Wednesday, October 15, 2014

12 Days of Christmas: Day 7

Christmas is only 70 days away!


Greetings from Christmas inspiration central! We're on day 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas extravaganza, featuring our favorite holiday fabric collections and free patterns, plus easy-to-follow tutorials by some of our favorite blogging designers! 

On the seventh day of Christmas, we have:
Christmas card holder by Dawn Stewart of Spring Water Designs made using prints from the Christmas Basics collection


Dawn: 
Fabri-Quilt asked me to use one of their lines to make a Holiday project, and I was happy to play with some of their Christmas fabrics!  I wanted to go with lots of reds and greens so I chose the Christmas Basics line to make my quilted Christmas Card Holder. 

Here's what you will need to make it:
 (The following cuts of fabric are minimum amounts needed ~ If you want some wiggle room, start working with 1/2 yard cuts instead of 3/8 yard)

3/8 yard Cream Background fabric
       - From the Cream cut, (1) 12-1/2" x 36-1/2" rectangle
Approx 1/3 yd each of assorted Red & Green Prints (I used 4 Greens, 3 Reds & 1 lighter Holly Print)
       - From each Green cut, (1) Triangle for Tree* & (3) 6-1/2" squares
         (Cut your triangle for the tree first as some of them are larger than the squares)
       - From each Red & the Holly Print, cut (3) 6-1/2" squares
       (Ultimately you'll want a total of (24) 6-1/2" squares)
6" square of Yellow for Star*
6" square of Brown for the Tree Trunk*
3/8 yard Red/Green Check print for the top and bottom border
3/8 yard of one of the Greens for binding
       - Cut (5) 2-1/2" strips to make your binding
1-1/2 yard of backing fabric
Approx 40" x 52" rectangle of batting
24 Buttons (I used 12 Red and 12 Green)

*Applique Templates and printer friendly instructions can be found Here on the Free Pattern Page of my website (or you can just cut your own shapes ~ there's no right or wrong to this :)  I used the Fusible applique method, but you can use any method that you wish for the applique tree.  For needle turn applique, you'll need to add seam allowances. 


To start, sew the 6-1/2" squares together in 6 rows of 4 squares per row, alternating the colors for a scrappy look.  Press the seam allowances in each row toward the green squares so that all of the seams will nest nicely when joining the rows together.


 Then sew the long cream colored background rectangle to the left side of the unit of squares.


Arrange the Tree shapes on the Cream rectangle in any manner that's pleasing to you, and fuse them in place with a hot iron.


 Then sew the Red/Green Checked borders to the top and bottom. 


Stitch down the edges of the applique to finish them.  I used a machine blanket stitch.


Layer with backing and batting and quilt "as desired" ;)  Next, sew a button to the top of each of the 24 squares ~ I put a Red button on the Green squares, and Green buttons on the Red and Holly squares.


 Finally I found yet another use for these little Wonder Clips by Clover...


I cut a 5" length of ribbon, and tied it in a loop through the little hole in the clear part of the Wonder Clip.


 ...Then clip the Wonder Clip to your Christmas cards as they arrive, and hang the loop over the buttons ~ simple, but effective.


Your quilted Card Holder makes a great decoration as you load up your 24 squares with Christmas Cards that you receive, or use your imagination to hang little goodies, notes, or daily devotions/prayers/Bible verses for a festive quilted Advent Calendar :)

I'd love to see some of the ideas that you come up with ~ Merry Christmas!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn


For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of fabrics from the Christmas Basics collection, leave a comment below letting us know that you follow Inspired by Fabric either by blog reader or email (you can sign up for either on the right hand sidebar), and/or that you like us on Facebook. In your comment, also tell us--do you still send holiday greeting cards? The giveaway will be open through Sunday, October 18th at 11:59 pm EST.



The 12 Days of Christmas:


50 comments:

  1. What a clever idea to use the wonder clips for this, and handy that they're red! I send holiday cards most years. I follow via GFC and email.

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  2. Cute card tree! I'm with you.... those wonder clips have tons of uses. I follow via GFC and Bloglovin. Thanks so very much!

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  3. I follow via Bloglovin. I like the idea of using the wonder clips as a card holder.I don't send Christmas cards anymore but do buy boxes of cards after the holidays , write greetings in them and take the to the VA hospital for them to pass out to vets.

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  4. This is such a wonderful idea. Yes, I do send Christmas cards out every year and I really enjoy receiving them. Thank you for the giveaway. I follow via Bloglovin and FB>

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  5. I follow on FB and your blogs with email and GFC. I do send Christmas cards but send fewer of them than in years past.

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  6. I love the wonky tree!
    I follow you via email and like you on facebook!

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  7. I follow Inspired by Fabric via Bloglovin. And sadly, I do not send Christmas cards. Over the years I shortened my list due to postage cost until it became nonexistent!

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  8. I follow on Bloglovin. I don't send Christmas cards anymore - I sadly think they are a ting of the past. Thanks!

    Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.

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  9. Love that tree! I follow by email, like you on FB and yes, I send out cards!

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  10. Great project and love the use of the Wonder clips. I haven't sent holiday cards in a few years.

