Whirling Christmas Wall Hanging
The Whirling Quilt Pattern is available in the SHOP
Okay, everyone, are you really ready for the Christmas quilting season? Do you have enough green and red fabrics? What about golds and silvers? Have you practiced your self-restraint enough to resist splurging on every cute little Santa print you see?
Well, I know I’m hopeless, since I’ve been hearing jingle bells since July. Case in point, here I am neglecting last year’s scraps in favor of another Poppie Cotton hit: Oh What Fun by Elea Lutz. Plus, my growing Aurifil thread obsession strikes again…
Since it’s the season of doing a dozen things at once, though, I opted to use a single block of my Whirling pattern to make a bright and cheerful wall hanging, adding some top and bottom borders to make it the right size to be a nice fluffy cushion too.
Let’s start by taking a close look at Elea’s prints, because it would be a crime to overlook all the little details she put in. We’ve got a fresh color combo, that uses pinks and blues to balance the typical red and green. The Santas and their hats are the perfect summary of her color choices: so unapologetic and giving that feeling of the controlled chaos that reminds me of decorating the house for Christmas.
There’s a bit of a story hidden inside these prints; mittens and a bow, a little mouse and gingerbread men, a dapper snowman and mismatched socks. Look at those fields of flowers and colorful snow!
For the quilting, my soft spot for Aurifil’s variegated threads pushed me toward this brilliant yellow. I wanted something bright and warm at the same time, and I love that this color is kind of infusing light into the fabric.
I made diamonds by following the diagonal lines of the pattern. Doesn’t the end result look both elegant and cozy? It reminds me of tinsel on a tree!
I sewed 1/8” all around the edge to attach the back of the cushion and hold everything together (of course, using the clips that matched the project hehe). The back is the same as the background for the front; these tiny little dots that look like multicolored snowfall.
Here’s a look up close of how that turned out. Isn’t it the most satisfying thing? Look at how that variegation gives the whole piece depth; the darker sections of yellow criss-crossing over the lighter, like a mess of lights competing for attention.
For the binding, I wanted to contrast the background fabric, while making the others pop, so I went with this print that’s red with bigger dots. It ended up being the perfect frame for this project, wouldn’t you agree?
Now, this wouldn’t be my work if I left it at just this, would it? We need to add some special finishing touches.
That’s right: labels! Matching the color scheme, of course, I was able to use this tree and this golden year marker to give the whole thing the feel of a finished product. I look forward to leaning back on it in a few years, and being able to know exactly when I made it. How else would I keep track?
Just for, let’s look at the details one more time. There are candy canes on the trees! And teeny tiny little stars! Personally, I love the little reindeer dressed in sweaters or wearing a wreath around their necks, surrounded by the tiniest little birds you ever did see. And each of these elements popping with the almost golden quilting around them. It’s just a dream!
It can of course be made as a pillow as well, just follow the steps of your favorite pillow tutorial.
Make sure to tag me and use the hashtag #sewmarianatutorial on social media to share your wonderful creations. Have a cool summer!
