Corona Christmas Quilt

I made a new Christmas quilt over the global pandemic period. It started out as a group project at my quilt group which we called a Shoebox Shuffle. All our members put the pattern, instructions and some or all of the fabric needed for the blocks they wanted to be made in a shoebox and we passed them around the group until everyone had worked on all the projects. Mine was a traditional block called Churn Dash which I asked to be pieced in festive fabrics. The background material is a crisp white on white snow pattern.

I used up a lot of the small scraps of Christmas fabric to make a crumb border around the centre churn dash and tree blocks. There is Christmas sewing every year and this results in a heap of offcuts.

These half square triangles are leftovers from a previous festive project and I made them in to these wreath blocks, the pattern is called Round and Round and it is by Thimbleblossoms.

Quilt laid out on my work room floor. My clinic became a sewing room during Lockdown One, I was fortunate to be able to return to work during the subsequent lockdowns.

Post lockdowns our spare room has now been turned in to the Sew Fun Room.

My dog, Billie, likes to sit on, walk over and sniff quilts but now Luna, my son’s girlfriend’s half-lionhead rabbit, is quite keen too.

I had so many leftover Christmassy half square triangles, I used them to make five more round and round blocks for the centre of the quilt backing. I like back art. I also used some of the larger pieces of yuletide fabric, most of which my best friend gave me. Thank you Jane! She lives in a town well known for it’s textiles and cwilts.

Grateful for tall and helpful sons who will hold up quilts to be photographed.

Debbie Holland longarm quilted this quilt for me with a charming festive pantograph by Anne Bright called Primitive Christmas. It was Debbie’s idea to use palest blue thread which looks frosty and fabulous. I enjoy collaborating with her (and she sent me chocolate!).

My favourite part of this quilt is the candy cane border. I found the quilt maths for the whole project tricky, I usually ask the family to help and they’re quite happy to lend their geometry skills. The side borders are a traditional American pattern called Road to Tennesee.

Here is my Corona Christmas Quilt, ready for Christmastime. Corona which refers to the virus we’ve lived with also means crown which seems appropriate at this time of year.

‘A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!’

Love Melanie xx