O Christmas Trees - A Finish

**Note - If you are looking for the Superior Threads Giveaway you will find it here ;)

Yippee!!!  It's more Christmas in July!!!  Wednesday I shared my new Simply Modern Monochromatic Stockings tutorial  (and thank you for all of your sweet comments) and today, I get to share my new O Christmas Trees lap quilt!!!

Last September Christa from Christa Quilts hosted a Modern Trees Quilt-A-Long and I loved the design, but A) didn't have time to quilt a-long and b) wanted to change it up a bit for a little scrappier look and a larger quilt size.  In come my fabulous Bees Knees mates :)  I whipped up this Improv Tree Paper Pieced Block Tutorial and over the next bit received these beautiful Improv Tree blocks from all of my friends.  Thank you so much ladies, I love these trees!!!

The blocks got set aside, but at the end of June, I pulled them back out and in between other projects pieced the top, quilted it, and yes, even finished getting it bound.  Yippee!!!!  I love Christmas in July!!!!   The fabrics are Blitzen by Basic Grey.  And can I just say, I love Basic Grey's Christmas Lines, seriously, I haven't come across one that I don't like ;)

I had a lot of fun quilting this one.  Even though it did make the long arm wig out and was the start of it's downhill motion that has now landed it in the shop, le sigh.  Total side note there, back to the quilting.    I did some pebbling between the trees.  I wanted it to look like snow building up on them.  Ahh, I love pebbling, it is so relaxing :)    On the trees, I did some red and green loopies and zig-zags.  I kept that fairly simple as the improv scrappy of them is already quite a lot :)  Oh, and the trunks are done in a wood grain look, it fit ;)

And I had so much fun quilting the background of the quilt.  I really wanted it to look like snow flurries, so I played around with the concept of swirls with tails, but instead of doing the swirl, I did a little snowflake in the center of the swirl start.  It really did come out the way I had hoped and it was just so exciting to try a whole new design concept twisting on what I feel comfortable with and have it turn out :)

And now I have a new Christmas quilt ;)  Seriously, I don't think I can ever have to many Christmas Quilts.  They just make me smile!!!   This quilt finished at 63" x 74" so it is going to be just perfect to throw over the couch come December (or November, you know I pull out my Christmas stuff early :)  and curl up with while I watch White Christmas ;)

If you would like to make your own O Christmas Trees Quilt, I have added the Quilt Tutorial directions to the end of the Block Tutorial Directions. (just surf down through the block tutorial to find them ;)   It has all of the yardage and quilt top piecing directions you will need to whip up your own ;)  It really is such a fun quilt to put together ;)

Have a Happy (and Merry) Quilting Day!!!

Yippee for 2 finishes in a week :)  Linking O Christmas Tree up to Sarah's, Amanda's and Fort Worth Fabric Studio :)