Good Morning, Quilters and Happy Tuesday! With just eight days until Christmas, I know you have a lot to do…but please take 15 minutes to give this pretty pinecone a try. If you don’t have time to stitch it, doodle it! This motif would look great on anything you are making for Christmas, but don’t limit yourself…Wouldn’t it look great on a quilt for your cabin?
This pattern begins a little differently than most of our motifs. Instead of drawing straight line “rails”, we begin by drawing circles. I used a two inch circle from this special drafting tool I found at the office supply store, but use whatever is around–your coffee mug, a CD or DVD…or one of the patterns from the ornament tutorial last week…(see the tutorial HERE). The circle is just a guideline for the top of the pinecone. In nature, some pinecones are round, but others are elongated.
Begin stitching a straight line stem on the top of your drawn circle. Then stitch a partial spiral–like the letter “G”.
Stitch out from the spiral to the drawn circle.
Next, stitch scallops around to the left side of your drawn circle. Stop here and change directions.
Stitch a row of scallops back to the right side of the pinecone, contouring down in the center. (See more about contouring HERE.)
Continue “scalloping” back and forth until you reach the bottom of the circle.
Add a little tip at the bottom of the pine cone if desired–and a little bow if you like!
If you would like to add The Pine Bough or Holly Leaf on top of the pine cone, add it before you begin the pine cone or knot off and begin again at the top.
Give this motif a quick whirl and then back to the wrapping…Santa’s elves never disappoint!
Lori
PS…There’s a lot more quilting to come in 2013….however, this is the last Tuesday Tutorial until January!
PPS…Please re-blog, share on Facebook and Pin on Pinterest! (with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt). All photos, tutorials and projects are the property of Lori Kennedy and are for personal use only!
