Glad Tidings Quilt-Along Day 8

***The Glad Tidings Quilt-along is now over, but the complete Glad Tidings pattern is available in my Etsy Shop.***

 

It's day 8 of the Glad Tidings QAL and today we're wrapping things up.  I've seen a few finished quilt tops already on social media and they are BEAUTIFUL!  If you'd like to see what your fellow quilters have come up with, check out the hashtag #gladtidingsqal.

I don't have an instruction sheet for you today, but I would like to share some ideas for other ways you might use the Glad Tidings blocks.  While making my quilt, I couldn't help but think that the rows of blocks would lend themselves so well to pillows.  I'd hoped to make one for today, but, alas, Christmas.  Instead I sketched some ideas for when I do find the time—here are the best of the bunch:

First up are straightforward Joy, Noel, and Peace pillows, all 12" x 20":

Then I thought it might be fun to replace the wreath in the Joy set with the ornament (12" x 20"):

Here's a peek at what it might look like to combine Joy and Noel.  I added a holly block for extra cuteness (18" x 18"):

Which led me on to the non-letter blocks.  They're different sizes so it was a little harder to find a symmetry that I liked, but I think these two do the trick (16" x 16"):

And finally, here's the pillow that I'm hoping to make - Joy with extra borders (12" x 20"):

I think I'll try a different color palette this time.  The word "Joy" has me thinking of sweets and a little pink might be just the thing!


Now on to the Glad Tidings QAL Giveaway....Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to our winners: Cyndi (@cyndihomewisconsin) and Tammy (@basketnut1)!!! 

Finally, thank you so much for quilting-along with me this year.  Your response to the Glad Tidings QAL has been wonderful, and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing pictures of your blocks and quilts on social media, reading your lovely comments, and connecting with so many of you.  I can't wait to do it all over again next year!  

In the meantime, I wish you a joyous and peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

All my best, 

—jen

Glad Tidings QAL Day 7 - Pieced Border and Assembly

***The Glad Tidings Quilt-along is now over, but the complete Glad Tidings pattern is available in my Etsy Shop.***

Welcome back for day 7 of the Glad Tidings QAL!  Today we're making pieced borders and assembling our quilt tops.  Today is the reward for all of our hard work!

I've given you the instructions for making the pieced border first, because you'll be finishing up the charm square cutting.  But if you prefer to audition the placement of the pieced border squares around your quilt before making the actual borders, you should absolutely feel free to assemble your quilt centers first.

We're not quite finished with our Glad Tidings quilts yet, but I've so enjoyed hearing from you and seeing your progress on Instagram and Facebook.  Your response to this little quilt-along has made my month!  To thank you all, I'm going to have a Glad Tidings QAL Giveaway on Instagram.  I'll be giving away two prizes:  second prize will be a copy of Charmed by Moda Bake Shop, the gorgeous book that helped inspire the Glad Tidings quilt, and first prize will be a copy of Charmed by Moda Bake Shop AND a charm pack of Christmas Stitched by Fig Tree & Co., the fabric that I used to make my version of the Glad Tidings quilt.  Sound like fun?  Here's a link to the Giveaway post.

Have fun assembling your quilt tops!  I'll be back on Thursday for day 8 with a little show and tell and to announce the winners of the Glad Tidings QAL Giveaway!

—jen

Helpful links:


Glad Tidings complete pattern

Glad Tidings QAL Day 6 - Heart and Gift Blocks

 ***The Glad Tidings Quilt-along is now over, but the complete Glad Tidings pattern is available in my Etsy Shop.***

It's Day 6 and today we're making the last of our blocks—hearts and a charming little gift!

I've had so much fun piecing the little blocks for this project, and today's blocks were no exception.  I especially love the heart blocks—so simple, but so sweet.  Feel the same?  My Bless Her Heart lap quilt is a fun project that's great for showcasing (or using up!) your favorite charm squares. 

I made mine with three different charm packs of Regent Street Lawns by Moda that I'd been saving for a while.  I paired them with Moda Chambray, backed the quilt with a cozy flannel, and named her (yes, she's a she) "Bless Her Heart."  She's a favorite quilt in our house now—broken in, soft, and beloved.  

