Winter's Walk Quilt-Along — Day 6

Welcome back for Day 6 of the Winter's Walk Quilt-Along!

Today we'll be making our second snowman block!

Day 6:  Snowman with Hat Block

Here's the link for today's pattern sheet.  Once again today's pattern is two pages long, so be sure to print both.

Today's snowman is very similar to the Day 5 snowman—he's just a bit taller and sporting a dashing top hat.  And now that you're a pro at making stitch-and-flip triangles, making this block should be a breeze!

For my Winter's Walk variation, I used two different green plaids for the scarf—one for the knot and a second for the majority of the scarf.  I also fussy cut the black print that I used for the top hat to give it some fun vertical stripes.  This little guy may be my favorite snowman yet!

Have fun making your snowman this weekend!  I'll be back here Monday 12/14 with our last block and then we'll move on to assembly.  Can't wait!

Happy quilting!

—jen

Winter's Walk Quilt-Along — Day 5

 It's Day 5 of the Winter's Walk Quilt-Along and after today we'll be halfway there!

Today we're making our first snowman block!  I love this snowman with its cozy scarf—it's a great blank canvas to leave as is or to embellish however you like.  This block is a fun one, so let's get started!

Day 5:  Snowman Block

Here's the link for today's pattern sheet.  Please note that there are two pages today so be sure to print both.

This is a pretty intricate block, but we'll be breaking it down into manageable steps and it comes together surprisingly well.

When you do your cutting, you'll notice that there are some small pieces in this block, namely some 1" x 1" squares.  Don't let this intimidate you.  I mentioned on Monday that the tree block, with its many stitch-and-flip corners, would be good practice for upcoming blocks.  The "curves" of this snowman are made using using the same stitch-and-flip method.  I'm sure you've got the technique down now, so whether you're stitching and flipping 3" squares or 1" squares, the process is exactly the same.  You've got this!

One more quick note, the snowman's scarf is comprised of 4 red print pieces.  One piece, the 1" square, is meant to be the knot of the scarf.  The seams alone will make this piece stand out a bit from the rest of the scarf, but if you'd like to up the contrast of the "knot," feel free to use the solid red, or to fussy cut a 1" square of fabric from your red print, or even to use a scrap of an entirely different print.  For my original version of Winter's Walk, I used a solid 1" square:

and for the variation that I'm working on now, I used a different red plaid:

There no rules here, just fun!  Go ahead a play a bit and see what you like best.

And that, my fellow quilters, is it for today.  Have fun making your snowman and I'll see you back here Friday for Day 6!

Happy Quilting!

— jen

Winter's Walk Quilt-Along — Day 4

Welcome back to the Winter's Walk Quilt-Along!  

We got a few inches of snow over the weekend here in New Hampshire and it's definitely helping with my holiday spirit—fingers crossed that it will last!  I hope you all had a good weekend and that you're caught up and ready to move on because this week we are making some super cute blocks!

Day 4:  Tree Block

Today we're making a Christmas tree block!  And with its stitch-and-flip triangles, this block couldn't be easier to make.

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

For my Winter's Walk variation, I decided to use a different green flannel for each of the tree units.  I'm going for a casual, cozy look and I thought that the different plaids would add some fun texture and interest—and who doesn't love a scrappy tree!  One note, if you decide to use flannel for your tree block, press seam allowances open when sewing together the tree and trunk units to reduce bulk.  Flannel=bulk.

No special construction tips necessary today because stitch-and-flip corners are fast and easy.  This block will be good practice for what's coming up next!  So exciting!

Have fun making your tree block and I'll see you back here Wednesday for Day 5!

Happy quilting!

—jen

Winter's Walk Quilt-Along — Day 3

Day 3 already!  I'm always surprised by how quickly time seems to pass in December, especially when I really would prefer that it sloooow down.  Funny how that works :).

Day 3:  Corner Half-Square Triangles and Flying Geese

Today we'll be making half-square triangles and flying geese units.  We're making quite a few flying geese units, 36 to be exact, so I thought it would be best to post this pattern on a Friday to give us an extra day to finish them.  

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

To save a bit of time (and fabric), we'll be using a no-waste (i.e. no trimming), fast, 4-at-a-time method for our flying geese, rather than the traditional stitch-and-flip method.

If you like this method, the math is pretty easy to remember for future use.  For the goose (or larger center triangle) of your flying geese unit, you'll need a square that's 1¼" larger than the finished width of your flying geese unit.  For the sky (or smaller triangles) on the either side of the unit, you'll need four squares that are ⅞" larger than the finished height of your flying geese unit.  Our flying geese will finish (not including seam allowances) at 1½" x 3", so we need our larger square to measure 4¼" and our four smaller squares to measure 2⅜".

Today's pattern sheet contains complete instructions and diagrams for making the flying geese using this method so I won't repeat them here.  I will, however, caution you to be very careful and precise with your scant ¼" seam allowance.  A scant ¼" seam allowance is 2-3 threads narrower than an actual ¼" seam allowance.  This allows for the math to work despite the extra seam allowance width that can result when pressing the seam open (because of fabric bulk).  When marking your sewing lines on either side of the cutting line (Making the Flying Geese - Step 1 on the pattern sheet) be sure to take into consideration your ruler and even the width of the pencil lead.  If the line is a perfect ¼" away from the cutting line, your flying geese will end up ever so slightly too small.  Instead try to draw your stitching lines in between the ⅛" and ¼" lines on your ruler from the center cutting line.  Then be sure to sew directly on the line.  Careful marking in the beginning can save you a lot of frustration when you assemble your quilts later.  I've learned this the hard way!

And that'll do it for today!  

