Holiday Hills Quilt

Looks familiar, right? It’s February 2022 and this has been in the works for a couple of months. Other quilts have been started & finished, but I fell out of habit getting blog posts written during the holidays, so let’s catch up.

Quilting Gifts

If you’ve been a reader for awhile, you know I sew or quilt almost daily. I test patterns for several designers and I write about those quilts & my experiences here. Often, when I test a pattern, it happens to align with a holiday, a seasonal shift, coincidentally with milestones or the birth of new babies. When that happens, I head into the test with a particular person in mind and I choose fabrics that will work well with the quilt, but suited to a gift I also want to make. It’s a win-win. There are also times I make a quilt, knowing it’s a gift, but I want to have one for myself too! This second version of the Holiday Hills Quilt is kind of like that. I made the first version for my family, knowing full well that my sentimental, holiday loving, decor enthusiast friend needed one too.

Keeping Secrets

I’m blessed with a multitude of creative family & friends. I’m inspired by their work and frequently, we share work or “barter”, for lack of a better word. We encourage one another, while also learning from each other. It’s really cool. I was speaking with my friend, Tammy, in late 2021 and she said, “I’d love for you to make me something; maybe a quilt?” Not only is she a friend, she’s been a solid customer too. She has supported my business from the beginning and owns multiple Two Terriers Studio creations. This particular discussion came on the heels of taking inventory of all the quilts I’ve made & gifted and even stacked in closets in my studio. Quilts I’ve tested, ideas that were started & left unfinished. Quilts on my “to make someday” list. Her comment got my wheels churning. I was watching her decorate her new home for the holidays. She has such an attention to detail that I knew her quilt would be best suited with the holidays in mind, in the color scheme I saw in her home. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I have learned that with the amount of hours it takes to complete a project like this, keeping the fabric a secret was not a great idea. I needed her input or approval first.

Fabric

Tammy’s favorite color is teal / aqua. Little pops of it show up all around her world! As I started looking into fabric, I found this collection by Maude Asbury for Free Spirit Fabrics called Fa La La. I felt that it was perfect for her & she gave the “thumbs up”. It was all she knew about what was in the works; the rest I kept to myself. I’ll tell you, not sharing the other fabric choices was a challenge. I wanted to include her, but also surprise her. The trust she placed in me to just do as I wished, was a treat. I ordered the fabric and the project began.

I realize now that I didn’t actually take that many progress photos! This was a pattern I’d already made once, so the piecing and technical issues have been documented before. It was so tempting, with every new tree, to share progress, but I stayed on task.

Longarm Quilting

This quilt is 60×64″ and bigger than I felt comfortable quilting, edge to edge, on my domestic machine. Tammy agreed with having it professionally quilted & she covered that cost, as well as the feature fabrics. I sent this to Jenn, www.knottedthread.com, for the quilting. As always, amazing results. After hours and hours of cutting and piecing, it’s nice to have this kind of finish, texture, and creative art added. It’s a team effort, a collaboration, for sure.

I’m certainly NOT a perfect piecing, all the time, kind of sewist, but this pattern by Raye, www.thehomebodyco.com, is written in such a way that points are not lost in the piecing of these trees. So satisfying to see it up close. Well, at least for me!

I chose this aqua snowflake fabric for the binding. With it being her favorite color, and also featured among the tree motifs, it frames the design pretty well. I try to make my binding at the time the tops are finished, but to be honest, it’s the stage at which I usually lose momentum. The secret is to gift quilts; those get finished! I don’t care to admit how many quilts are stacked in my studio waiting for this 1% final piece of the puzzle.

The Backing

The original feature fabric is the entire back of this quilt. I just love it. The whimsical trees, the old fashioned-ish ornaments, images reminiscent of “tinsel” trees from the 60’s (is that when those were popular?); it all makes me smile. If she wants a pop of color, this can be draped on a sofa or the foot of a bed with the backing facing out, rather than the front.

Exhale

Binding finished, one swift “shaking it out” and setting it down for a look…I exhaled. It’s as I had hoped and it embodies work beyond my own hands. Some of the swirls remind me of the first letter of my name; some of the stars, the first letter of her name, the quilty details made possible by a woman in another state. It’s good. Collaboration is good.

Snow Prayers

Last, but not least, photos for documenting the finish. New England is traditionally known for snowy winters, yet, no snow on the ground when this was done & ready to be sent. If you know me well, you know that I don’t often pray for snow. Like ever; except maybe on Christmas Eve, then not again. However, I did pray for snow the night before this photo. The cool colors of these trees, the holiday vibe & the winter forest just begged for snow. Asked & received. God is good. Today, barely a week later, the snow is mostly melted. For now. Seriously, I don’t want to jinx myself!

All Done

When I woke to snow, it was a good day. There, I said it. I was happy with this weather. My husband always helps with photos and if you look closely, you can see that he walked AROUND the frame so that his big footprints wouldn’t be tracked into the photo. Bonus, I didn’t even think of it, but he knew. Well done, hubs!