The pattern for Bless Her Heart is available for download in my Etsy shop, just in time for Valentine's Day.  Lol, just kidding!!  Let's slow down and enjoy Christmas before we move on. :)

In the spirit of savoring Christmas, have fun this weekend making the last of your blocks.  Monday we're moving on to assembly and borders—so exciting!

—jen

Helpful links:

Glad Tidings complete pattern

Glad Tiding Quilt-Along Day 3 - J, Wreath, and Y Blocks

***The Glad Tidings Quilt-along is now over, but the complete Glad Tidings pattern is available in my Etsy Shop.***

Happy Monday!  It's Day 3 of the Glad Tidings QAL!  Today we're moving on to our first letter blocks and they are a joy to make! 

I have to say, I'm really enjoying working this way—cutting a charm square, making a block, and stepping back to admire it before moving on to the next— instant gratification and so much fun!  It's also a joy to see your Glad Tidings blocks out there on social media.  Thank you so much for tagging me @jendalyquilts and using the hashtag #gladtidingsqal. :)

If you're looking for some more fast and fun holiday sewing, I've got a great idea for you—mitten ornaments!

These little mittens function just like a stocking and you can stuff them with treats before using them to trim your tree or decorate a gift.

 The pattern for the Mitten Ornaments is now available for download in my Etsy shop.

That's it for today!  Have fun making your blocks and I'll see you back here on Thursday for Day 4!

Happy quilting,

—jen

Helpful links:

Glad Tidings complete pattern

Glad Tidings Quilt-Along Day 2 - Star, Pinwheel, and Holly Blocks

***The Glad Tidings Quilt-along is now over, but the complete Glad Tidings pattern is available in my Etsy Shop.***

Welcome back for Day 2 of the Glad Tidings Quilt-Along!

 

Hope you're still with me after all of the cutting on Monday!  Today we're moving on and making our first blocks—the Star, Pinwheel, and Holly blocks.  If you haven't already planned out which 5" charm squares you plan to use for the various blocks, you may want to do so before you begin today using the info contained in the green box on the bottom of the Day 1: Cutting page.

As I mentioned earlier, we'll be cutting the charm squares as we progress through the QAL.  A 5" square of fabric isn't exactly a forgiving size, so on each of the block instruction pages, I've included charm square cutting diagrams to help you out.  If you need to reserve any cut pieces for use in other blocks or in the pieced border, I've made a note either on the charm square cutting diagrams or in step 1 of each of the block making sections, so pay particular attention to the charm square cutting instructions as you go.    

Have fun making your blocks and if you'd like to share your work on Instagram or Facebook, please consider tagging me @jendalyquilts and using the hashtag #gladtidingsqal—I'd love to see what you're up to!  Stay tuned for Day 3 on Monday (12/5)—we'll be starting the letter blocks and I can't wait!

—jen

Helpful links:

Glad Tidings complete pattern

Glad Tidings Quilt-Along Day 1: Cutting

  

***The Glad Tidings Quilt-along is now over, but the complete Glad Tidings pattern is available in my Etsy Shop.***

Welcome to Day 1 of the Glad Tidings Quilt-Along!

Today we're going to start with cutting.  Admittedly not my favorite part of the process, but necessary to get to the fun stuff :).  Because there are a lot of moving parts with this project—42 charm squares and 15 different blocks!—we'll be cutting only the background fabric today and cutting our charm squares as we move through the QAL.  To help you stay organized, on the instruction sheet, I've designated the background pieces that you'll need for assembling the quilt with a little †.  You can set these pieces aside until we assemble on Day 7 (12/19).

As I mentioned, we'll cut the charm squares as we go, but before we begin piecing on Day 2 (12/1) you may want to do some planning and decide which charm squares you intend to use for the various blocks.  On the bottom half of the cutting instruction sheet, you'll find a list of how many squares you'll need for each of the blocks to help with your sorting.  One thing to keep in mind—if your charm pack has a lot of light or low volume squares, you may want to reserve these for the pieced border to make sure that your blocks show up against your background fabric.

If you haven't had a chance to gather your materials yet, don't worry, we won't start piecing until Thursday so there's plenty of time to catch up.  Jump in whenever you can—the instruction sheets will be accessible throughout December and the complete pattern will always be available in my Etsy shop.

