In progress...Christmas edition

This cute little 15 inch square came from a pattern I purchase at now closed Seminole Sampler. I thought, cute! And I can do it quickly! 

Have you met me? Do I ever take the simple route? Why make it simple when you think of all the cool possible settings? First of all, this is choc-a-block full of teensy little fused fabric pieces cut from a pattern. 

What was I thinking?! It's really cute but all that fusible adds up, and I am sensitive now to the chemicals release in ironed fusible web. I put this together two , count them, two years ago, and it gave me a headache, and I let it sit in the Christmas projects box to think about what it did. 

This is the year I want to finish it. I plan to build borders that look like a window with a curtain. Can't just border it. Then quilt best I can through many layers of fused fabrics with my titanium needle and sturdy thread. I'll show you when it's done. 
 

this is a small section of the kaleidoscope I've been working on. The one that caused the chip eating fiasco of '15. The top is done! The center is mostly still square! The borders are even! It's big! 

oh... nearly 50 inches square, just a bit big to fit in my family room display area. I admit this has been another pattern that nearly did me in. This one from the free demo Ricky Tims did on the Quilt Show recently. I would watch a little, run to the studio and make a section, run back to the computer and watch a bit more, etc. It was not fast. It required a lot of thought, and care with bias, and fitting together, ripping out, pinning, etc. I had a hard time choosing borders that complimented the center bringing your eye back to it. 

I think I am going to love it when quilted if I can figure out how to quilt it and not stretch the bias while quilting it. A lot of the fabrics are vintage from my Christmas collection gathered over many years. I was given this fabric...
 

I think it was from an abandoned project of making a tree skirt as it came with precut sections of muslin that looked like a tree skirt. I have painted those. This was large enough to use for the back with a slim section pieced in. The motifs are enormous and the colors spectacular. 

I have a really hard time using pretty fabrics on the back of wall quilts, do you? I mean, using this makes room in the stash, and it goes perfectly with the top. I had a large enough piece to almost cover the 47.5" top. Still, it won't be seen when it hangs. 

Why is fabric so darn precious to me? 
Do you use pretty fabric on the back? For binding when most of it won't show? 
Are you like me and make seasonal quilts in the season instead of looking ahead? 

I mean, I do not want to make a Christmas project in August. I want to use fall fabrics in Fall, Christmas fabrics in December. Ah well, planning isn't my forte, creativity comes with it's own demands!