Gift Box Quilt

Hello All! My name is Angela and I blog over at Cut To Pieces. I'm so pleased to be able to share with you all my very first Moda Bake Shop quilt! But not my last ;) It was very fun to be able to use Kate Spain's newest Christmas Line, Flurry. This is actually the first Christmas quilt that I have ever made and I was delighted to have an excuse. But don't worry if Christmas Fabrics are not your thing! I have lots of other fabric options to show you below. So keep reading.

This twin sized quilt is a very versatile design that looks fabulous with any fabric. I actually think it would be a great design for a quilt for a male, which can be hard to find. And the beauty of this quilt is that it is all made from the same block pattern, so it goes quickly! I pieced the top in one weekend. So put off all of your quilt projects and tackle this one. I promise you won't be disappointed. ;)



• One Fat Quarter Bundle of Flurry by Kate Spain (or Two jelly rolls!)
• 3.125 yards of Bella Solid Navy
• 3.5 yards of Aqua Snuggles fabric (60" wide) for the backing
• 1 yard of Flurry Snowdrift Peppermint Swirl for the binding



Each block in this quilt is made exactly the same way. So all of the cutting and sewing instructions are the same for every block. Each block is made up of (9) pieces of fabric, all either a different size or a different print. There are 35 blocks that make up the quilt.

Cutting:

The Navy Bella Solid:

Fold the yardage in half selvage to selvage.

Cut (11) 4.5" wide strips across the width of the fabric.
Cut (24) 2.5" wide strips across the width of the fabric.

•select (4) of the 4.5" wide navy strips and from those cut (35) 4.5" x 4.5" squares. You can get 9 pieces per strip.

•select (7) of the 4.5" wide navy strips and from those cut (35) 8.5" x 4.5" pieces. You can get 5 pieces per strip.
*This measurement is fairly exact, so you may want to give yourself an extra strip if necessary.*

•select (3) of the 2.5" wide navy strips and from those cut (35) 2.5" x 2.5" squares. You can get 16 pieces per strip.

(cutting a strip into 2.5" inch squares)

•select (9) of the 2.5" wide navy strips and from those cut (35) 10.5" x 2.5" pieces. You can get 4 pieces per strip.

•select (12) of the 2.5" wide navy strips and from those cut (35) 12.5" x 2.5" pieces. You can get 3 pieces per strip.

(shown here are the three sizes of navy pieces that are 2.5" wide)

The Fat Quarter Bundle:

Choose 21 Fat Quarters from the Bundle. Select 14 of those 21 to be double blocks and 7 to be single blocks. Do this by choosing a layout. Lay the fabrics out, 3 across and 7 down. Place them in such a way that you have a pleasing balance of color, scale and print. All three will keep your eye moving.

When you are pleased with your arrangement, proceed with cutting.


For the 14 fat quarters that will double (ie the ones that you are making two blocks of), cut (3) strips 2.5" x length of the fat quarter (generally 22").

•select (1) strip and cut (2) 10.5" x 2.5" pieces.

•select (1) strip and cut (2) 8.5" x 2.5" pieces.

•select (1) strip and cut (2) 4.5" x 2.5" AND (2) 2.5" x 2.5" pieces.

For the 7 fat quarters that are single blocks, cut (2) strips 2.5" x length of the fat quarter (generally 22").

•select (1) strip and cut (1) 10.5" x 2.5" piece.

•select (1) strip and cut (1) 8.5" x 2.5" AND (1) 4.5" x 2.5" AND (1) 2.5" x 2.5" pieces.

*note: if using jelly rolls for this, simply skip the step that requires you to cut the fabric into 2.5" strips and go straight to cutting the actual pieces required. You will need (2) jelly rolls to achieve the displayed quilt.*


Piecing:

Sew each block together in the alphabetized order from A to I, always pressing toward the newest piece added to the block.

