Juggling Snowman

 I am thinking about Christmas in July again, especially now that July is almost gone....  Let me show you my sweet applique design Juggling Snowman... I love Christmas and the whole holiday season so I drew up this whimsical snowman. He such a happy fellow, juggling snowballs. Of coarse I had to find a way to use my favorite embellishments, buttons and yo-yo's...

The design is shown here centered on a 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" square.

Juggling Snowman



Let's make a fun table topper quilt with my Juggling Snowman applique design! Following the directions center the design on a 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" block. When I sew around my applique snowman, I use dark brown thread and a buttonhole stitch found on my sewing machine. I use a 'small' stitch setting on my machine. ( width- 2.5mm length- 1.2mm) I use white thread to stitch around the snowman's head and body. I then use dark brown thread to go around everything else.

The snowman block will be the center block of our table topper. I wanted my table topper to be scrappy so I decided to use a Cozy Christmas Jelly Roll from Riley Blake. I just love this fabric line! Makes me think of baking cookies with grandma! I open up the jelly roll and layed all of the fabrics out next to my machine. Grouping together similar colors... I used two light colored strips to frame my snowman block. Your center block should now measure 16 1/2" x 16 1/2".

I then made eight log cabin blocks using the 2 1/2" strips. It's a challenge for me to make something 'scrappy' I tend to over think things. Don't over think it... your blocks will turn out great! Use the photo above as a quide for your log cabin block layout. In order to get a 16 1/2" square, my center square is offset. I think it adds a bit of charm and actually enhances the scrappy look of my 'table' quilt. Finished blocks should also measure 16 1/2" x 16 1/2" square. Again, try not to fuss too much about planning out a scrappy block. Make a total of 8 log cabin blocks. Now the fun part is the layout. Again, I tend to over think layout... so have fun and arrange your quilt blocks out with your Juggling Snowman block in the center. Sew your quilt top together. If you want to add an additional border onto your quilt top, you sure could at this point. I did add a 2 1/2" border using the same fabric that I used for the background for my Juggling Snowman block. Then layer your quilt top with batting and backing and quilt it. Instead of embroidering the snowdrift on the snowman block, I quilted it. Leftover strips and scraps from my jelly roll make a wonderful scrappy binding for my quilt. I love scrappy bindings. This table top quilt is also a great size for a lap sized quilt. I was able to get project done in a weekend and it would make a wonderful gift for someone special.

I love how my table topper quilt turned out... I'm
ready to serve some tea and Christmas goodies. 

Juggling Snowman is such a happy snowman design.

This is one of my favorite projects and a trunk show favorite when I visit guilds. This is a wonderful project to make to give to that someone special. I love that I can use it on my table and it instantly screams Christmas festivities shall begin! This sweet design can be found in my Etsy shop as an instant PDF download.



 Quilt Doodle Designs Etsy Shop

Happy Quilting!

Cindy & Belvedere