Thursday, October 16, 2014

Quilty Cross-Stitch Blocks

Jump to the tutorial: The Tree Is Trimmed

Cross-stitch blocks have been popping up on blogs over the past few months, and I love, love, love them. The quilt that first got my attention was Mr. Fox, by Samantha, of Making Life Prettier. More recently, I’ve swooned over this blue border of cross-stitch blocks, by Jess, of Quilty Habit.

Pile O’ Fabric features a tutorial for those interested in making their own cross-stitch blocks. I haven’t given it a go, but I definitely will: it’s versatile, offering instructions for 1-inch cross-stitch blocks up to 6-inch cross-stitch blocks.

The Pile O’ Fabric approach looks as if it’s especially good for quilters who want to use a bunch of different fabrics and create a scrappier feel to their collection of cross-stitch blocks. What if I chose to use fewer fabrics (because I wanted to justify buying a new jelly roll instead of breaking into my scraps) and took more of an assembly-line approach to making these blocks (because chasing after two little monkeys seriously cuts into my crafting time)?

With those thoughts in mind, I bought a jelly roll of Basic Grey’s 25th and Pine and came up with a different plan of attack. Right now, I’ve used this method to make a table topper. I also have a wall hanging and a table runner in the works. Even after those two projects are done, I’ll still have enough jelly-roll strips to continue the fun.

For more on how to make your own cross-stitch blocks from jelly rolls, see my tutorial: The Tree Is Trimmed.

If you’re visiting from Le Challenge, this is my submission for the “mix” theme, which I interpreted as “mixed up.” Do you see it? I’ve made a “cross-stitch” table topper, but I made it out of fabric, not embroidery floss! I also have a “quilt” that I’m making out of embroidery floss, not fabric. It’s Little Miss Shabby’s Quilty Stitches project. I suspect it will be ready by October 15 ... of next year. : )

http://www.le-challenge.blogspot.com/2014/10/le-challenge-16-mix.html

Also linking up to the usual suspects, including Needle and Thread Thursday, TGIFF at Simply Pieced, Finish It Up Friday, Sew Cute Tuesday, Let’s Bee Social, and Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts ...


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18 comments:

  1. Ooh, beautiful! I enjoyed reading about your approach and will bookmark it to try in the future. Thanks for the shout out! :)

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  2. Thanks for sharing. I will try this for a Xmas tree. Beautiful. I love your fabrics.

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    1. And thanks for your kind words. : ) Just an FYI, in case you didn't know: you're a no-reply blogger.

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  3. It is really cute , thanks for sharing on le challenge, and linking to your tutorial!

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  4. The Christmas tree is neat and I need one.

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  5. Great tutorial! This is perfect for the Christmas season coming up. Thanks for linking up to TGIFF!

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  6. So cute! Hey, this idea totally works for the next Le Challenge too!

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  7. This is so cute and festive! Great job on the tutorial!! I'm totally going to have to try these cross-stitched blocks! They are so fun!!

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  8. It's gorgeous and a great mix project! Very clever to use a jelly roll and nice way to get coordinating makes! I love those blocks too and I also want to make the Quilty Stitches cross stitch pattern - one day!! This would fit perfectly with the next le challenge theme! ;) Thanks for linking up!

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  9. A great block idea and a fun Christmas Tree. Thanks for the link to the tutorial; I hadn't seen cross stitch blocks before.

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  10. This is adorable tree! Would be nice to see some close photos!

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    1. I'd be happy to post more photos. We're in the middle of an ark-worthy weather event(!), but I'll take some more pics when the skies clear. Until then, there are additional images on the accompanying tutorial: http://frombolttobeauty.blogspot.com/2014/10/tutorial-tree-is-trimmed.html

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  11. Very cute and festive. I love the fabrics you used and how the binding gives the quilt a little pop.

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  12. This is really a cute mini tree, Michelle! Perfect for the coming Christmas time. I love those little cross stitch blocks, too!

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