2025 Santa Tree Skirt--cut out--post 1

Goal number seven on my February list was to cut out the pieces to make a Santa Tree skirt. My niece is getting married in July. I've given a tree skirt as a wedding gift to her sister, her cousin, and my daughter when they married. The first one I made was for my youngest brother's family as a Christmas present many years ago!

The fabric selection: backing on bottom
background second from the bottom

There are a lot of pieces in this pattern. I have a list of the size and number of strips that I need to cut. I have directions of the subcuts from each strip that coincides with the pattern. Once I cut the pieces, each group is labeled. I've used the gold fabric as the buckle for at least three of the tree skirts I've made over the years. 

In process of cutting out

I save the scraps because I often can use them in the next tree skirt. This time the Santa suits are from the backing that I used in the last tree skirt I finished. There are enough scraps for another set of Santa suits for a future tree skirt!

Cutting out from the scraps, is fiddly because I'm working with pieces; but, it is a great way to use as much of the leftovers as possible. For this project, I did purchase the background and the backing when Keepsake Quilting had a sale on their Christmas fabrics. I purchased enough to make several tree skirts.

Pieces all cut and ready for piecing

Cutting out is not my favorite part of the quilting process. Cutting out ranks just above pin basting which ranks above pre-washing so that is why I put the task in my February list. I look at the list daily to remind myself I need to get on the process! Next month, I'll start piecing the blocks together.