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Little Horse Christmas Quilt

This charming miniature quilt is very fast and easy to make. The finished size is only about 8 1/2" x 10". It's a great gift for a friend that loves horses. You can also customize it with a different pattern.

If you are familiar with quilting terminology, this quilt is based on a modified churn dash block.

The design used is the Little Horse Christmas Ornament.

You will need

embroidery threads according to the color card;
a piece of white polyester craft felt;
a fat quarter of light-colored cotton fabric for embroidery,
a fat quater of christmas patterned fabric;
batting and backing;
quilting threads to match the fabrics;
quilter's ruler and rotary cutter (or graphic pencil and sharp scissors).

Cutting:

Out of light-colored fabric, cut

a rectangle measuring 5 1/2" x 7 1/2",
4 strips measuring 1" x 5 1/2",
4 strips measuring 1" x 7 1/2" and
2 squares measuring 3 7/8"x 3 7/8".

Out of christmas patterned fabric, cut

2 strips measuring 1" x 5 1/2",
2 strips measuring 1" x 7 1/2", and
2 squares measuring 3 7/8"x 3 7/8".

Use the rest of the fabric for the backing and binding.

The Churn Dash Parts:

Place the 3 7/8" x 3 7/8" light and dark squares in pairs, face to face.
With a graphic pencil, draw a diagonal.
Topstitch 1/4" on both sides of the diagonal.

Cut along the diagonal and open the half-triangle squares. Press.

Take the four light and two dark 1" x 5 1/2" strips and sew them into 2 new strips, as shown. Press.

Repeat for the 1" x 7 1/2" strips.

Assembly of the Block/Top:

Sew both of the 7 1/2" long strips to the left and right edges of the 5 1/2" x 7 1/2" rectangle. Press.

Sew the half-triangle squares to the ends of both 5 1/2" strips with the dark triangle towards the inside. Press.

Sew the strips with half-triangles to the upper and lower edges of the block.

Embroidery:

Place the block over a piece of polyester craft felt and press it with your hands. The felt will cling to the the fabric.

Hoop the central part and make the embroidery of Little Horse Christmas Ornament. Do not forget to follow the color card.

After the embroidery is done, cut away the felt close to to the embroidery.

Quilting and Finishing:

Now place the backing on a flat surface (table) face down. Cover with batting. Spread your working piece over it.

Pin all three layers together with 1" pins and start quilting. We quilted in a free motion style all over the quilt.

After the quilting is finished, press the work with heavy steam and square the work -- all corners should be 90 degrees and opposite sides should be of the same length.

Finish the raw edges with the binding.

If you want to put the quilt on a decorative hanger, sew the hanging loop or a sleeve to the upper edge of the quilt.