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  11. Following Inspired by Fabric blog. No Christmas Cards. 24Tangent@gmail.com

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  12. I'm a follower of Inspired by Fabric via Bloglovin. I still send Christmas cards, thought my list has gotten smaller. Thanks.

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  13. What a great project. Thank you.
    I am already following Inspired by Fabric via email, Bloglovin' and also on Facebook.

    Yes, I always send cards. I am starting to feel like there is no personal touch with the special holidays though as we send out about 50 cards each year, and we're lucky to get two. I'm still kinda old school and think special times like birthdays and the holidays should still have a card given or mailed to those we love.

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  14. I'm already a Follower of Inspired by Fabric...thru Bloglovin & Email (I don't do FB)...

    I always send Christmas cards...Homemade, including Envelopes. :)

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  15. Guess I didn't read well. So have made pot holders and ornaments thus far.

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  16. I follow IbF by email and would have missed this clever project if I didn't! I've whittled down my card list because of the postage costs.

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  17. I follow via bloglovin. I do still send cards, but the list is getting smaller each year

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  18. I follow through bloglovin and like you on facebook. I don't send many card nor get many back. I do have a box I bought last year so maybe I will send them this year!

    Sandy A

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  19. I follow via Bloglovin. I have great intentions every year of sending cards, but it rarely happens.

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  20. I follow you by email, and I do still send out holiday cards!

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  21. I follow by E-mail and BL. I use these clips all over the sewing room. Little notes on patterns, pictures of my quilt etc. Great tutorial.

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  22. Hiya!!! I follow by email and Bloglovin. Love the card holder!!! I used to send out a ton of cards each year, but postage got a bit expensive, so I haven't done that in several years. I still exchange with family and friends. Thanks for having the giveaway. Blessed be, hugs!!!

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  23. I follow through RSS feeds I love your posts!!

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  24. This is a great project! I follow on Facebook.

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  25. Oh, I DO send cards but I'm not sending zillions any more because I make my own and I like to write real messages in them!

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  26. I love to send greeting cards - I do not get that many back but I do a photo cards and make greeting cards for everyone! I enjoy it! I follow with bloglovin!! thank you!

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  27. What a great project! I love the tree. I do still send out Christmas cards - usually a family photo card. I follow your blog!

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  28. I follow by email.

    My husband and I send a lot of cards. we have lived in many different places and there are so many peopel we cannot visit in person. We try to display all the cards we receive, too

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  29. I love the use of those little clips. I use them to hold bulky layers together instead of pins. This is a cute way to display them and they're red!! I like to display the holiday photo cards we receive. Thanks for the great tutorial.

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  30. Following Inspired by Fabric on Bloglovin and liked you on facebook. Cute Christmas tree!

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  31. Great fabric. Cute project! I follow via bloglovin.

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  32. I follow you via Bloglovin. Yes I still send Christmas cards and have friends that still send them to me.

    tushay3(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  33. I alredy follow Inspired by Fabric FB. Thanks for the chance.

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  34. I follow via GFC. Yes, we send over 50 Christmas cards each year.

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  35. I follow Inspired by Fabric via facebook and bloglovin. I still send out Christmas cards
    cooladam1 at live dot com

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  36. I follow via email and I do send Xmas cards!! I love them!!!

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  37. I follow Inspired by Fabric via Bloglovin and Facebook. And I send Christmas cards to a few older relatives who don't use email of Facebook. Everyone else gets electronic greetings. Thanks for this great tutorial and the chance to win this beautiful fabric!

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  38. I follow via email.
    I still send out a few cards by snail mail. There are still some people that don't use the computer, and those people get lovely cards instead.

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  39. I follow on FB as Kathy Newsom Davis, and yes I still send Christmas cards.
    kdavis1@centurytel.net

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  40. I follow with bloglovin, and yes, we still send Christmas cards and letters. sarah@forrussia.org

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  41. I follow with bloglovin and I do still send Christmas cards to family and friends. Thanks for the great giveaway.

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  42. I follow on bloglovin and usually send out paper christmas cards.

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  43. I am a new follower through Google. Great tutorial. I am making this. I love to send and receive Christmas cards!

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  44. I follow by e-mail and think this project would be a great way to display the Christmas cards that we receive and yes, I do send out cards to far away friends and family. tkmattson@hotmail.com

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  45. I follow Inspired by Fabric through Bloglovin. Every couple of years I send out a "newsletter" or a picture card. I try to do it every year but the year goes by just too quicly. I love getting them and displaying all the pictures. This idea would be a really neat way to display. Thanks for sharing. kthurn@bektel.com

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  46. I follow you on bloglovin. I like the idea of keeping my cards the right way up, rather than hanging them on a string!

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  47. I do send cards out each year. It does seem like less and less people do this but I like to send 'real' mail to people! Also like receiving it. It is becoming a lost art. I follow you on bloglovin.

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  48. Already email subscriber. Love this display, I make a collage of all the cards at the end of the holiday and disply them in a book by year. I would love to try this to show them off through the holidays.
    ncjeepster@aol.com

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