut out:

• 1--5 3/4" square of background fabric. Cut on diagonal and then crosscut again making 4 triangles total
• 4--2 3/4" squares of background fabric
• 4--3 1/8" squares of star tip fabric. Cut on diagonal once
• 1--5" squares of star center fabric

Sew together blocks according to normal Sawtooth Star directions. Might have to trim slightly.

Cut red fabric for adjoining red squares and setting triangles:

• Cut 12--9 1/2" squares of red fabric
• Cut 4--14" squares of red fabric. Cut on diagonal and then crosscut again. Will use 14 of these triangles
• Cut 2--7 1/4" squares of red fabric. Cut on diagonal

Cut pieces for flying geese border:

• Cut 27--5 3/4" squares of red fabric for inside flying geese units. Cut on diagonal and then crosscut again.
• Cut 108--3 1/8" squares of green fabric for flying geese points. Cut on diagonal once

Have not tested the flying geese units to see if they actually will fit properly, but according to the math there should be 22 flying geese at the top of the quilt {flying sideways} and 28 along the side {flying in the vertical orientation}, plus two more at each of the corners flying vertically as well.

Good luck!