Good luck with your cutting—you've got this!!  I'll be back here on Thursday with Day 2 and instructions for our first blocks.  So exciting!

—jen

Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along — Day 7: Assembly

Happy Monday!  I hope you enjoyed your last weekend before Christmas.  Here in New Hampshire, we got six inches of snow, I finally put ornaments on the tree, I baked two kinds of Christmas cookies, and I'm feeling hopeful (wishful thinking??) that the rest of my online shopping will show up on time.  Five days until Christmas?  Bring it on!

It's Day 7 (and the final day) of the Homespun Holiday QAL and today we're assembling and finishing our table runners! 

The assembly for this project is super simple — just adding sashing between each of the blocks and all of the rows, always pressing towards the sashing. 

Then it's on to finishing.  In the interest of time, I chose to quilt my table runner with an all over quilting pattern (Holly Hop by Apricot Moon Designs), but I think this project would look great with custom quilting that accentuates the shapes and elements of the different blocks.  And if you wanted to do some very simple quilting that underscores the homespun look of the project, you could big stitch quilt by hand down the center of all of the sashing strips using perle cotton.  Yum!

Ready to get started?  Here's the link for today's pattern sheet.  Please note that there are two pages again today.

The pattern sheets for the Homespun Holiday table runner will remain available through the end of the year.  In January, I'll make a complete pattern for the project available in my Etsy shop.  I'd love to see your finished runners, so please feel free to share with me via email or social media (Instagram or Facebook/@jendalyquilts).

And that brings the Homespun Holiday QAL to a close.  It's been a joy to quilt along with you and I hope you have a happy and healthy holiday!

—jen

Helpful QAL links:

• QAL Page
• Materials Page
• Day 1 - Cutting
• Day 2 - Star Blocks
• Day 3 - Holly Blocks
• Day 4 - Poinsettia Star Blocks
• Day 5 - Tree Blocks
  
• Day 6 - House Blocks

Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along — Day 6: House Blocks

Happy Friday!  It's Day 6 of the Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along and we've finally reached my favorite block of the QAL—houses!

I love the look of these simple, but graphic little houses.  And with straightforward piecing and stitch-and-flip corners, they couldn't be easier to make!

Ready to jump right in?  Here's the link to today's pattern sheet. 

Have fun making your house blocks and have a great weekend!  Assembly on Monday!!

—jen

Helpful QAL links:

• QAL Page
• Materials Page
• Day 1 - Cutting
• Day 2 - Star Blocks
• Day 3 - Holly Blocks
• Day 4 - Poinsettia Star Blocks
• Day 5 - Tree Blocks

Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along — Day 5: Tree Blocks

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a festive weekend and found some time to sew.  Our QAL blocks are starting to pile up!

Today is Day 5 of the Homespun Holiday QAL and we're moving on to one of my favorite blocks of the quilt-along — trees!

Pine trees, Christmas trees, whatever you want to call them, I love these graphic blocks and I think they're especially charming made with plaids.  In fact, one of my favorite finishes of the year was made entirely of plaid trees. 

 

If it looks familiar, you're right!  This cozy quilt was a big part of the inspiration for our Homespun Holiday project.  North Woods is a 60½" x 64½" lap quilt made with one bundle of 42 - 10" squares and background fabric.  I made my quilt for fall using a layer cake of Homemade Homespun fabrics by Kansas Troubles Quilters for Moda, but I think it would be amazing made with Christmas prints.  You can find the downloadable pattern for North Woods in my Etsy shop.

And now back to the QAL!  Here's the link to today's pattern sheet.  Please note that today's pattern is two pages long.

Have fun making your tree blocks and have a great week!

—jen

Helpful QAL links:

• QAL Page
• Materials Page
• Day 1 - Cutting
• Day 2 - Star Blocks
• Day 3 - Holly Blocks
• Day 4 - Poinsettia Star Blocks

Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along — Day 4: Poinsettia Star Blocks

I cannot believe how quickly December flies by!  December 10th already, and to be honest, I have lights on the tree, but no ornaments, and the Thanksgiving quilts are still out.  Maybe I need to spend less time working on Christmas quilts and more time on Christmas decorating.... nah!!

It's Day 4 of the Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along and today we're making Poinsettia Star blocks!

