After finishing up all my Christmas preparations, I felt like working on something festive. My daughter, Emily, suggested I make a Christmas quilt we could hang in the living room during the holidays. Of course, I can’t bring myself to make a quilt that’s not for some kind of bed, so it will have to be a crib or twin-sized quilt.
I thought about the vintage Christmas coloring book I posted last year when I first started blogging. It’s a “follow the colors” type book from 1964. The drawings are so cute, and I was thinking I would fill in the colors with crayon (it’s a coloring book, after all), but as I began designing the quilt, I changed my mind about the crayon and decided to just do the outlining — they are so cute just the way they are.
Some of the designs are two pages, so some of the blocks are rectangular. Actually, I had to put two rectangular blocks in each row (to make the sashing work), and there weren’t that many, so a few of the rectangular blocks I just made up by combining two coordinating pictures. The sashing squares are vintage and I have had a hard time finding just the right jewel tones — I could always add some reproduction fabric, but I’d prefer it to be all vintage. The process of prepping the squares actually takes about as long as the embroidery by the time I locate a suitable scrap — then soak, starch, draw and cut out each little square. It took me about a week to stitch this first row.
The scanned images from the coloring book are available in another post here — just in case you want to get a start on a Christmas project for next year. The page with the shepherd and sheep is titled “The First Nowell.”
This is just gorgeous!!! You really outdid yourself!
This is so cute. You find the best coloring books!
These are VERY cute! I love the tree with the girl and boy! How big are the blocks?
I just looked at the PDF – The candy cane houses are darling!
wow this is such a great idea! Thanks.
I am really going to think about this
I haven’t done embroidery in years but this is calling me!
wonder what it would look in repros?
I have 30’s fabrics maybe it needs to be in 30’s…
have to think about it thanks
off to look at the pdf files
Kathie
I truly admire your use of the vintage fabrics and how well you work them with your embroidery talents. You have a very good eye and talented hand! Not too mention the skill at finding the good stuff!
I love how you piece each little square of fabric, the colours are beautiful. How cute are those colouring pages? I am putting that PDF in my embroidery queue!
Just fantastic! I cannot believe how quickly you manage to finish projects! This one is especially lovely. I really love the combination of vintage fabric and embroidery.
I love these and think I will do some too (when my hands are working better). I think that book is wonderful 🙂 I often think it might be neat for applique too (especially love the candy cane houses in that book). Thanks for the inspiration and
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
I love this quilt! I think my littles would love such a colorful quilt. Thanks for posting the pdf. I dont know if I will ever make it but I love the idea. I found your blog via the sewhooked flickr group and I’m so glad I clicked over.
Hey Martha!
I just realized I never left a comment about this SWEET quilt – sharing a computer with four other people (can’t count the baby although I have to hide the keyboard and mouse from her) means I get interrupted allot!
Anyway, it’s darling! You have such a great eye for what will translate well into embroidery. It’s very festive and fun!
Does Emily sew? I’m hoping my middle daughter will like it. The oldest tried, but it just wasn’t her thing.
OMGosh these are cute! I found your post through Flickr Christmas Quilts group. Thanks so much for sharing – I’m going to have to use some of these. You’ve also inspired me to spend time looking at coloring books as embroidery ideas. 🙂
I love this quilt!!! I am finally catching up on my blog reading — I missed so many of your recent finishes. You do such amaing work, Martha! I love the little bunny at the fireplace. I should do something with that coloring page. So I can see pigs fly. I always have such big plans but dang, I really do love this coloring book. (My sister who’s in charge of buying toner for my printer will kill me of I print them all out. Maybe I’ll just do a few tonight…)
I am so happy to discover your blog! Your handiwork is so beautiful! I will be visiting your site often!
grammycarolynn
This is turning out so cute! My mom has LOADS of old coloring books, I will have to take a second look at them! Thank you for the wonderful idea to do this! I just love your blog too!!!