Why Christmas in July? The weather is sunny and warm, the outdoors beckon with gardens and birdsong; who wants to worry about Christmas at this time of year? In my younger years I wouldn’t even start to think of Holiday crafts until the nip of Autumn started nibbling and the days grew shorter and more golden. Football season heralded in my creative spirit and I would sit and stitch while my husband and his buddies watched and cheered their favorite teams. The trouble with that was time; many of the projects I tackled were too involved to get done in time for Christmas without that last minute panicked rush. Every year I would promise myself that next year it would be different – next year I will start my projects earlier.
I think this was the thought in everyone’s minds that birthed the concept of Christmas in July; that and the fact that many fabric manufacturers start shipping their Christmas prints at this time of year.
I have a class coming up at Pioneer Quilts in a couple of weeks – a holiday wall hanging I call ‘Santa’s Cabin’. This is a foundation paper piecing project that creates a charming rustic cabin flanked by pine trees (perfect for embellishing if that is your passion). The paper piecing is more complex than some of the basic ‘quilt blocks’ you often see yet not so complex as to put it beyond the skills of a raw beginner. Not big on Santa? Make the cabin for an angel or forego the holiday theme altogether and simply make this a rustic cabin in the woods. I do hope you will come join me on Sunday July 16th from 11 am to 3:30 pm and make your own lovely little cabin. Contact Pioneer Quilts to enroll in this class.
