Monday, November 18, 2019

2019 Merry Little Christmas Stitch-Along Coming Soon!!

I'm so excited to announce that it's almost time for the 5th Annual Jen Daly Quilts Christmas Quilt-Along!

In the past I've kept the quilt-along project a mystery, revealing one step at a time with a big finish, but this year I've decided to change things up a bit.  I'm going to give a sneak peek of the project that we're making before the quilt-along begins.  I'm hopeful that having an idea of where we're headed will help you choose a color palette and materials more successfully so that you'll truly love your finished project.

I've also decided to call this year's quilt-along a "stitch-along."  As the name suggests, this project will require a bit more stitching than quilting—perfect for working on by the fire with a glass of eggnog at your side and a Christmas movie playing on the tv.  I don't know about you, but the thought of a little slow stitching and a break from the holiday hustle and bustle is infinitely appealing to me.

So without further ado, allow me to introduce the...

  Merry Little Christmas Stitch-Along!!


Throughout the month of December, we'll be stitching charming Christmas icons and ultimately assembling them into a throw pillow—perfect for your holiday decor.  I made my traditional sample using a variety of felted wools, but during the stitch-along I'll be making a bright and colorful version using solid flannels in place of the wool.  Choose wool, flannel, even printed quilting cottons—whatever you like!


Here's what I'm planning to use for my bright pillow...

I'm using a variety of fabrics from the Vintage Holiday fabric line by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics:


I'm pairing them with solid flannels in colors inspired by the Vintage Holiday fabrics:


I've chosen embroidery floss in colors to match the flannels I'm using:


And I've gathered some darling buttons and beads to embellish my flannel appliqués:


And just because I'm so excited about how these materials work together, here's a little more eye candy...


Yum!!!


The Merry Little Christmas Stitch-Along will begin on Monday, December 2nd and continue every other day through the month of December, wrapping up on the 22nd.  There's no sign up required for the stitch-along—as we progress, I'll make each pattern or set of instructions available on the blog and on the stitch-along page.  The patterns will remain on the blog/website throughout the month of December and in January I'll make a complete pattern available in my Etsy shop.  I'll also do regular posts on Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #merrylittlechristmassal.  If you post pictures of your progress, be sure to tag me @jendalyquilts and use the hashtag #merrylittlechristmassal—I'd LOVE to see what you come up with!

To help you get started, here's a link for a printable materials list for the stitch-along.

 Merry Little Christmas Stitch-Along Materials

Have fun gathering materials for the project and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at jendalyquilts@gmail.com.  I'll see you back here on December 2nd!  Can't wait!!

—jen