Christmas is Coming!!

One of the youg women in my Sunday school class won a local dance team composition and they get to go to the regionals in Florida.  In order to earn some money to go, they are having a dinner and a silent auction.  I offered to make a few things for the auction.  This is the first item I made:

  I started out with just the panel

and cut several 2-inch strips of fabric - I had 11 different fabrics I could use.  When I decided how wide to make each strip, I measured the width and length of the panel and figured out how wide each FINISHED strip should be to go into the length and wide evenly and then I added 1/2" to each strip to allow for the two 1/4" seams. 

I then sewed the strips together with a 1/4" seam.

When deciding how wide to make the border, I looked at the panel and decided how wide I wanted the border to be.  I decided 4-inch strips would look proportionally correct and luckily, that way I could get 10 full strips out of the fabric width.  The choice though is yours and yours alone.

I had eleven strips and that was not long enough to go across the top and bottom so I had to add some of the blocks from a second set to the first set, removing the extra blocks to make it the correct length.

As you can see, there are 15 blocks running across the top.  Now, if the length of blocks is not exact, you will need to made a little tiny wider seam in one or two of the blocks if the length is a little too long or if is a little too short you will need to make 1/8" seams in one or more of the block seams.  After putting the top and bottom borders on, I cut 4 corner blocks.  Now, Since I made the border 4" wide, I cut the corner blocks 4" x 4" from one of the fabrics in the border

I made adjustments in length as needed going through the same step as when I prepared the top and bottom borders.  I then sewed the corners onto the border pieces and sewed the full border onto each side.  I pressed all border seams toward the panel which helped eliminate the thickness along those seams.

  I think it turned out pretty cute!!  I am just making the top and including enough fabric for the binding.  Now, lets hope it brings the dance team a good price.  On to the next auction item - hotpads!!