Amanda Murphy - Modern Holiday: Deck the Halls with 18 Sewing Projects Quilts, Stockings, Decorations & More

My family: my husband, whose support has enabled me to pursue my creative endeavors; our daughter and son, who have helped with many of these projects; and my parents, who have always been my biggest and most enthusiastic supporters.

Grateful thanks go to Amy Marson, my editor Deb Rowden, and the staff at C&T Publishing, who believed in my vision of a modern Christmas quilting book and helped bring it to life.

Many companies in the quilting industry manufacture great products integral to making the projects in Modern Holiday. I was fortunate to sew with beautiful fabrics from Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Riley Blake Designs, Michael Miller Fabrics, and Moda Fabrics. (Specific designer information is listed under the main picture for each quilt, and Ive included a Fabric Designer Blog Roll, . Even if the fabric line pictured is no longer available, it is likely that these designers will have new, equally exciting fabric lines available.)

All projects were sewn on a Bernina 580e, a wonderful sewing and embroidery machine with unsurpassed stitch quality and with capabilities I am still discovering daily! Special thanks to Bernina of America and to Drusilla Munnell and the staff of Sew Much Fun, my local Bernina dealer and quilt shop in Gastonia, North Carolina, who have provided enthusiastic support in all my creative endeavors in this industry.

Aurifil, Sulky, the Warm Company, and Clover Needlecraft all provided their great products for these projects. You can find specifics about what I used in the instructions and reference company information in the Supplies and Sources section ().

Last, Id like to thank Deborah Norris of Deborahs Quilting in Gastonia, who quilted all the large projects in Modern Holiday. She has a wonderful ability to capture the style of a quilt design and translate that into playful, free-form quilting. Deborahs work elevates a project to an entirely new level of design. I am always so excited to drive up to her studio and see my newly quilted projects for the first time!

The holidays are a time to create special memories for the people you love. Spread that joy throughout the year with a wide variety of fun and whimsical projects!

What sights, smells, sounds, and tastes evoke the Christmas holidays for you? The first thing that comes to my mind is colorlots of it! The projects here are inspired by twinkling lights, candles, colorful ornaments, and playful wrapping paper. Of course, homemade sugar cookies served with a little hot chocolate with whipped cream never fail to get those creative juices flowing. So turn on that holiday music and start sewing!

It is said that the pleasure of presents is really in the giving. This is particularly true with handmade items. Making gifts for others with thread and needle gives us time to reflectto stop and enjoy our lives and the people in them.

In Modern Holiday you will find some projects that are specific to Christmas, like the playful stockings () are two such versatile patterns.

While this book is intended for intermediate sewists, none of the techniques are difficult. Basic blocks, such as half-square triangles and Flying Geese, are the foundations for the projects in this book. Applying these techniques in a variety of ways yields dramatically different results. For Trimming the Tree (), I made simple large quilt blocks, and then assembled and appliqud them onto a patterned background.

Dont be afraid to use my designs as a jumping-off point. What about sewing Trimming the Tree in patterned prints on a solid background, or whipping up Bloom () in your favorite spring collection? Unleash your own creativity, and let your own personal style take these projects to an entirely new level. So are you ready? Pull out your most colorful prints and start assembling your own Modern Holiday!

Happy sewing!

Amanda

Quilt for the Holidays