Holiday Hills #2 is now at home with Tammy. She un-boxed her gift on her instagram stories @whitelilacfarmhouse and her reaction literally brought me to tears. Her crying, my crying…her jokes about how “Stacey really taped-up this box” (if you know, you know). It was funny even through our happy cry fest. That unboxing moment is why I do this. I want my family & friends to feel loved. Geography doesn’t allow me to be with all the people I care about on a regular basis, but sharing something handmade, one of a kind, and made with love, can transport us across the miles. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be able to share this skill/hobby/interest of mine with those I care about. Tammy, remember it’s meant to be used. Use it, love it, wash, dry and repeat.

Enjoy…..

All photos and content property of Two Terriers Studio; not to be duplicated or shared without written consent of the author.

I’m BACK!

I’ve been a little quiet in this story telling space, but today is the pattern release day for the Holiday Hills Quilt and time for me to get back to the writing of these quilt stories. As the leaves change from vibrant green to red, yellow and now a tinge of orange, it’s clear winter is on the way. It’s perfect timing to prepare for the holidays and handmade gift giving, or to even make something festive for yourself. Truth be told, I will most certainly be keeping this quilt for my family.

A New Quilt

I was fortunate to work with Raye, thehomebodyco.com, who designed the Holiday Hills pattern. She began the initial discussion with testers in 2020 and as you might imagine, there were a few other things that needed attention in that crazy year. Quilting was certainly a positive distraction, but when you’re offering a product to so many people, distractions may not be the best element in the equation. Fast forward to 2021 and this quilt was entirely worth the wait. While we all wanted to go-go-go in 2020, it was wise to settle in and wait; make it perfect. It is well-written, with precise details, easy to make and might I add, FUN.

I have been mindful of “sewing from my stash”; Lord knows I don’t NEED more fabric, as fun as it is to shop and add to my collection. I did want to make a quilt with a traditional color scheme, so I headed straight to my Christmas bin of textile goodness. I pulled this collection, called Merrily by Gingiber for Moda Fabrics. Adding in some coordinates by Cluck Cluck Sew and Sweetwater, I was all set. Let the cutting begin.

There’s always something a little delightful about seeing these fabric trimmings piled together. It’s a sign of what’s to come, but also indicative of little waste, which is a good thing!

A Forest in the Making

Seriously, just having these beauties lined up on my cutting mat was the inspiration I needed. I could already tell how much I would love this quilt.

The Backing

If you’ve been around here for very long, you have seen the photos and heard the stories of all the creatures, great and small, we see in our neighborhood. The black bears seem to be the ones who garner the most surprise and awe, but we also have almost daily visits from deer; the occasional bobcat sighting, and often the hooting of an owl in the trees behind our home. It continues to be magical, if not also frightening at times. I mean, nobody wants to find themselves 15 feet from a bear without any warning (and it happens!). Long story long, that is what drove me to purchase several yards of this fabric. It looks and feels like home. I was shopping with my daughter and stopped the moment I saw this bolt, “isn’t this perfect?” Her reply, “what are you going to do with it?” I had no clue in that moment, but the pine boughs, deer, owl and vibe of it, drew me in. It came home with us that day! I knew I’d figure something out & that it would be used and loved.

A Pieced Quilt Top

Another common thread is my love for summer. It might seem odd that I was as thrilled as I was to dive into a winter holiday quilt. It’s not hard to be excited about changes when things go smoothly. That smoothness isn’t always the case, but in the wait for this pattern and seeing how well it all came together, I was mostly on board for letting summer fade away to focus on the next thing.

Quilting, Edge to Edge

If I’m quilting a small item or baby size quilt, I’m comfortable with doing that on my domestic machine. This quilt’s size and my vision for the pantograph meant sending it to be professionally long armed. This quilting work was done by Jenn at knottedthread.com. It’s exactly what I imagined. The ornaments give a feeling of snow and wind gusting through the hills of trees, but also a nod to favorite Christmas decorations. It finishes the “story” perfectly, in my opinion.

I’m staking claim to this one, for snuggles by the fireplace this holiday season. It’s a simple theme, but each element ties together feelings of home for me. To think the fabrics were purchased years apart and that the pattern was a year in the making, it was just meant to be. Timing is everything, correct? I think timing worked out pretty well on this one.

Pattern Release

The Homebody Company is releasing this pattern today, November 10, 2021 for purchase. You’ll find this quilt in both printed and pdf versions, as well as an extension for making a pillow and even a paint-by-numbers kit. It’s a win-win. Special thanks to Raye for including me in the tester team. It’s always a joy to work together!

Holiday Hills Quilt, by Stacey at Two Terriers Studio

Thanks for stopping by! More projects coming soon.

This is not a sponsored post; all opinions are my own. Content not to be copied or distributed without written permission of Two Terriers Studio. All data and photos property of Two Terriers Studio.

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