Think Christmas Blog Hop and Giveaway

Hey all, I hope you don't mind me posting a couple of hours early...

It's here!  The first day of the Think Christmas Blog Hop!  And I have the honor and pleasure of being amongst the first on our journey...

Christmas in July!  Welcome to my day for the Think Christmas Blog Hop!

Many thanks to Mdm Samm and Lesley of the Cuddle Quilter for organizing this and allowing me a spot!!

I decided to use my go-to pattern book from Barbara Brackman...

I've had this book about as long as I've been quilting and consider it one of my best references when looking for block inspiration.

My little engineer head loves the way she organizes everything!!  You can find a copy on Amazon but even used, it's salty...my copy was published in 1993.

Barbara has a blog where she references it being out of print but no timeline as to another printing or going digital...

Anyway, I wanted to do something Nine- Patchy, so I looked under the heading of Equal Nine Patch and picked this block...#1689a

This block has been called many things according to the reference book starting in 1894, but in 1936 Nancy Cabot called it Three and Six.  This seems a good descriptive name since there are 3 whole squares and 6 HST's in this block.

I really like it done up in Moda's French General.  The off-white Poinsettia print as well as the red print are from their Fa-la-la-la-la line.

To make one of these for yourself you would need to cut:
3 Light Squares 4 7/8"
3 Dark Squares 4 7/8"
3 Light Squares 4 1/2"

This will yield one 12 1/2" block.

 You will put right sides together of the three dark/light  4 7/8" pairs, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the light square and sew 1/4" from each side of the line.

Next, cut apart the 6 HST on the drawn line and press toward the dark triangle.  Then you can trim the HST's to 4 1/2" and arrange them with the remaining 4 1/2" light squares as shown below...

 Sew in rows and then join to form this simple but beautiful 12 1/2" block.

French General Fa-La-La-La-La

Now, you could make 4 blocks and you would end up with this pretty topper above...

Or you can do what I did and make 20 blocks to make this quilt top below.  I also put on a 4 1/2" border out of the light fabric to finish this top.  I apologize for the lack of pretty scenery in these pictures!  The drought around here has really taken a toll on my landscaping...the soybeans are still green but they are the only thing green, at this point!

Haha, I figured I better take a picture of the top with some Indiana sweet corn in the backdrop...since this is "Christmas in July"...
I pinned the top to my husband's mighty "rhino enclosure" capable of keeping our garden free of bunnies, raccoons, and deer.  I call it that because he used cut off telephone poles as fence posts...and it's, eh...kind of "sturdy", lol!

I find that a busy background fabric as I chose here really benefits from a simple design and I think this block looks striking in these fabrics.  That being said, I wanted to try it in a couple of other combinations, as well...

Now, for the giveaway...I have a Kate Spain Flurry charm pack to give to a lucky comment maker.  Please make a comment on which block above you prefer, just for my curiosity   ;)  or tell me your favorite Christmas Carol.

This is Straight No Chaser, and one of my son's favorite Christmas Songs.  The fact that they incorporate Toto's Africa into the end is fun.  As a Purdue graduate, I still can enjoy this Indiana University A Capella group but when they do their school song I cringe a bit as we are from rival schools...

I love this fabric collection, Flurry, as well as her other two Christmas lines, they are all such happy collections!  In order to be entered in the giveaway I ask that you not be a no-reply blogger or have a way for me to contact you if you win...otherwise I will draw another.

You do not need to be a follower to win this giveaway but if I can get to 100 followers, I will have another giveaway on a separate post just for my wonderful followers so stay tuned...we are getting close!

Good luck in the giveaway and be sure to visit these other wonderful sites that I have the pleasure of joining with today! **edited to add...I will draw on August 5****  thanks!

July 30

Cotton Addiction

Vroomans Quilts

Kris Loves Fabric <--you are here

Moosestash Quilting

Paws for Stitching

Threading My Needles 

Just Let Me Quilt

Living4quilting

Doodling in my Mind

Quilt Doodle Designs

 And, don't forget this hop goes on for 7 days, visit Lesley for the master schedule!