Have fun—remember this is fun!!!—making your half-square triangles and flying geese and enjoy your weekend!  I'll see you back here on Monday for Day 4!

Happy Quilting!

—jen

Winter's Walk Quilt-Along — Day 2

 It's Day 2 of the Winter's Walk Quilt-Along and today we're making Pinwheel Blocks!  

We won't be using half-square triangles to make our pinwheels, but rather split quarter-square triangles to make our little pinwheels stand on point.  I love how this gives them motion and makes them look like snowflakes!

Day 2:  Pinwheel Blocks

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

As we did with our half-square triangles on Day 1, we'll make the split quarter-square triangles a little big and then trim them down to size.  To do so, you'll need your trusty ruler with the 45° line again.  Align the 45° line with the unit's longer diagonal seam.  We're trimming the split QSTs to measure 2" square, so make sure that the 1" lines of the ruler intersect at the center of the unit, namely the intersection of the two diagonal seams. 

Trim the right and top sides of the split QST, then turn the split QST 180°, realign the ruler as described above and trim the remaining two sides of the split QST.

Once you've trimmed all of your split QSTs it's time to sew them into pinwheel blocks.  The concern with pinwheel blocks is the bulk that results from all of the seam allowances converging in the center of the block.  The best way to reduce the bulk is to press all of the seam allowances in the same direction around the block.  Easy enough to do for your first two seams, but a little trickier when sewing the rows together with the final seam.  After sewing the last seam, you'll need to remove a couple of stitches from within the seam allowance on both sides of the block where indicated below by the point of the seam ripper.

Next open the block up, lay it on its right side and gently press on the center to open up the seam allowances.  What you're looking for is a mini pinwheel in the center of the seam allowances as shown below.  Once the little pinwheel is visible, you can press all of the seam allowances in the same direction, in this case clockwise.  Press well and then step back and admire your work!

That's it for today!  Have fun making your pinwheel blocks and I'll see you back here Friday for Day 3!

—jen

Winter's Walk Quilt-Along — Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the Winter's Walk Quilt-Along!

I'm so excited to kick off the Winter's Walk Quilt-Along!  I always love hosting a quilt-along at Christmas, but this year in particular, I think we could all use a little bit of fun and a chance to connect with other quilters.  I hope you'll join us and share your progress on Instagram and Facebook—it's a joy to see your creations!

Before we get started, let's take care of a few housekeeping details:

• Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in December, from now until the 21st, I'll be posting the next stage of our quilt-along here on the blog.  In the interest of keeping blog posts short, I won't write out each day's instructions, but I will include extra info for making the blocks.
• Links to downloadable pattern sheets for each day will be available both here and on the quilt-along page.
• Pattern sheets will be available throughout the month of December and in January I'll make a complete pattern available in my Etsy shop.
• If you haven't yet had a chance to gather your materials, no worries—here's a link to the quilt-along materials page—jump in and join us whenever you can!

My favorite part of the Christmas quilt-along is actually quilting along with you.  To that end, I've chosen a second batch of fabrics and I'll be making a variation of Winter's Walk during the quilt-along.  Some of the photos that I post here on the blog and on social media may look a little different from the original quilt, but while the fabrics are different, the blocks are the same. 

All set?  Here we go!

Day 1:  Shoo Fly Blocks

I just love this simple and classic block—and it makes perfectly sweet snowflakes for winter quilts!

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

First we'll do some preliminary cutting of background pieces and border strips—set these aside for later use as instructed—and then we'll make our first blocks.

We'll be using an 8-at-a-time method to make the half-square triangles that we need for the blocks.  I like to make my half-square triangles a little bigger than necessary and then trim them down to size for accuracy.  

To trim your half-square triangles, you'll need a quilting ruler with a 45° line.  Lay the ruler atop the half-square triangle that you are trimming and align the 45° line with the diagonal seam as shown below.  

Trim the right and top sides of the half-square triangle, then turn the half-square triangle 180°, realign the ruler, and trim the remaining two sides.  The completed half-square triangles should measure 1½" square including seam allowances.

And there you have it!  Perfect little half-square triangles to use in your Shoo Fly blocks.

Have fun making today's blocks!  And don't forget, if you post on IG or Facebook, please tag me @jendalyquilts and use the hashtag #winterswalkqal.  Any questions?  Email me at jendalyquilts@gmail.com.  I'll see you back here Wednesday!

—jen

2020 Winter's Walk Quilt-Along Coming Soon!

The 6^th Annual Jen Daly Quilts Quilt-Along is just around the corner!

This year’s project is called “Winter’s Walk.”  I wanted to make a quilt that was inspired by winter, but still gently Christmassy.  I started with snowmen, bundled them up in cozy scarves and then imagined them in the woods on a snowy winter’s eve, walking through falling snow and encountering a tree all dressed up for Christmas.  And voilà!  Winter’s Walk!  Of course, I do realize that snowmen can’t actually walk, but “Winter’s Shuffle” just doesn’t sound the same :)

The Winter’s Walk Quilt-Along will begin on Monday, November 30^th and continue every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until December 21^st.  There’s no need to sign up for the quilt-along—as we progress, I’ll make each set of instructions available on the quilt-along page.  If you’ve signed up for email updates on my website, you’ll also receive emails containing links to each day’s instructions.  The instruction sheets will remain available throughout the month of December and in January I’ll make a complete pattern available in my Etsy shop.  I’ll also do regular posts on Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #winterswalkqal.  If you post pictures of your progress be sure to tag me @jendalyquilts and use the hashtag #winterswalkqal—I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

To help you get started, here’s a link for the materials list for the quilt-along:

Have fun gathering materials for the project and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at jendalyquilts@gmail.com.  I’ll see you back here on November 30^th!!  Can't wait!