
You are going to love the December/January issue of Fons & Porter’s Quick + Easy Quilts! From festive quilts to baskets to bags, the issue is sure to spark your creativity. As a bonus, the project designers share holiday traditions and recipes. If you are an Aby pattern collector, this issue gives you two for the price of one. My string-pieced beverage gift bag is pictured on the cover, and my “Sparkling Pines” runner is patterned on page 90.
“The beverage gift bag combines two of our family holiday traditions. The first tradition is using and re-using fabric gift bags. Through the years, I have made simple fabric gift bags which come out of the attic each December. Some have lace or braid at the open edge; some have ribbon or cording for ties. The largest, made from half-yard cuts of fabric, notoriously contain clothing gifts. Smaller bags are tailored to the size of gift they contain. Family members reluctantly return the bags once the gifts are opened. That’s the rule . . . then I can use them again the following year. The second tradition is enjoying sparkling grape juice or apple juice during Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Even the youngest can raise a toast to the occasion with this delicious fizzy treat!”
The magazine instructions and diagrams show exactly how I made the bags, and the three examples I sent were photographed to best advantage. I know you will enjoy making this project, perfect for gift-giving. Tip – using French wire ribbon for the bow ensures a pretty finish. And the quilt batting cushions the glass bottle during transport.
If you are a long time subscriber to Quilting Daily publications, “Sparkling Pines” will seem familiar. It was originally published six years ago in McCall’s Quick Quilts. I’m glad it was selected for re-publication; it is such a quick and fun project.

What quilt-y family traditions do you look forward to enjoying during the holiday season?