Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Christmas Carol Row A Long

Frosty the Snowman.  .  .

I always think of the animated cartoon film of Frosty and the two children when I hear this song.  So when I designed my row based on this Christmas song, I wanted Frosty and lots of snow, but opted to leave the cartoon kids out.

I hope you have been enjoying this incredible Christmas Carol Row A Long for the past several weeks.  Each day you have been able to download a FREE row pattern and enter some fabulous give-a-ways.

Here is my original design for my Frosty row.


You can download the free pattern HERE for one week.  The PDF file is large so give it a minute to download before freaking out.  Save it to your computer first, then open and print the file.

I made a few changes as I built my row, mostly some fabric choices trying to draw from my stash as much as possible.  My finished row is 10 x 30" (10.5" x 30.5").  Here is how I put it together.

I auditioned a variety of fabrics from my stash and decided on the background fabric first, and then chose the applique fabrics which would contrast well with the background.

I traced all of my applique templates onto the back of my fusible web.  I use Steam-A-Seam Lite 2.  I prefer it because it is very light weight, and has a slight sticky surface which adheres to the fabric while you are positioning pieces.

When drawing large applique shapes I cut the fusible web out of most of the middle of the shape before fusing it to the fabric.  This is called "windowing" and keeps your applique from getting stiff when you are working with overlapping layers.
For the snowman body and head you can see how I cut out most of the inside of the fusible web leaving about 1/4" around the inside of the traced line.  On smaller pieces, like the arm in the bottom of the picture, i don't bother cutting out the middle.


You can see how I cut out the fusible web from the middle of the tree shape in this picture.


Once I have traced all my templates I cut them apart and separate them by color and fabric.  Then I press each fabric and fuse the templates onto the BACK side of the fabric.  Since there is paper on both sides of the fusible web, be sure you are tracing on the side with the web attached.  

Then remove the loose paper before fusing but leave the paper on the web intact.  This paper will be removed after the template is fused and trimmed and ready to position on your row.


My tree was the first element to put on my background.  I sectioned off my background into equal segments and marked the segments on my block drawing.  That allowed me to position pieces on the background more easily.

Since I cut my background slightly larger than my finished size (11" x 31") I positioned my tree just a bit in from the edge of the background.  When all the applique is applied and stitched down I will trim the finished row to 10-1/2" x 30-1/2".

I only needed half a star for the top of the tree so I assembled the pieces on an applique pressing sheet (parchment paper also works) on top of my fabric so I could see the tree through the pressing sheet.  I pinned the pressing sheet to the fabric so I could position the star parts right on the edge of the row.


I like to use bent nose tweezers to position the applique on the pressing sheet.  Then I iron it to the pressing sheet using a hot steam iron.  Allow the motif to cool before peeling it off the pressing sheet.


After it is removed I place the pressing sheet UNDER the background fabric.  That way when I fuse the star to the top of the tree and the background fabric, the parts that hang over the edge won't get fused to my ironing board!


After the star is fused I want to trim off the excess.  I move to the cutting table to trim this with a ruler and my rotary cutter.


You can see that I have left enough to get caught in the seam allowance when I join rows or add sashing.

Next I assemble the snowman on the applique pressing sheet.

Can you see him?  He sort of blends in to the applique pressing sheet!  But I wanted all his parts to fit together before I positioned him on the background fabric.


Once Frosty was altogether I placed him on the background fabric and started to add his hat, hatband, and flower.  I fused all of this in place at this point because all the rest of the details sat on top of Frosty.



Here I added his face.


I kept my template reference and picture nearby so I could check my placement.  The last step in assembling Frosty was the greenery I used to decorate his bottom.  You could leave this off if you prefer him sitting in the snow.


I had "help" from my Siamese cat "Buster" who was determined to assist with the placement of the buttons on Frosty's front.  He insisted on overseeing most of the assembly, although I strongly urged him to oversee from the floor instead of from my ironing board!!


Next were the snowflake stars.  I love the way they turned out, but I have to admit they were a booger to cut out. That being the case I opted for three snowflake stars instead of the four I had originally designs.  Small sharp embroidery scissors really made the cutting out much easier.  I fused the white diamonds to the blue center first, then tucked the ends of the 8 branches under the edge.

Once the whole snowflake star was positioned on the background fabric I fused it in place.  I started with the largest snowflake star and then did the two smaller ones.

Here is my final finished row.


The last thing I will do to complete my project is to layer my batting and backing, and edge stitch all of the applique pieces in place through all the layers.  This will quilt and applique in one step.   When all the quilting and edge stitching is done I will bind the row to make a door hanging for my front door this winter!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and have fun making this row!

