 Let's be ready for the holiday season in style. Starting on November 30, a great group of quilt designers will be taking a creative look at Holiday Prep in a quilt blog hop . My day is December 2, but be sure to check in each day to get a tip, pattern or recipe from each of the designers. Joining in the blog are: Perkins Dry Goods One Quilting Circle Big Bee Applique Creative Arts Professionals Debbie Wendt Join us as we prepare to have some fun! 
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 I usually put my Christmas tree up the first week of December, so there's plenty of time to make a new tree skirt. I thinking that Irish Snowflake is the perfect choice. II'll be able to see the stars under a large fresh tree - it's 60" across! This pattern is very quick - it's only squares, rectangles and flying geese - so I can have it ready when the tree comes in. Then I can get to decorating!  The Night Before Christmas, a smaller tree skirt, is from our Six Halves Make a Whole group of patterns. This looks great under a smaller artificial tree. You just choose 6 fabrics - traditional, modern, farmhouse chic, blues, silvers - make 8 stars are you are quickly on to decorating your tree! Is there a new tree skirt in your decorating plans this year? What is your favorite style?   Making Waves I've been making a lot of waves this year. I have been having so much fun cutting and sewing the trapezoids, that I just can't quit. I have 1 on the cutting mat and 1 on the design wall that I am working on, now. I want to show you just how easy trapezoids are to cut with the House Ruler, They are accurate and there is no waste.  To cut a trapezoid, start by placing the center line of the House Ruler on the bottom of the fabric strip. Cut the 45° angle. If you have left your strip folded, you now have a right-pointing and left-pointing trapezoid. Don't worry, the ruler comes with all the instructions to make sure you get the size you want.
Rotate the ruler 180° and line the top edge of the fabric with any black line. Cut the 90° angle.  Rotate the ruler 180° again, and cut another 45° angle. Just keep rotating the ruler between 45° cuts and 90° cuts until you have cut the entire strip. Quick cutting and no waste. Add a half square triangle and you are on your way to making your own waves.
Be sure to check out the website for the Making Waves pattern and other patterns that use the House Ruler to make adding 45° shapes to your quilts easier. Happy Quilting,   The weather is warming up and we are ready to take our meals outside. It's so much fun to have a pretty table cloth and napkins to help us enjoy the time we are spending at home.
In the I've Been Framed book, I illustrate a simple technique to add a border to a single layer of fabric and have a new table cloth in no time. You can choose the finished size you want then your border size. The House Ruler makes the mitered borders a breeze. Or maybe you would like some brightly colored quilted placemats for your indoor table. Add an apron and hot pads to match, and your kitchen will feel like a whole new place! Use your own creativity to add beauty to your next picnic. If you want to up your tablescape even more, try one of the many other decorative patterns by The Quilt Branch.
 QB164 Holiday Houndstooth It's February, the month of love, so I thought I would share some of the things I love about quilting. As many of you know, I have been quilting for more than 35 years. I've seen and tried a lot of things to make the quilting process fun. I'll share some of the tools, techniques and yes - even some mistakes - that have helped me through the years. So let's get started. I love to choose fabric, and red is one of my favorites. Most reds can be combined to make great looking quilts. A red and cream or red and white quilt will brighten up any living space. Scrappy red quilts are just fun. Don't forget that a red center in a log cabin signifies the chimney, the warm center of the home. Holiday Houndstooth is just one of the quilts in the Six Halves Make a Whole series of patterns, Do you have 3 reds, 3 taupes and a background?. Maybe your next trip to the fabric store will include picking out some reds for your stash. Please share your favorite red quilt. Lots more love to share soon. Happy Quilting,   It's 2019 so let's get started! I've been quilting for more than 35 years and sharing patterns with quilters since 1995. I've had lots of quilting experiences - some successful and some were great learning opportunities. I'll share what I'm working on and hope you will share your projects that are from The Quilt Branch patterns. Please comment with your favorite pattern.
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