WINTER SOLSTICE SEW ALONG

Hello Fig Tree Friends!

Hope everyone is enjoying the first few days of December! As all four thoughts start to turn to the holidays and the winter season, we thought it would be fun to work on something winter focused for a few hours each week,

So today is officially the beginning of our WINTER SOLSTICE Sew Along that my friend Susan from The Felted Pear and I dreamt up a few months ago. Honestly, it has been so much fun for me to work on a project that is mostly someone else’s beautiful idea and I am the one doing little tweaks and suggestions.

It’s a total role reversal for sure and it has been a breath of creative fresh air for me. Thank you Susan for your generous spirit in offering us this Sew Along journey and for your creativity! Love you!

Susan is a big part of our Facebook Group, Fig Tree Quilts Friends, if you would like to join us there to see how others are doing the Sew Along, for inspiration and to be encouraged to keep up each week.

Here is a little bit from Susan…

“I may have been born in Upstate New York, but really, I was raised on the beach where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.  It was hot and sunny in the summer, and cold enough to enjoy a sweater in the winter – but I think we only had one or two snow storms with enough snow to cancel school. 

Imagine my surprise as a young newlywed moving to the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, in January of all times, to a foot of snow and ice!    We loved our time in Michigan, and gradually I got to enjoy things like winter hats, snow boots and hot chocolate! 

However, the sun, surf, and the call of the West lead us to our current home in Southern California.  We’ve been settled here CA for over a decade, and love the palm trees, 78 F weather in December and rocky coastline. 

Every once in a while, I get a tinge of nostalgia and yearn for the true season of winter.  I miss getting bundled up in wool sweaters, strapping on snowshoes for winter walks on the trails, and the glistening of the snow in the trees.

I designed Winter Solstice, on just one of those evenings.  The house was quiet, and I was sipping a mug of hot tea.  We had an unusual drop in temperatures and I was bundled up on the couch with sweatshirts and quilts and was reminiscing about days gone past.  Simpler times, and the joy and peace that my husband and I had those first early years of our marriage. 

I hope, in this crazy season of life, with the hustle, bustle of the holidays along with the added stresses of 2020, you are able to take some time to enjoy some peaceful moments and remember some fond Winter memories of your own.  I can’t wait to sew along with each and every one of you.“

If you want to work alongside us for the next 5 weeks, gather up your materials and get ready. You can go with our blue and cream theme or choose another background. Perhaps a soft red or a hunter green would be so lovely!

MATERIALS LIST

• Blocks: A variety of (9) 6″ Ivory Prints in soft whites and creams
• Bear Paw: 2 yards Solid Ivory
• Background: 5 ½ yards Blue Chambray or other denim feeling fabric -OR- another color such a soft faded red
• Binding: ⅝ yard cream print
• Backing: 4 ¾ yds. soft white or cream print

The final quilt will measure 73 ½” x 73 ½” and you will see it evolve each week as we add a few simple blocks for you to sew.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE WEEK WILL BE POSTED HERE ON THE BLOG EVERY FRIDAY. So come and check back with us next Friday!

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Winter Solstice Sew Along:

Announcement: Fabric Requirements

Week 1: Blocks 1 & 2

Week 2: Blocks 3 & 4

Weeks 3: Blocks 5 & 6

Week 4: Blocks 7 & 8

Week 5: Assembly