A very late Christmas pillow, and a new project

I mentioned in my last post that I had made a Christmas pillow!  This was my only Christmas sewing, and I didn't manage to finish it in time for Christmas, I only just finished it a few days ago.



I found a tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop for a Christmas wreath quilt.  I modified it a bit to make this pillow.  First, I made the squares smaller, starting with 1.75" squares, to make the finished pillow a 20" square.  Also, I substituted the more subdued traditional fabrics used in the tutorial with bright, modern fabrics, for an updated look.



I also did my very first hidden zipper on the back!  I used this tutorial from the House on Hill Road blog, and it was super simple!  The instructions were easy to follow, even with having to change the dimensions a bit to fit my larger pillow.  It went together so well and I am so happy with my finished project!  Now I just need to put it away and wait for next Christmas!

I also decided to start a new project yesterday, in honor of the new year.  On Friday, my local quilt shop had a big end of the year sale, with 40% off all fabrics.  They had some lovely Bliss flannels, and I purchased 5 yards of one with the intention of using it as a backing for the Bliss quilt I planned to make with all my hoarded Bliss fabric (I just love that line!).  So yesterday I decided to just get on it and start making it so we can use it!

I had three charm packs, and started randomly sewing them together in some simple patchwork.  Here's a sneak peak of the quilt top. I have a couple more rows to add on, then I'm going to add a border.  I'm really hoping to finish this one quickly! I have to go with the momentum when I have it!



All in all, a good start to the new year. I hope I can keep it up!