Christmas Quilt Underway!

My local thrift store sells leftover fabric. I stop by periodically to see if there's anything I'm interested in. I usually find something I can use, and it's so much cheaper than buying new. I hate it when the materials for making something costs more than buying the same item ready-made. Buying leftover fabric helps me keep my sewing projects affordable.

I recently found a bag of Christmas scraps for $2! I simply had to get it. I've always wanted to make a big, vibrant quilt with an assortment of beautiful, busy Christmas fabrics. This bag was exactly what I needed to get started!

Most of the scraps inside were exactly what I had hoped for. A few other pieces were just, um, unique...

Only in Wisconsin, I guess!

...like these Christmas cows!

Before I started cutting, I spent a little time thinking about the quilt design I wanted to try. I've always made square or rectangle quilts. The only time I ventured outside this simple layout was with a blue jeans baby quilt for Jadon, and an applique bird quilt. But really, I was still sewing squares with added embellishments. I wanted to do something different with this quilt.

I referenced my "quilt mania" Pinterest board for some ideas. I was most attracted to the zig-zagging patterns in these quilts:

   

So, I decided to cut triangles. I cut four-inch squares that were then cut in half. As I cut, I sorted the fabrics into three piles: those that registered as "red" from distance, those that looked "green," and those that appeared "white."

I'm not sure if I'll need to get more fabric yet, but I had to start experimenting with my intended design. I want to arrange the triangles in such a way to create red, white, and green zigzags:



I'm hoping that this quilt will cover our queen-sized bed. What better way to transform our room at Christmas time than to cover the biggest item in the room in a beautiful red, white, and green spread? My goal is to complete the quilt by Christmas...a little gift to myself if I can pull it off!