Holiday Headstart Blog Hop: Day 4

Welcome back! It's the final day of our Holiday Headstart Blog Hop! Today, Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation is here, sharing a quick and easy quilt design, the Bold Braid. We hope you enjoy her tutorial and are inspired to make your own--who doesn't love a super-quick quilt?! Make sure you also pop over to Kelly's blog to see more of her creative ideas and find out how you can enter to win a fat quarter bundle of Dori for yourself. If you missed any of the other tutorials featured this week, you'll find links at the bottom of this post.

Hey y'all, I'm Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation.  I'm thrilled to share a tutorial with you for a quilt using the Benartex's new Dori fabric line.  I just love the bright, fresh colors in this line.  The fabrics are super versatile and would look fun in a kids' room, or even outside on a picnic table.

I love the look of braid quilts and herringbone quilts, but when I'm short on time, I don't want to fuss with all of those tiny strips.  By making the strips wider, you can create a quilt with big impact in a snap!  Here's how-

Fabric Requirements-
10 fat quarters
2.5 yards backing fabric
1/2 yard binding fabric

Cutting-

Start by pressing your fat quarters and trimming to 18 x 18 inches.  We'll be using those scraps later so hang onto them!  Make a cut across one side to get a 4.5 inch strip.  Trim it to 13.5 inches, and choose two of the leftover 4.5 inch squares to begin your braids.

Cut the remaining fabric into 4.5 inch strips in the other direction.  They will be 13.5 inches long.  Each fat quarter will yield 5 strips measuring 4.5 x 13.5 inches for a total of 50 strips.

Piecing the Quilt Top-

To build the braid pieces, start by taking one of your 4.5 inch squares and sew a strip to one side using a 1/4 inch seam.

Add another strip to the adjoining side of the square.  This is the beginning of your braid!

Continue adding strips to one side, then the other until you have 10 strips on each side.  This basic construction could really be used to make a braid of any length or width by varying the strip length, or by adding more strips, but for this fun little quilt, we'll stop at ten.

You can get as particular as you like about your strip arrangement.  Personally, I enjoy sewing in a carefree style and letting the fabric "fall where it may."  Of course, I know other quilters that prefer to lay out every single piece.  That's really up to you!

Time to take your braid to your cutting mat.  Start by lining up your ruler across your beginning square and trim at the widest point.

Then trim each side to a straight edge, cutting as little away as possible.

Finally, trim the bottom of your braid at the widest point.  I know it seems like a lot to trim off, but I usually square up these cut pieces and add them to my scraps.  I just refuse to waste pretty fabric!  Your trimmed braid will measure 16.5 inches wide by 52 inches long.

Once you have both of your braids pieced and trimmed up, lay them side by side and sew them together.  You should have 10 remaining strips after sewing both braids.  Sew four strips into a border for each long side.

Marvel at your finished quilt top!

Finishing the Quilt-

Now, let's talk about those scraps.  I always use my scraps in my backing so that nothing goes to waste-- and you get the added bonus of making your quilt fun on both sides!

Once you've pieced your backing, just baste, quilt and bind with your favorite method.  I opted for the Dottie Lime fabric in this line as my main backing fabric, and I picked out that awesome orange color for the binding.  I quilted it with a simple meander, and I love the crinkly texture it gives the quilt.

Your finished quilt will measure 40 x 52 inches.  That's a great size for a baby or child, or even a large table topper!

Thanks Kelly! We're always happy for a quick quilt idea--great for a holiday or a baby gift! Head over to Kelly's blog, My Quilt Infatuation, to find out how you can win a fat quarter bundle of these fantastic fabrics!

Don't miss the other tutorials featured in our Holiday Headstart blog hop:

Day 1: Take Me to Class Tote by Tessa from The Sewing Chick

Day 2: Window Zip Pouch by Emily from Mommy's Nap Time

Day 3: Squared Stripe Pincushion from the Benartex blog design team