Hive 4 - April Tutorial - A Christmassy’ish Block

 

Hello All, 

This is my first bee and I am so excited to be here!

I would love some Present Blocks for this month. I don’t have a plan yet for the quilt, but I have always wanted a Christmas quilt and thought this would be a good place to get my creative juices going and I will use the present blocks mixed in with other blocks to make a big family Christmas quilt.

FABRIC PARAMETERS: Please make your blocks in a mix of red, green and white.  I am open to you using solids or pattern fabrics.

For patterns I prefer a more modern fabric; nothing too traditional please.  They can be christmassy or not. I trust you, if you think that the fabric could live in a modern christmassy’ish quilt, then go ahead. The only ask is that if it’s a pattern, it sticks to the colours; red, green or white or any combo of those. No other colours, please. 

For this block there will be a “ribbon” fabric, a “gift wrap” fabric and a background fabric.   Please feel free to make the ribbon and the gift wrap fabric either red or green, but the background fabric needs to be white.

Reds: I like more richer reds like a cherry, cardinal, crimson or scarlet red rather than something more on the coral or light red side.

Greens: I am more flexible in my green preferences, anything from a minty green to a forest great would be great.

Whites: For the whites I would prefer a true white, not cream or beige. If you are going to use a pattern for the white, can I ask that it please be white on white?

These are some of the fabrics that I feel fit the look that I had in my stash.  None of them are “Christmassy” but they could all be used as Christmas wrapping paper and look cool under a tree.

Cutting:

“Ribbon” Fabric:

●     2 - 3" squares

●     2 - 2" x 4.25" strips

●     1 - 2" x 7" strip

“Gift Wrap” Fabric:

●     4 - 3” x 4.25"

○        If you are using a directional fabric, the piece is 4.25” wide, 3” tall

Background Fabric - White:

●     2 - 2.5" x 3" strips

●     1 - 5.5" x 3" strip

●     2 - 2.5" x 9 strip (border)*

●     2 - 2.5 x 12.5 strip (border)*

○        *For these four pieces I have .25” for wiggle room.

Step 1: Cut out all your pieces

Step 2: Sew together the one of the 3” x 4.25" gift wrap pieces to either side of one of the long sides of the 2" x 4.25" ribbon pieces.  See image below.  Repeat with the remaining three pieces of ribbon and gift wrapping pieces.

 

 Step 3: Next sew the two completed sides of the gift to either side of the 2” x 7” ribbon fabric strip.

 

Step 4: Next we make the bow.  Take the 3" x 5.5" background strip, place one of the 3” x 3” ribbon fabric, right sides together, along the right edge of the background fabric.  Mark a diagonal line from top right corner to bottom left corner of the wrong side of the ribbon fabric square. Sew on that line.  Trim off a 1/4" from the seam, and iron open.

 **I know the fabrics are different, I made a few trial blocks**

Step 5: Take the other 3” x 3” ribbon fabric square and place it on the left side of the background fabric and mark a line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. Sew down that line.  Trim off excess a 1/4" from the seam, and iron open.  This creates the bow of the gift 

 Step 6: Sew the two 2.5" x 3" strips of the background fabrics onto each side of the bow.

Step 7: Next sew your bow pieces to the top of the gift piece to make your present. 

**Everytime I made this block, the bow piece was either too long or two short. I have given you extra fabric allowance so you can line up the middle of the bow with the centre of the ribbon stripe and sew together; then once you have a finished bow piece, trim it down to 9” wide.

 

The block should now be 9” wide and 9.5” tall.

 

Step 8: Next add the 2.25" x 9” border pieces to the top and bottom of the block. Then add the 2.5” x 12.5” strip border pieces to the left and right sides of the block.

The block should be 12.5” x 12.5”

Thank you so much!!

- Laura

I want to give credit for this block to Moda Bake Shop (it's a free block on their site) for this block. I edited their sizes but I used their ideas.