Think Christmas!

Let's start with an assortment of Christmas Fabrics!  Use large prints and small prints. Choose the colors you like.

Then add blue fabric strips. Again choose your favorite blues.

I cut my strips 1 1/4 inch wide by whatever length the scraps were.
.

Randomly, sew together two strips.

Sew the sets of 2 strips together to make sets of 4 strips.

 Keep sewing strip sets to strip sets.

Time to press. I used a spray starch - Best Press.

 Press the front side and the back side too!

Then press the back side again so the seam allowances are all going one direction.

Trim one side.

 Rotary cut 1 1/4 inch strips.

Mix them up!

Randomly sew them together.  Do NOT Match the seams!  I will repeat that --- Do NOT match the seams. They can be close, but don't try to line them up.  There are too many different fabrics and they all pull and stretch.  And this is a fun project.  No precise piecing.  Just sewing for fun! Enjoy it!

Just sew --- don't match them up!  Just have fun!  Don't worry if you get some of the same colors right next to each other.  It doesn't matter.

I sewed enough strips together to make three hot pads.

Press again.

See they don't match and it still looks cool... well at least I think it looks cool.

More blue squares in this section.

Remember some of the fabrics were large print and some were tiny print.

Trim the edges.

Now they are ready to quilt. Hopefully, I will find a little time in between customer's quilts sometime before Christmas! I will quilt it with a small meandering.

I placed my Corningware casserole dishes on the hot pads, so you can imagine how they will look on my sister-in-law's table at Christmas.  She has Christmas dishes and pretty plates and glasses.  They will look very festive together.

My sister-in-law hosts Christmas, so I always make the table runners for her and I noticed she needed hot pads.

This is my one Christmas bowl.

Remember I did not match up any of the intersections.  I was just playing and having fun!

The bottom left one has more blue squares. I like it best!

My Think Christmas Blog Hop Giveaway is:

A Quilting Prize ---

Free Quilting,

Free Batting,

and Free Thread

on a table runner, a couple place mats, 4 mug rugs, or a table topper or a small wall hanging or on some hot pads!

The Quilting Giveaway is open to everyone!
Winner pays shipping both ways and provides the quilt top and backing fabric.

To enter please leave a comment --- 
Tell me what color you would choose to add to your Christmas fabric if you were making hot pads like mine.

Giveaway ends at Midnight on Wednesday, August 8th and will be announced later in that week.

I was unable to reply to any of the comments for the last blog hop and giveaway, because my daughter got married that week, but I plan to reply to all of them this time.  Please make sure I have your email, if you are no reply blogger.

Now hop along and visit all other blogs that are Thinking Christmas!

Thank you Lesley at the Cuddle Quilter Blog for hosting such a wonderful Blog Hop

and 

Thank you Samm at Sew We Quilt Blog for your wonderful ideas for Blog Hops!

Here is the list for today:

August 1

Sheila's Quilt World

A Passion for Applique

Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio

Jane's Quilting

Sew Me Something Good

A Stitch in Time

Aurea at That Other Blog

Quilt Times

Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting

Patchouli Moon Studio

Quilting by the River

Celebrate the joy of creating, sewing, and quilting!  Take time to play and Think Christmas!
Marcia