Candle Mats

In between big quilt projects, I like to do a little instant-gratification something. Whether it be handwork, or a small quilt, it gives you something to say is Done while the quilts are looming in your sewing room. A friend of mine did a big favor for me so I wanted to do something nice for her. She and I are both very into tarts/candles...candle mats seemed like an obvious choice! I made two, a fall one and a Christmas one.

The fall one is from the Saltbox Harvest line by Deb Strain for Moda. I quilted it by stitching-in-the ditch, and then one big criscross through the center.

The Christmas one is made from the 12 days of Christmas line by Kate Spain for Moda. I quilted this with an allover meandering stitch. You can't really tell, but the quilting thread is a nice minty green. Both of these were made from nine charms...I sewed a simple nine patch, which made a mat about 14" square. No cutting! A part of a fat quarter for the back, a couple strips of fabric for the binding, and voila! Done in an afternoon.

The backs are Harvest Town by Jacqueline Paton and Holiday Happy by Monica.  So if you have some charm packs laying around, and you want a cute project, wouldn't this be nice? You can include a festive candle, and it's a perfect hostess gift!

Have a great day!

♥ Jen