Day 6: Holiday Gift Blog Hop

Welcome back! It's Day 6 of our Holiday Gift Blog Hop and we've got our final tutorial for you! We've been sharing tutorials from some talented blogging quilter friends--projects you can still sew before the holidays, or projects you can return to after the holidays. Today Wendy from Ivory Spring is here, sharing a sweet security blanket using the adorable City Construction prints. Enjoy the tutorial, and then head over to Wendy's blog to learn more about her City Construction free pattern. And if you're looking for more gift inspiration, check out the links at the bottom of this post!  

Hello Quilting Friends, it's me again - Wendy from Ivory Spring!  It's always a joy for me to participate in Benartex's blog hop!  

So, here it is - in the middle of December where many of you will have Christmas holiday travel plans coming up.  I thought I would share with you my Going Places baby security blanket using fabrics from the City Construction collection.  

SUPPLIES & CUTTING:

1/2 yard take-off blue fabric

1/8 yard white/multi on the spot fabric

1 (12-1/2" x 12-1/2") blue solid square

Basic sewing notions

Embroidery floss

1.  From take off blue fabric, cut:

a.  1 (3-1/2" x 14") and 1 (3-1/2" x 17") rectangles for blanket top.

b.  1 (18" x 18") square for blanket backing.

2.  From white/multi on the spot fabric, cut for

a.  1 (2" x 12") and 1 (2" x 14") rectangles for blanket top.

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When you check out the fabrics, you'll see that they take on a land or air theme. So feel free to take a different direction of your project, using the land theme. I happen to know a little boy who will be taking a long airplane ride (I mean LONG!).  So, I adopted the air theme for my Going Places project.  I found a simple airplane silhouette online for my applique and printed it out. 

Step 1: Applique. I prepared my applique piece according to the method I wrote about here.

Here you see I am ready to fuse my airplane onto the wrong side of the fabric.

And my airplane is cut out and fused onto the 12-1/2" x 12-1/2" blue solid background square.  

I then embroidered "Going Places" on the background fabric using regular DMC Cotton floss (2 strands). I didn't use a stabilizer for the stitching. I find that I don't have any problems with pulling and puckering if I starch-press my background fabric really good prior to stitching.

You can at this point choose to finish the raw edge of the applique pieces using blanket stitching.  I have written about blanket stitching around applique shapes here.

And here you see my 12-1/2" x 12-1/2" appliqued and stitched square is prepped and ready to be framed.

Step 2: Adding frame pieces.  

a.  Sew 1 (2" x 12-1/2") on the spot rectangle to the right side of the applique block. 

b.  Sew 1 (2" x 14") on the spot rectangle to the bottom of applique block.

c.  Sew 1 (3-1/2" x 14") take off blue rectangle to the right side again.

d.  Sew 1 (3-1/2" x 17") take off blue rectangle to the bottom to complete blanket top.

Step 3: Lay blanket top on blanket backing fabric, and trim the backing to square up with the blanket top.

Step 4: With right sides together, sew blanket front and back together, leaving a 4-5" opening. Turn the blanket right sides out.  Press the opening shut.  Edge stitch to finish blanket. This security blanket should finish at 16-1/2" square.

Finished!

OPTIONS:

1.  Silhouettes can be a dump truck, cement truck or any of those construction related machinery that I can't name!

2.  Stitchery can be anything you would like for the air theme - outline of clusters of clouds, or even the flight information of a child's first plane ride.

3.  The 12-1/2" x 12-1/2" applique square can be used to finished as a pillow, a table runner, etc. by adding fabrics.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE:  Check out the free-to-use quilt pattern I designed for Benartex using City Construction by clicking here:

Thanks so much for joining me for today's blog hop!  I would like to wish you safe and fun travels this Christmas season!  Blessings to you all.

Wendy

Would you like to win a fat quarter bundle of Benartex or Kanvas fabric? Sign up to follow our blog (via email or Bloglovin'--both in the right hand sidebar) and leave a comment letting us know you did so (or are already following!). For a second entry, like us on Facebook and leave another comment. In your comment, also tell us the farthest you've traveled. The giveaway will be open through Friday, December 13th at 11:59 EST, at which point we'll use a random number generator to select a winner.

See the other Holiday Gift Blog Hop tutorials here:

Day 1: Fabric Gift Bags from the Benartex blog team
Day 2: Toddler Purse and Doll Blanket by Jennie from Clover & Violet
Day 3: Beer Coozies and Coasters from the Benartex blog team
Day 4: Mae's Daisy Quilt by Melissa from My Quilt Relish
Day 5: Honey Bee Quilt by Erin from Why Not Sew? 

Looking for more holiday gift ideas? Check out the projects from our Holiday Headstart blog hop back in October:

Day 1: Take Me to Class Tote by Tessa from The Sewing Chick

Day 2: Window Zip Pouch by Emily from Mommy's Nap Time

Day 3: Squared Stripe Pincushion from the Benartex blog design team

Day 4: Bold Braid Quilt by Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation