Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 2

It's that time of year again: time for Twelve Days of Christmas Quilts ! We will feature an inspiring quilt each weekday, ending on Christmas Eve.  We wish you a happy, healthy and creative holiday season.
Merry Christmas to all...

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Two Reindeer, 39 x 40, by Joy Palmer

Joy Palmer says, "I made a few fabric substitutions and added a few designer touches of my own. This past Christmas, these two reindeer graced my dining room wall and entranced my grandchildren."
This reindeer quilt pattern is by Joan Jones at Seams Like Home.

Here's a close-up of Joy's beautiful applique work, with the three-dimensional trim around their necks. These are the friskiest, highest-energy reindeer we've seen in a long time ! They look ready to carry Santa's sleigh to all corners of the world on his toy deliveries.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Santa Clara Valley Quilters Association show (California).

Quilt Inspiration: Best of Halloween Quilts

As holidays go, it seems that Halloween gets bigger and better every year.  We love the images of the season: jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses, bats, ghosts and witches. We've even come to enjoy the wacky but iconic color scheme of orange, green and purple (!) Here's a recap of our Best of Halloween posts from the last two years.

Above, Row 1: Jack O Lantern Baskets by Kim Gaddy at Buttons and Bees; Pumpkin Hollow by Anne Sutton at Bunny Hill Designs; Fall Pumpkins by Kim Gaddy at Buttons and Bees. Row 2: Goofy Ghosts by Karen Eckmeier at The Quilted Lizard; Ichabod Hollow by Holly Oddson at Contra Costa County Quilt Guild (pattern by Joe Wood at Thimble Creek Quilt Shop); Rotogravure by Joe Wood at Thimble Creek Quilt Shop. Row 3: Sew Spooky by Arlene Stamper and Melissa Harris at The Quilt Company; Haunted House by Cynthia England at England Design. Row 4: Baltimore Halloween by Pearl P. Pereira at P3 Designs; Haunted Houses by Amber Johnson at A Little Bit Biased; If the Hat Fits pattern by The Buggy Barn™; a quilt kit is also available at The Buggy Barn. Row 5: If the Hat Fits block by The Buggy Barn™; Pumpkins by Frieda Anderson at Friestyle; Witch's Brew by Joan Jones at Seams Like Home; Don't Drink and Fly by Holly Mabutas at Eat Cake Graphics.

Fun Halloween quilts: Witch's Brew

Have you ever seen a witch this realistic? The exuberant quilt, below, was made by Karen Polczynski and posted at My Quilt Place.  In the design, by Joan Jones at Seams Like Home, the witch is busy stirring a cauldron of brew. You can even see vapor rising from the cauldron (click to see the detail !)  We love Karen Polczynski's choice of fabrics, including the shiny fabrics on the cauldron and the witch's robe.

The Witch's Brew wall quilt is made with raw edge, fusible appliqué.  Hand-drawn faces and fabric packs are available at Seams Like Home LLC.

Joan Jones also has a wonderful haunted house pattern for Halloween, called Raven Hill.  If you love applique, check out all of the unique quilt patterns at Seams Like Home - we're particularly partial to Joan's Peace Angel, Mermaid, and  Reindeer.

Design credits: Joan Jones has enjoyed sewing since childhood and now has over 50 years of sewing experience in a variety of techniques. She is completely self taught and feels this is the reason for the originality and the unusual sewing methods that she has developed.