Christmas Scrappy Dresden Pillow

Over Thanksgiving, I ended up with the flu and stayed home under the covers instead of joining my family out of town.  It was rough to be away, but I'm glad the sickness ended with our home (my poor husband had it after I did).

So by the end of the weekend, I was feeling home-sick for the holidays and needed some Christmas cheer.  Instead of "singing loud for all to hear" (the movie: "Elf") I broke out my red and green scraps and my handy dresden template.

I strip-pieced the reds together and added a strip of white.  I did the same with the greens and then cut them into dresden pieces.

Out comes my piece of linen I had been hoarding (found it at Joann Fabrics for a steal!) and followed instructions from my friend Kelsey over at Everday Fray.  She has some great tips on sewing with linen  and is definitely worth the read for both her experience and the gorgeous quilts she and her cousin Amanda create.

I appliqued the half dresden on the linen and turned it into a a slip cover for a pillow.

Quilting mirrors along the outside of the dresden, mirroring the shape, but I was not confident enough to use red thread.  The white thread I used simply disappears, although in person the texture is lovely.  I recommend red whole-heartedly for next time.

Thank you all for letting me share my Christmas Cheer with you.  

I'll be honest, I do not like the month of December.  I lost my Dad in a accident just days before Christmas (it's been five years now) and I still can't quite enjoy the holidays.  I'm thankful for friends and family who understand why I don't like the holiday season.  Little projects like this help me remember my cherished holiday memories.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!