12 months ago we planted this seed and started growing our Patches of Blue Quilt-A-Long.
There were so many beautiful quilt blocks in our Patches of Blue book to inspire and make,
it was hard to wrap my arms around them all. No less, I picked a few of my favorites and
you were so kind to quilt along with me, I am so thankful for that!
January 2018 – While the ground was still covered in snow and Frost we started our first block.
February 2018 – We got our sweetheart a Gift Basket.
March 2018 – It might not have been a light show but making our saw tooth stars brightened up my day, and I hope yours too.
April 2018 – I should have been sprucing up the house but instead I was working on my Blue Spruce block!
May 2018 – The April showers brought us Blue Bell flowers.
June 2018 – Those hot summer days had me dreaming of winter and the Shimmering Snow.
July 2018 – What a TREE-T it was to have this block to work on in the middle of the year.
August 2018 – While enjoying my time outside, I couldn’t help but notice the big sky and Shinning Stars.
September 2018 – As the seasons were changing, I was already imaging the First Flakes of winter.
October 2018 – It might have been pumpkin season, but we were more excited about our Blue Barn Block.
November 2018 – Can you hear the Sleigh Bells ringing?
Before I start on my Christmas cookies, lets put our quilt together.
I start by pressing all my blocks and double check the sizes. Then I sew my blocks in selections as you can see above. Also, this is the time you can slowly add some applique pieces over some of the seams as shown above using our Blue Sky Silhouettes and Blue Snowflakes.
Start by sewing the top left corner section to the center section (this seam is only partial, leave an opening at the bottom for later). Now you can sew the right corner section.
Then sew the First Flake block to the bottom of that section.
We will proceed by sewing the bottom left section to the First Flake and finish the top seam from the opening all the way to the edge. Add bottom section of the blocks to the quilt top.
(if that section is not long enough, you may add a 1″ strip to the right side.)
Time to add inner borders – cutting dimensions are as follows:
Top border 2″ x 57-1/2″
Left and right border 2″ x 67-1/2″
Bottom border 2-1/2″ x 57-1/2″ (bottom border is a 1/2″ bigger than top border)
Add the left and right border, then press the seam allowance towards the border.
Add top and bottom inner border, press seam towards outside of the quilt and finish all of the appliques.
I hope you have been making your 2″ Half Square Triangles (HSTs, 1-1/2″ finished size) You will need 356 of them for our border.
Save a handful (approximately 20) of the HSTs to the side. Lay the remaining triangles out like the picture above.
Sew the HSTs into sets of two.
Then into sets of four.
I found it easier to have my triangles in units of four or eight when laying out the borders.
Once you have your triangles laid out, its time to sew them together. Notice, that some of my triangles on the side borders will switch directions to the zigzag layout and the corners I desire.
Sew and press the border pieces together.
Follow the diagram above for the border layout.
Sew the outer border to the left and right side of the quilt and press the seams toward the center.
Finish by adding the top and bottom border. Finished quilt size is 64″ x 77.5″
Time for quilting! Since this is a sampler quilt, I thought it would be fun to make my quilting a sampler of a few of my favorite edge-to-edge designs also.
I planned the rows of quilting to give a little something extra to my blocks.
I hope you enjoyed this project, and as you quilt along you found your favorite blocks.
I know my buddy Oliver has put a paw on his favorite.
I am so pleased with the way this quilt turned out and just in time to decorate for the holidays!
Tank you for quilting along with me. Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful and happy holidays!
I ho-ho-hope you were sew good this year and Santa stops at your house! Leave us a comment by Dec 22nd with your favorite block from this Patches of Blue Quilt Along for chance to win a Christmas Surprise from Laundry Basket Quilts!
Happy Quilting and Merry Christmas! Edyta
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