Christmas Quiltalong

 

 I couldn't join in Quiltsue's Christmas Quiltalong yesterday so this morning I got started on a festive project. I have had this panel sitting in my stash for quite a while since I was lucky to receive it as a Secret Santa gift. I decided it would be a perfect way to practise free motion quilting and get ahead on gifts too!  Quiltsue gave me a bag of her leftover wadding last week and one piece was a perfect size for the panel. I'd also popped into a quilt shop yesterday as I was passing and found this in the bargain bin at only £5 for a metre:

 It's actually darker than in the photo so is a perfect match for the navy on the panel and will do beautifully for binding aas well as backing. I quickly layered up the quilt using my 'Quiltak' gun. I use it like safety pins by pushing the needle down through the layers then back up again before firing the tack.

 Here's a close up of the tack in place. I don't need to use many on a small project like this and they don't get in the way of the machine foot like safety pins would.

 So, it's lunchtime and here's my progress so far. Click on the picture to see a larger view:

 Here's some detail of the scarf and hat:

So far I've been following the outlines so it's pretty straightforward. Now for the stars and then onto some free motion filling on the background.

See you later!