Hive 1 Christmas in July Tutorial for Beth

 

🎄Christmas in July for Beth🎄

This quilt will be for my niece.  She loved gnomes when she was younger, and I figured that Christmas gnomes would be a good quilt.  Even if she isn't into gnomes like she was, I thought it would still fit.  

I found a gnome quilt square that I really liked from the 'Sew Can She' blog at the following link: Sew a Gnome Mini Quilt - Free Gnome Quilt Block Pattern.  I changed up the sizes of the pieces so please use the following cuts but the directions on the blog should still work.  I made a few squares at the adjusted sizes with this tutorial, and I was pleased with it (see below).  It will result in a square about 9.5" tall by 9.25" wide.  I plan on making a quilt with a number of different colored gnomes and possibly adding in a few trees.  I was thinking that it will be a throw quilt size.

 

Colors:

The tutorial has a blue hat and a red body (or shirt?), but I think that you can get creative here.  I would be careful if you go with red and blue that it doesn't come across as too summery or patriotic instead of Christmasy.  I think my first example above does kind of start to look too patriotic with the gingham fabric so we will see if he makes it into the finished quilt.

Please avoid any childish or religious Christmas fabrics, florals, or licensed fabrics.  But I am fine with other Christmas prints.  I like a good metallic so feel free to use metallic fabrics or fabrics with metallic flourishes.  

I think the blue fabrics could be a range from dark blue to light blue with even some light green-blue colors as well.  That one fabric in my blue picture is not gray but light blue.  I know it appears like that in the picture.

For the background, please keep it to white fabrics.  I am fine with white-on-white designs, but I want it to go together as much as possible so please try to avoid the creams.  For the beard, I used a different white than the background, more a white-on-white design.

There might be other color combinations that work really well together so please be creative.  Like a green hat?  What would a non-traditional Christmas color look like?  Like if you had a pink Christmas pattern?  Let me know if you have questions around color combinations.

Below are some examples from my stash.  

Green:                                                                                     Blue:

Red:                                                                                 White:

For the nose, I sized down the template that comes with the tutorial.  I basically sized the pattern down 25% but I just winged the nose.  If you are concerned about sizing the nose down on the fly, I am happy to add the noses to final squares myself.  I have enough Heat n Bond to do that and lots of different skin type fabric.  So, feel free to send them without the noses!  See below for the difference between the two sizes - the grey oval is the nose that I sized down:

Cuts:

• Background (white fabrics)
• 2 squares, 5" x 5"
• 2 squares, 2" x 2"
• Body or Shirt fabric (red in the tutorial)
• 2 rectangles, 2" x 3.5"
• 2 squares, 3.5" x 3.5"
• 1 rectangle, 2" x 9.5"
• Hat fabric (blue in the tutorial)
• 1 rectangle, 5" x 9.5"
• Beard fabric (white fabrics)
• 1 rectangle, 3.5" x 6.5"

Thank you in advance for helping me to put this together.  I am excited to see the varied fabrics and color combinations that you all come up with.  Again, if you have questions, please let me know.  

Thanks, and happy quilting!

Beth