Sizzix Christmas - Blog Hop!

It's that time of year when I get to hob-nob with some illustrious bloggy folks, showing you Christmassy ideas that you can make with a Sizzix, (or without, if you must, and have way too much time on your hands).

I have been looking at some of our poor excuses for cushion covers; old, dirty beyond the power of Vanish, and figured that Christmas ones would be great whilst I ponder on what I want to make for the longer term.

So I turned to Touchdraw, and came up with this simple but fun design that would make use of some of my scraps and beloved 2.5" HST and 2.5" square dies...

To save you counting, for the main 16" panel you will need...

4 x white 2.5" squares
44 x mixed green HST-triangles
15 x white HST-triangles
1 yellow 2.5" square  - can be cut with the single die or by rotary cutter
3 x aqua HST-triangles
2 x 2.5" x 12.5" white sashing strips
2 x 2.5" x 16.5" white sashing strips
... and 1 brownish HST-triangle, for luck.

Even though the dies cut in multiples of 4, I still use them to cut one or two pieces from small or odd-shaped scraps.

You will also need fabric for the cushion back, a zipper if you so desire, binding and I always line my cushion fronts with fusible fleece, like Vilene H640 to give a more finished interior and make the quilting look better; but I will leave all that to you.

Cut all the tree pieces, and lay out into a pleasing arrangement.  Stitch into rows with a 1/4" seam and remember, with the Sizzix there's no trimming, press row seams in alternate directions, and join to complete the main panel...

I sashed my block, fused the fleece to the back and quilted with simple straight lines...

I like adding binding to cushions, and for this one, a simple envelope back, very quick and so simple to stitch together...

I used Kona white and cyan from Simply Solids, some home deco-weight from Terry's Fabrics for the perfect backing and scraps from all over the place.  All pieced and quilted in Aurifil 2021 50wt, of course.

A nice bushy tree, getting me in the mood for a real one in a couple of weeks time - woooah, not long folks!

So here's how the rest of the blog hop stacks up...
Monday 18th November - Katy Jones
Tuesday 19th November - Hadley Gordon - You are here!
Wednesday 20th November - Carolyn Forster
Thursday 21st November - Angela Southey
Friday 22nd November - Kerry Green

So do pop by them all, there's bound to be a lot more inspiration to get you in the Christmas spirit. I've still got this little bundle of Christmassy joy to play with, from Pin It & Stitch...

... so I am definitely on the lookout for more ideas for sure.

And what sort of blog hop host would I be if there wasn't a giveaway snuck in there!?  Please head over to the Sizzix site for the chance to win yourself all these...

657900 Big Shot Machine Only (Powder Blue & Teal) by Ellison
658317 Bigz Die - Hexagons, 1" Sides
658318 Bigz Die - Hexagons, 1 1/4" Sides
657165 Bigz Die - Dresden Plate, Small
657616 Bigz Die - Tumbler, 4"H Finished

(The giveaway is open to UK and EU residents only, sorry).

Well I hope you enjoyed my stop, and maybe you'll be adding a few Sizzix-y things to your list from Santa.
xxx