Tips on Wednesday this week as Tuesday was busy in Santa’s Workshop! I’ll start with an event I participated in and helped with last week…Trees for Hope. A wonderful display of decorated trees for the holidays! Chances could be purchased and the winner takes home the tree. (all proceeds go to charitable causes) I decorated two this year! First, Unicorns!!

Unicorns!
with a fleece unicorn tree skirt

Unicorn tree!

The tree was won by a young girl!  She and her dad came to picked it up.  I had the joy of watching it go out the door with her!!

Unicorns:  You are magical like a unicorn! As a unicorn, you can sparkle wherever you go!

The second was “Sugar Skulls”.  As I wrote on my description, I was never a fan of sugar skulls but after seeing the Movie “COCO”, it changed my thinking.  Honoring and remembering those who have gone before us.

Sugar Skulls

Sugar Skulls
with Fleece sugar skulls tree skirt

My good friend Sue Pelland won this tree.  Her daughter will like it!  And they look forward to seeing the “COCO” movie I included on the tree.

I’m showing you these trees because of the event and I made the skirts of fleece fabrics.  The fabric was geared to the theme!!  A quick and easy project.  Fleece does not fray and can even be left raw edge.  I chose to finish the edges with an overlock stitch I did on my serger.  My serger is YEARS old but still works beautifully.  I began as a seamstress before I knew how to quilt, so I still love to sit and SEW!!  (or in this case serge!)

I’ll explain the simple process for finishing the fleece skirt. (I left rectangle so it can be used as a blanket year round!!)

1 – Cut off the selvages.

2 – Round the corners.  Tip #1 – I used my longarm circle template to “round” the edge.  Simply lay it on the corner and cut!

Using Longarm template for my curved edge!

3 – Serge edge.  Tip #2 – By leaving the corners round, no stopping and starting at each corner.  Make one continuous edge stitch.  You can also use a regular sewing machine to zig zag the edge or make a simple hem.

Serged edge in red!

Serged edge in black.

4 – Ta Done!

Tips are more about serging and sewing than quilting, but it brings me back to my roots of sewing and the HOURS I have spent making Christmas gifts for my family and friends over the years.  I hope you enjoy this Holiday Season with your family and share the love of a homemade gift!

in quilting,

Debbie