A. Navy 2.5" x 2.5" square
B. Print 2.5" x 2.5" square
C. Print 4.5" x 2.5" piece
D. Navy 4.5" x 4.5" square
E. Navy 8.5" x 4.5" piece
F. Print 8.5" x 2.5" piece
G. Print 10.5" x 2.5" piece
H. Navy 10.5" x 2.5" piece
I. Navy 12.5" x 2.5" piece


Pieces A and B

Place right sides together and sew.

For faster piecing, you may find it helpful to do some chain piecing, particularly at the beginning.

Pieces A and B with C.

Place right sides together and sew.

Press seam toward piece C. (always towards the newest piece)

Pieces A,B,and C with D

Place right sides together and sew.

(try not to notice that I didn't press my seam here the way that I am telling you to.)

Press the seam toward D.

Pieces A,B,C,D with E.

Place right sides together and sew.

Press seam toward E.

Pieces A,B,C,D,E with F (stop me when I'm boring you!).

Place right sides together (big shock...) and sew.

Let's skip ahead a couple, shall we? Eventually you attach that last piece onto your block!

Each block finishes at 12.5" x 12.5" unfinished.


Sew the (5) blocks in each row together, taking care to match your seams at the double block. Press the seams open.

Sew each row together, pinning as necessary. Press open the seams.


Two Rows Together.

Putting the 4th row on.

The whole quilt top together!

A detailed shot of the top:

Backing:

I used Moda's Snuggles Fabric for ultimate comfort in the cold winter months. You may have thought that this fabric was just for baby blankets, but let me tell you. Adults love it too!

This fabric comes in a 60" width, so you will have some extra left over if you piece the back together. But that will guarantee you have enough fabric on all the sides for quilting. You will need 3.5 yards, cut in half and seamed together across the middle width of the back.

You can certainly back the quilt with a quilting weight cotton as well which is typically a 45" width. You will need 5 yards cut into (2) 2.5 yard pieces and seamed together along the long edge of the fabric.

Completing the Quilt:

Use your favorite basting method to baste together the backing, batting and quilt top. I chose to use a slightly lofty wool batting in this quilt to make it extra warm in the cold winter months.


Then quilt as desired. I had the fun of sending this quilt to a professional long arm quilter (my very first time!) mainly due to time constraints with my recent move 1000 miles across the country. But I had her quilt it the way that I intended to quilt it myself on my conventional home machine. I chose a simple echo quilting pattern that emphasizes the lines of the quilt pattern. I love how it turned out, but I'm a straight line kind of gal. The beauty of this quilt is that there are really so many different options for quilting. I also considered an all over cross hatch pattern, a simple meander pattern, and even a bow like pattern on the "top" of each "gift box". So there is definitely a little something for everyone.

I bound my quilt using (7) 2 3/4" wide strips sewn together on the bias. I fold that in half all along the length and stitch to the edge of the quilt. Then I flip the folded edge to the back of the quilt and hand sew in place. Just a simple double fold binding method. I used a slightly wider strip than usual because of the loft of the wool batting. If I were using a flat cotton batting, use a 2 1/4" wide strip.

Color/Fabric Alternatives:

I know that not everyone is going to want to make a Christmas Quilt, but don't let that stop you from trying this pattern out with other fabrics. There are endless possibilities of fabric combinations that make for some very interesting and modern quilts. Here are just a few mock ups that I have put together.


Try a monochromatic quilt with a solid background.

Can't get enough of rainbows? Give one of these versions a try!

Want to try out a new line coming out? Here's what a little Hometown could look like.

And just because I'm such a fan of aqua, I had to show you an option with an aqua background. ;)

One twin sized quilt measuring 60" x 84".

Inspired yet? I hope so! I'd love to see any versions you make of this quilt. You can share them on Flickr in my group Cut To Pieces and of course the Moda Bake Shop group.


Come on...how can you resist this quilt?

Angela Pingel
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