9 Degree Tree Skirt

Seriously - WHAT AM I THINKING?! Smack in the middle of That Girl's Quilt Along I've suddenly got it in my brain that this is the year to make my own tree skirt. I have to say that I think I'm crazy, but I think this is going to be fabulous! 

It's got a little more white than I imagined, and there sure isn't very much green...

I've got it sandwiched and pinned and ready to quilt. I'm thinking a stipple pattern. Maybe a meandering loop.

Oh the possibilities!

November 3
Hah! I finished it last night - except I forgot to stitch on ties. I'll post a photo of the finished project as soon as I locate that sneaky battery charger and the camera batteries are working again.

Decided to enter it in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. If you're stopping by from the festival - Hello!

So - here's what I learned while doing this tree skirt:

• I could have and should have done this much sooner than I did
• When you have the tools, it's much easier (holy 9 degree ruler! what have I done without you?!)
• Even my boys are interested in what I'm doing when they hear "CHRISTMAS!"
• I really had to pay attention to catch all of those corners
• I need to remind myself that busy patterns don't always work well in small doses

The story of this quilted tree skirt is:

Last year I was making that pizza table topper for my MIL for Christmas (still one of my favorites - ever!), and I decided that there had to be an easier way to make a round table topper. I googled and googled and found Jen. By blog stalking I found out the name of the town where Jen lives. It's a town of about 35-40,000 people. Not small but not huge.

I also enjoy doing family history research, and a few months ago I stumbled across a line of ancestors whose names had been submitted by a woman who lives in the same town as Jen. How funny is that? Reinforces what a small world we live in and that when we're all nice to each other it's a much more enjoyable place to be.

Anyway - Jen was my inspiration, and now that I've finished one tree skirt, I'm thinking I'd like to do a quilt made from some of her quilts on barns series.