Here is the whole list of bloggers and free rows:

Christmas Carol Row Along Participants!
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Cheryl LaPlante  (sponsored by Quilt In Piece)
Morning Glory Designs
Pampered Pettit
Fun Threads

Now the Giveaway

Hoffman 15 Fat Quarters Bundle From The 1895 Bali Watercolors line




Shipping Is Anywhere / Shipping Cost must be paid by winner.
Value $45.00


Starts September 26, 2017 / Ends October 03, 2017
Sponsor URL: http://www.hoffmanfabrics.com/

To enter the giveaway click on this link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules and Guidelines For Giveaways
Please take the time to read it.

Giveaways offered by sponsors are assigned to the various bloggers for their featured day.

There are no prior announcements on who is doing which sponsor except to the sponsor themselves.

You'll have to visit the blog or the featured blog to enter the giveaways.

Not all giveaways can be entered at Seams To Be Sew.

I will start announcing winners on September 12, 2017, and finish announcing winners on October 12, 2017.

In most cases, the blog where you won at also will announce their winners.

You must give a valid email address when you enter the giveaways, any email returned to me, loses the ability to win automatically.

With the exception of Show and Tell Day, all giveaways run for approximately one week.

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In some cases, you will be asked to comment on the blog to enter the giveaway... do the right thing and thank them for the time it took to create the pattern, thank them for the pattern and...

Thank the sponsor by buying their products for the giveaways. This helps them continue to offer great prizes for these types of events. You can also comment on their social media pages. Even if you don't win, letting them know you love their products is a huge incentive and they really do love hearing from you.

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in some cases, you will be asked to pay for shipping your giveaways.

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If they shipped the prize to me, you will be asked to pay for shipping.
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Please note, every effort is made to protect the prizes. They go into a plastic bin when I receive them, and it is covered by an air tight cover. I have a dog in my home and I have a smoker in my home, so I do everything possible to protect the prizes.

Most companies are very good about getting prizes off to customers quickly also, but some companies are overseas, so please allow all sponsors a 2-week time period before you report to me that you still haven't received your prize. When the company is overseas, it can take 6 weeks to 90 days for an item to also arrive.

Whether or not you read the above, the rules for giveaways are in place to protect everyone. I do not want to hear you didn't read them, they will be posted on my blog daily during each featured day. There is no excuse for not reading them.


95 comments:

  1. I have several feline helpers, too. You're doing better than I if you can convince them to sit in a specific spot and help from there. Some days it feels like an ongoing negotiation, during which I do more "negotiating" than quilting!

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  2. Thank you for taking the time to create your wonderful block for us. It is beautiful

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  3. Such a cute row! The snowflakes are beautiful. Thank you for the tutorial.

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  4. Love your row! Thanks for the great tutorial!

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  5. Thank you for a beautiful row. I’m sure my kitty will enjoy it as much as yours seems to.

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  6. Great row! Thanks for all the details on how to do the applique.

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  7. I love Frosty the Snowman. Thanks for sharing your wonderful pattern and your tips for appliqué. grinnie1961 at gmail dot com

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  8. Thank you for a beautiful row--and for all the tips!

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  9. I love your row. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Your row is darling!! Thanks for sharing.

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  11. I love snowman. Your row is sooooo cute. I've already downloaded it. Thanks for sharing.

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  12. I love your row and your step by step directions--truly wonderful! Thank you!

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  13. Loving all the rows this year. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!
    basaran.family@rogers.com

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  14. This is such a beauty. Fantastic instructions. Thank you for designing a great row. martisovitsd(at)central(dot)edu

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  15. Adorable block! I sing Frost the Snowman all throughout the year. One of my favorites. Thank you!

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  16. Cute row! I always have to watch this show each year. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Thanks so much Reeze. I love, love this row! Hard to believe fall is here, Happy FAll!

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  18. Great row! I love the star on the tree and the snowman touches of holly. Thanks!

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  19. Frosty is a fabulous row. Thank you for taking all the time to not only design but give such great tips for putting it all together.

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  20. Thank you for the pattern and especially the tutorial. I like snowmen and women.

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  21. Super fun row!!! I have to say I've given up on Steam A Seam. I had to throw away an entire box that kept gunking my sewing machine needle:/

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  22. Thanks for sharing your row! I love the snowflakes!

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  23. Merrily Merrily loving these patterns. crystalbluern at tds dot net

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  24. I love your row! I thought at first glance that Frosty was stitched! You did a great job!

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  25. Your row is so happy and fun, not to mention very pretty. Thanks for sharing with us! lutzcats (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  26. This is a fabulous row! Can't wait to make it! Thank you so very much!

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  27. Your row is beautiful. Thanks for the tutorial and the chance to win.

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  28. Gorgeous row - snowmen are my fav Christmas decoration!!! churcae(at)auburn(dot)edu

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  29. Frosty is so darn cute. Those snowflakes really do make it complete. I might have to try my Cameo cutter for them. LOL!!

