Being part of the Bloggerati* I was offered some Scandinavian inspired Christmas fabrics to try out. Below are a few of the designs available in the latest Scandi 2018 range, by Makower. The designs are available in red and grey, and there are also a few solid-ish ‘linen texture’ prints to match. I was sent a pack of 10″-ish squares and some matching low volume FQs from Makower’s Essentials range.
To test the fabrics, I decided to make two Christmas tree table runners, one using the grey fabrics and another one with the reds (the table runner using the red prints are still in the WIP pile….). I used a fairly simple design, with no pattern needed; the Christmas trees are all cut freehand. This make could be made with a standard layer cake, i.e. 10″ squares, or you could use any size, including a charm pack.Â
Preparation
Carefully stack your squares on top of each other, ensuring the right sides are facing up and that all directional fabrics are in the right direction!!
On all squares, cut off approx one third along the bottom of the square; set aside for later.
Freehand cut tree shapes, making sure you cut all trees the same way.Â
Cutting and sewing order
Top tip: I find that cutting four layers at a time works for me; more than this and they tend to slip. You may prefer more or less. Just make sure you get identical ‘free hand’ pieces across all fabrics!
Mix up your pieces, so you have two background pieces (left and right) and one tree shape in each pile; ideally without any repeats in designs within the same block.
Sew your trees, making sure the ‘top’ of the tree sticks out 1/4″ (i.e. your seam allowance), please see below.
In this project, I pressed all seams open to reduce bulk.
Trim the blocks, including along the bottom edge (as above).
Take the bottom pieces (which you set aside earlier) and create the trunk part; The Makower pack had some linen texture prints which I used for the trunks. Â
Once you have the tree part and the trunk part, I find it useful to line them up as in the photo above before I sew them together, thus ensuring the trunk comes where I want it! Trim all blocks to equal size and then sew them together.
I added some extra pieces of fabric under each tree (as I had some left). Add sashing if you like and finish off your Christmas table runner.  I still need to assemble and quilt the red runner, so below are some photos of the grey version.Â
Downloads
There are plenty of free projects available to download on the Makower website, including one using this lovely Scandi 2018 Christmas range. To see the full range of this fabric line, click here.
* Bloggerati = all the volunteers who write the articles, product reviews, hints & tips, etc for the website.
Love it!