Hexagonal Christmas Tree Skirt

Tomorrow our Modern Quilt Group in Des Moines is having a meeting and the theme is "Christmas Ideas".  We are all suppose to bring something holiday/gift themed to share with the group so we can get in gear and have all of our sewn stuff ready for the holiday season.  (Yeah....we can dream.)

I decided that I would finish the Christmas Tree Skirt that I cut pieces for two years ago so I could have something to share - and use.  I used my Diamond Quilt tutorial (the first tutorial I ever wrote!)

(Funny side note about the tutorial.  My husband was talking to a co-worker a few months ago and quilting came up.  It turns out that the co-worker and his wife had commissioned a quilt for their niece.  The quilter gave them some quilt ideas and they ended choosing my Diamond Quilt!  It is a small world.  Anyway....)

It came together quickly (about 2 hours of sewing).  I had already laid out and pinned the fabric into "row bundles" so the sewing was pretty straight forward.  For the quilting I decided to do a scallop starting in the center and circling out.  I'm not sure that was the best design choice, but it doesn't matter because I have to pick it all out anyway.  (grrr)  I kept on having trouble with "eyelashing" on the back of the quilt.  I tried everything I could think of to fix the problem, but it only cleared up when I changed the machine needle.  At least it unpicks quickly because the tension is so loose.

Once it is re-quilted, I will cut out a hole in the center and a slit down the side and bind it.  It probably won't be done for tomorrow, but I'll have a bit of something to show.

It measures about 24" on a side and about 50" across the middle.  You can find the tutorial here.

Linking to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.