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  30. What a lovely row! I love frosty! Thanks!

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  31. Reeze,
    what a cute design. You provided such detail and directions; you make it look so easy. I'm going to try! You have done an excellent job.
    Kat

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  32. Wow! Such a darling row!! And your snowflakes are fabulous. They look so nice, I thought perhaps you had a die cut for them. Really nice job. Thanks for taking the time to create and share.

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  33. Beautiful row! I love the snowflakes!

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  34. Very cute - I love watching the layers come together to add realism to the picture. Very cool!

    Thunderfan@protonmail.com

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  35. I like your row because it is cute and colorful. Thank you for sharing your talent. Like the cat too!

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  36. Thank you so much Reese for your time and effort put into this wonderful design for us. I copied the pattern and hope I will get to it as it will look great on my door... Hugs, LJ

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  37. I love snow men tytyty for sharing... happyness04431@yahoo.com

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  38. I really love those snowflakes. Thank you for sharing your row

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  39. Cute, cute, cute row! I love how you also used the snowflake shape for the tree topper.

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  40. That row is fabulous! I like Christmas decorations that are good through the winter so we get to enjoy them longer.

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  41. oh my this is seriously adorable. thank you for the pattern and for sharing
    quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

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  42. Such a fun row - love the fabric colors you used & love the wonderful snowflakes! Thank you, Susan

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  43. Absolutely love the Frosty! Think I will do it as a stand alone wall hanging for a friend who is snowman happy all year long! Thank you for such a great design! As usual, you have batted 1000!

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  44. Thanks for a wonderful design, and great directions for how to make it.

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  45. Thank you, Reeze, for such a cute row!

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  46. Gorgeous fabrics. I love your pattern. Thanks for sharing

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  47. Thank you,for the pretty row. I'm thinking tablerunner

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  48. Your block is adorable! Thank You!

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  49. Thank you so much for your beautiful interpretation of this carol.

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  50. Very cute row, thank you! Frosty is a favorite every year.

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  51. Love your row it’s just darling. Thank you
    Swoot@att.net

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  52. There are so many great rows - and this one is one exception. Merry Christmas to all.

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  53. Thanks for being a part of the Christmas Carol Row-along! Love your row!! Blessings!!!

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  54. Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.netSeptember 26, 2017 at 6:53 PM

    love your row. Thanks !

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  55. What an adorable row! I also have 3 cats and 1 of them is always with me in my sewing room.

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  56. LOIS W ykcihc5@yahoo.comSeptember 26, 2017 at 7:28 PM

    Thank you for a fun row! Beautiful colors.

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  57. Oh, snowmen just melt my heart. Your row is adorable.

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  58. Wow! Those snowflakes are intense. Buster is gorgeous, glad he was there to oversee the process.

    ~Brandy

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  59. What a great row, I like the challenge of the Flakes.. Thank you

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  60. Your Frosty the Snowman is adorable! :-) I am just not a good one for applique otherwise I would definitely have to make him

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  61. Once again a fun and cute pattern for everyone to adore. It is great having you back in the row along this year and I hope you'll come back again next year. This is such a cute row and so much full of fun... An idea comes to mind with the snowflakes, if you remember as a child in school we use to make snowflakes out of folded paper, one could easily do the same with fabric and cut the snowflakes out that way also.

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  62. That's really sweet. I love the snowflakes, too.

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  63. Wonderful row, thank you. Merry Christmas.

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  64. I really like Frosty. He is adorable. Thanks for sharing Reeze. raydeer@memlane.com

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  65. What a happy row! Love snowflakes!

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  66. спасибо за урок по аппликации. Я люблю их!

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  67. Great pattern and great tips in your posting. Thanks for the row!

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  68. I love Frosty! and your interpretation is lovely (like all your designs!) Thank you Reeze for another super applique.

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  69. I have never seen that windowing method before, so that was a great tip.

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  70. I enjoyed your row alot! Thank you for sharing! Enjoy your day!! angielovesgary2 atgmail dotcom

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  71. I love the snowman and flakes! Thak you.

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  72. What a cute ROW quilt pattern. Thank you.

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  73. Love your row. I love snowmen. This is too cute!!

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  74. I love that your row goes vertical. Frosty is adorable and I can envision using this as a stand-alone hanging quilt. Thanks, Reeze.

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  75. I love snowmen and this is so very cute and your directions make it simple. Thank you so very much for simplifying the application directions. Thank you for sharing.

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  76. What a darling pattern, Love it! Every winter my Mom decorated her house full of snowmen. This would make a great gift for her ;-D

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  77. What a fun row!! Thanks for the pattern and the reminder to cut away the center of the steam a seam. I get going on a project and just start layering them on. Karen kthurn(at)bektel(dot)com

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  78. Your row is fantastic! Thank you!

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I'd love to know what you think! Thanks for sharing your ideas.