These cute little 5" blocks are a variation on a Sawtooth Star, one of my all-time favorite quilt blocks.  By substituting a pieced center square with a gold diamond, I was hoping to achieve an abstract poinsettia look.  I realize it's a stretch, but I love how the block looks anyway!

Here's the link to today's pattern sheet:

Have fun making your Poinsettia Star Blocks and have a great weekend.  Next week we'll be moving on to my favorite blocks of the QAL, can't wait!

—jen

Helpful QAL links:

• QAL Page
• Materials Page
• Day 1 - Cutting
• Day 2 - Star Blocks
• Day 3 - Holly Blocks

Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along — Day 3: Holly Blocks

I hope you had a great weekend filled with holiday cheer and, of course, some time to sew!

Today is Day 3 of the Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along and we're moving on to holly blocks.

These little 3" x 5" (finished) blocks are simple to make, but so festive!  We'll be making eight holly blocks total, two from each green homespun/print.

Ready to start piecing?  Here's the link to today's pattern sheet:

And just in case, here are some helpful QAL links:

• QAL Page
• Materials Page
• Day 1 - Cutting
• Day 2 - Star Blocks

Later this week I'll be hosting a giveaway on Instagram.  I'll be giving away a copy of the January/February '22 issue of Quiltmaker magazine.  Inside you'll find patterns for ten colorful quilts—including a scrappy Valentine's Day lap quilt designed by me—as well as part 1 of a 6-part mystery quilt-along called "Ruby Jubilee."  Designed by Denise Starck to celebrate Quiltmaker's 40th anniversary, Ruby Jubilee features blocks from Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps column.  If you'd like a chance to win this copy of Quiltmaker, look for the contest post this week on Instagram.

In the meantime, enjoy your week and have fun making your jolly holly blocks!

—jen

Homespun Holiday Quilt-Along — Day 2: Star Blocks

Happy Friday and welcome back for Day 2 of the Homespun Holiday QAL!

I hope you're still with me after that big cutting session!  Just think how much fun it will be to be able to focus on piecing from now on. 😉

Today we're starting small and making six Friendship Star blocks — three from each of your gold homespuns or prints.

These are fast and fun little blocks to make.  The only complication is that you'll need to make sure that three of the stars (made with one gold homespun/print) spin in one direction, and that the remaining three stars (made with the other gold homespun/print) spin in the reverse direction.  Not too tricky!

Ready to jump in?  Here's the link to the pattern sheet for today's blocks:

If you're just joining us, you can find links to the materials page and Day 1 - Cutting page on the QAL page on my website.

And if you'd like to share your work on Instagram or Facebook, please consider tagging me @jendalyquilts and using the hashtags #homespunholiday and/or #homespunholidayqal—I'd love to see what you're up to!

In the meantime, have fun making your star blocks and have a great weekend!

—jen

Deck the Halls QAL - Day 9

❆❆❆Update:  The complete pattern for Deck the Halls is now available for download in my Etsy shop.  The pattern includes material requirements, step-by-step instructions and full color diagrams to help you on your way.  Click here to view the pattern.❆❆❆

Welcome back for Day 9 of the Deck the Halls QAL!

For our final day we're going to be adding a ribbon border to our medallion quilts using the split quarter square triangles blocks that we made on Day 6.  I love how this surprisingly easy border frames and finishes the quilt—definitely worth the trimming we did last week!

...

I've loved making a medallion quilt for the QAL this year!  It was so much fun to see the quilt unfold with the addition of each border.  All that's left now is to decide whether to hang my Deck the Halls quilt on my wall:

or to display it on my kitchen table:

Hmmm....

And that's a wrap for the 2018 Deck the Halls Quilt Along!  It's been an absolute pleasure sharing this project with you and connecting with you via email and social media.  I'd love to see pictures of your quilts when they're finished, so please tag me @jendalyquilts when you post your quilts or even send a photo to me at jendalyquilts@gmail.com.

If you weren't able to quilt along with us this year, but you'd like to make your own Deck the Halls quilt, the QAL posts will be available on my blog through the month of January.  The complete (and compressed) pattern for Deck the Halls will also be available in my Etsy shop in the new year.

Thank you all so much for following and quilting along!  I wish you all Happy Holidays, a Happy New Year, and Happy Quilting!!

Cheers!  jen