BEHIND THE QUILT
JINGLE BELLS
“I made a Christmas Ball quilt a couple of years ago, where I had dozens of mice in ball gowns waltzing around a dark-blue patchwork quilt. It’s one of my favourites and I had the opportunity this year to make a tree skirt to match it! I’ve used a similar colour scheme but this time I have some larger woodland animals decorating the tree with bells, coloured lights and even candy canes. Each of the lights twinkle with metallic threads.
“With its rainbow fabrics and use of metallic threads, it seems to capture all the fun of Christmas past. Appliqué ornaments hang from branches of pine needles, all cleverly sewn with free-motion embroidery. Woodland creatures are hanging baubles and lights against a patchwork background made from a mixture of scrap fabrics in rich blues and pine greens to complement the bright colours of the appliqué. If you prefer more traditional colours, the pattern could be easily adapted.”
– Andrea Walpole
You will need
■ Fabric A* ( dark-blue) – Four (4) sets (one (1) for each quarter) of thirteen (13) 5in x 6in pieces
■ Fabric B (mid-blue plain) – 5in x 20in
■ Fabric C (mid-blue print) – 3in x 12in
■ Fabric D (light-blue) – Four (4) sets (one (1) for each quarter) of three (3) 6in x 5in pieces
■ Fabric E (pine-green batik) – 5in x 20in
■ Fabric F (plain pine-green) – 4in x 25in
■ Fabric G (pine-green) – Four (4) sets of three (3) 3in squares
■ Threads – Plain, variegated and metallic in a variety of shades**
■ Stabiliser – Four (4) 16in x 16in pieces
■ Freezer paper – 24 x 12in
■ Appliqué fabrics – Scraps of watercolour batiks (Hoffman do a lovely range called 1895) in a rainbow of colours, or colours according to your colour scheme. There are two (2) appliqué block patterns which are repeated on the second half of the skirt. You can do the appliqué the same on both halves or make them unique with different colour fabrics. Most sizes need less than 6in x 4in
