BEHIND THE QUILT
A SANTA SACK WITH A TWIST
“I wanted this Santa sack to stand out from the rest, so rather than the usual character in the centre, I wanted lots of characters! So, I included St. Nick (a wise old hare snuggling up in his own patchwork quilt) and his woodland friends, who are pulling the sleigh – no little bunnies or hedgehogs want to miss out on the excitement on Christmas morning! Along with a fox, otter and rabbit, there is even what must be a very sleepy hedgehog right at the front.
“The sack has a patchwork background on the front, with the appliqué forming a circle to leave a space for personalising the sack – perhaps an initial for a special someone? I free-motion quilted the sack and used wadding and lining throughout to make it stand up to the rigours of Christmas morning. In addition, the sack features a handmade drawstring closure with a matching binding at the top to bring all the design colours together.
“The dark blues of the night sky gave me the opportunity to show off some very pretty batiks and highlight the patchwork stars in a light blue. I have a bit of a penchant for pairing dark blue with rainbow and this sack is no exception. I like wearing bright colours in real life and often pair, for example, a long pink skirt with a darker top in a similar shade as it makes me happy. I like to think that my critters like to do the same, especially on Christmas Eve!” – Andrea Gorman
Love the design but short on time? Check out the blue box on page 29!
You will need
Background fabrics
■ Fabric A: Hoffman Lapis Batik (near black with blue/purple branch batik) – 7in x 20in ■ Fabric B: Hoffman Mottles Peacock Batik – 5in x 6in ■ Fabric C: Hoffman 885 lapis (dotty navy batik) – 5in x 6in ■ Fabric D: Kona Regal (dark royal purple plain) – 3in x 6in ■ Fabric E: Bella Peacoat (darkest navy-blue plain) – 3in x 6in ■ Fabric F: Bella Storm (dark navy-blue plain) – 5in x 6in ■ Fabric G: Sew Simple 107 (navy batik) – 6in x 5in ■ Fabric H: Bella Nightsky (purple turned blue plain) – ½yd ■ Fabric I: Island Batik Storm (mottled blue batik) – 5in x 10in ■ Fabric J: Hoff Peace (cream batik with light blue flowers) – 3in x 6in ■ Fabric K: Kona Marine (bold navy plain) – 9in x 8in ■ Fabric L: Hoff 1895 Dusty Blue Batik (light blue batik) – 5in x 9in ■ Fabric M: Hoff Blue Bonnet Batik (dark navy with purple blue flowers) –■ Fabric N: Sew Simple Batik 106 (purple toned blue batik) – 6in x 5in ■ Fabric O: Bella Dusk (soft purple toned mid blue plain) – 7in x 10in ■ Fabric P: Sew Simple Batik 94 (soft purple toned mid blue batik) – 5in x 10in ■ Fabric Q: Bella Baby Blue (light blue plain) – 10in x 8in ■ Fabric R: Hoff China Blue (mid blue flower batik) – 15in x 10in ■ Fabric S: Bella Delft (light purple toned blue plain) – 5in x 10in ■ Fabric T: Hoff Bluebonnet Batik (dark navy with purple blue flowers for lining and bottom) – 3yds ■ Fabric U: Striped rainbow cotton fabric for binding and ropes – ¼yd ■ Fabric V: Bella Marine (navy blue plain) – ¾yd
