Tree Time

It's fast approaching.
Do you have fond memories of tying a big ole Christmas tree to the roof of your car like I do? When I think of some of the trees I've lugged home over the years tied to the roof or somehow stuffed into a hatchback over the years it makes me chuckle. This fabric reminded me of all those fun times.....

I grabbed this charm pack of Holly's Tree Farm and the 2 supporting half yards at Avonport Discount Fabrics in the Valley a few weeks ago and on Saturday night I decided to nab a couple hours of stitching time to whip up a little table square for myself. I don't tend to keep many of the small things I sew at Christmastime but I loved this fabric instantly, so this one's for me.

I dug out the Lil Twister tool that's been tucked in a drawer for years. It's the perfect tool to use when you've got 5" precuts...little work, big impact...and quick! I sewed these charms out in a 6 by 6 grid and added a 3 inch border of Kona Silver, because every project needs a little Kona. Then I cut up my made panel with the tool....so slick, so quick. Just remember to lay them out in the same order in which you cut them or your twirling bits will get confused...

You lose about a third of the size in the cutting...it never ceases to shock me how much smaller the project becomes once you cut it up and restitch the new blocks. I added a 4.25" border with mitered corners. This was about as big as I could go with the half yard cut of adorable tree-toting-car fabric I had to work with and I think it looks about right. The table topper finished up at about 30" square and suits the center of my oval table perfectly. A little Robot magic with Dawna Sanders design "Twinkling Snowflakes"  and we were all set!

Next weekend we'll make our annual trip to New Ross to cut our Christmas tree...and since there's no stuffing a big tree in a tiny Jeep we'll lug it home with Mr. PurpleBoots truck. I love this tradition...we've been sharing it with StepSister PurpleBoots and her family for many years. All the kids were pretty little when we started cutting our own trees, we've been to the same tree farm every year for I don't know how long. Rumor was that the old fella who runs it was making 2014 his last season, but I drove by there a couple weeks ago and his sign was up! It positively made my day!

Yay for longstanding traditions!!!