CASING up Christmas


With 2 nieces and a nephew in the UK, I am always casing shops for gifts that are lightweight, small, meaningful and most of all  - decided upon by now, for overseas posting.

With some better unpaid work/life balance I have found a few extra hours in my week that I can apply to "me time" (some of which will go to sewing those quilts sitting around in finished blocks for over a year and starting new ones!) Before this starts a clean up of the stash revealed these Cori Dantini panels purchased over a year ago (just in case I needed them!)..

pillowcases! I thought, having made one before with one of these panels - fitting the above overseas gift brief!

My 2 nieces love pretty things, and with bobble fringe picked out by their 3 year old cousin what could be more personalised and meaningful. No quilting but I pieced and backed with a lining.

I loved the idea of the Burrito pillowslip pattern but like the internal casing so the actual pillows do not show so used this method.






And upon finding yet another panel ( Michael Miller / Sarah Jane - Wee Wander Summer Night Lights in magenta - I was going to make square small cushions with yo-yo's - see earlier post) I decided these were perfect for the backing - So these 2 special girls can decide which side up on any night! 



And for the almost 13 year old nephew who misses his NZ grandparents who he grew up doing lots with in Christchurch until he/family left 5 (ish) years ago - and has just said goodbye to the grandparents after their UK visit to him....a Union jack flag.....made from Grandpa's old shirts!

Grandpa is renown for buying old shirts/amassing a collection and Master 11year old will no doubt find this a bit of a hard case and comforting ( tho as an 11year might not admit it!) to have a pillowcase made from Grandpa's old garbs.

The dark blue and striped pale blue were the recycled shirts. I was to have a white striped shirt but Grandpa decided he was still attached to that one  - and took it home again....so a graphic Carolyn Friedlander Doe fabric and some red from the stash slotted in.

Grandpa does Sudoku and the text fabric seemed fitting for "advice from Grandpa" to his Grandson when Master 11year old needs comfort/solace in his room.


Next to my PC is a NZ flag referendum  voting paper to change our flag...which had me wishing the union Jack was more like the red peak Flag!
 
 
Funnily enough I thought piecing the Union Jack was going to be a cinch (an open and shut case?) - surely just a cross and  some diagonals!.....nope those red stripes are meant to be offset!
 
Unable to find pattern and looking at Wikipedia  - I saw the union Jack wasn't that simple - being the combo of 4 flags! (the red and white crosses of St George, St Andrew, and St Patrick and retaining the blue ground of the flag of St Andrew)...started to get a case of the jitters! I referred to this diagram and drew up my own pattern by:
  • Making a pillowslip top in tracing paper, and drawing up my "plus" in the middle as 3" strip (excluding half inch seam allowances - 3.5" cut).
  • Bordered with a 1 " finished white strip (1.5")
  • Off the outside pillowslip corners I found a 6" line and measured these as diagonals - Yep this part  resulted in me becoming a basket case lining up and drawing these on these angles which do not relate to anything on any quilting ruler!
  • Placed fabric swapping out a white strip with Grandpa's striped shirt (as well as pillowcase back)

Which is probably better shown as this image and the link below which was my source.
     
     
     
    Christmas for the UK rellies- is all cased up!  and I rest my case....fabric whenever you buy it will always have its use somewhere/sometime!
     
     
 

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