Free Pattern Friday: Holiday Edition!

Today's post offers a recap of all of the free quilt patterns available on our website that correspond with our holiday fabric collections. Download your favorites and ask for the fabric at your local quilt shop. 

Nordic Holiday by Amanda Murphy

Amanda designed a free quilt pattern using Nordic Holiday, Candy Dish.

Click here to find out how to download it.

Click here to see the entire Nordic Holiday collection.
Click here to learn more about Amanda's Nordic Holiday collection and see Amanda's available quilt patterns.

Florentine Christmas

Find two free quilt patterns on our website using Florentine Christmas: 

"Secret Santa," featuring wrapped packages with applique bows

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

"Buon Natale," simple half-square triangles packed with punch

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Click here to see the entire Florentine Christmas collection.

A Moose for Christmas by Cheryl Haynes

Use Cheryl's panel (and coordinates) in a variety of free quilt patterns! 

Merry Moosemas! designed by Heidi Pridemore, features pieced borders around the panel.

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Follow Cheryl's directions to turn the various panel pieces into table runners, pillows, and card holders. 

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Cheryl has an additional free pattern on her website--a classic patchwork square quilt that allows the fabric to shine. Click here to find it. 

Click here to see the entire fabric collection.

Click here to learn more about A Moose for Christmas.

Winter Story

Download our free quilt pattern featuring Winter Story, "Winter Cardinals."

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Click here to see the entire Winter Story collection.

Click here to learn more about Winter Story.

Mulberry Lane by Cherry Guidry
We have a free quilt pattern available on our website, Snowy Village, using the panel from Cherry's collection. 

Click here to download the free pattern.

Click here to see the entire Mulberry Lane collection.

Click here to learn more about Mulberry Lane and see Cherry's available quilt patterns.

A Festive Season by Jackie Robinson

Our website features a few free quilt patterns using Jackie's collection.

First, Festive Cardinals & Ornaments by Heidi Pridemore (you choose which panel and border print to use!) 

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Festive Runners by Jackie Robinson (again, you choose which panel to use!). Pattern includes table runner, queen-size bed runner, and placemats. 

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Click here to see the entire A Festive Season collection.

Click here to learn more about the collection and see Jackie's additional quilt patterns.

Merry Little Christmas by Holly Helgeson
Looking for a free quilt pattern? Try "Christmas Windows," which features the panel surrounded by patchwork borders. It's available as a free download on our website. 

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Click here to see the entire Merry Little Christmas collection.

Click here to learn more about the collection.

Winter Games by Amanda Murphy

Amanda designed a free quilt pattern using her Winter Games pattern. This quilt, called Skating Rink, is a log cabin variation featuring fussy-cut athlete appliques from the collection. The pattern is available as a free download from Amanda's website. 

Click here to find out how to download Amanda's free quilt pattern.

Click here to learn more about the collection and click here to see Amanda's additional quilt patterns.

We hope this holiday recap week has helped get you in a festive spirit! 

Happy Holidays!

Don't miss our other Christmas-themed posts this week! 

Holiday tutorials

Technique Tuesday with Debby Kratovil: Hexagons with Festive Season

Traditional and modern holiday quilt features

Snowflake Topper

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Ready for the Holidays? 4 Tutorials for You

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We're here to help you get into the holiday spirit! This week we'll be featuring our holiday prints along with tutorials, free patterns, inspiration, and a few magazine features. Even if you don't have time to sew these projects for this year, you can make your to-do list for next year and get a head start! 

Mulberry Lane Placemat, featuring Cherry' Guidry's Mulberry Lane collection

Click here to find the tutorial.

Holiday Star quilt by Debby Kratovil, featuring Amanda Murphy's Nordic Holiday collection

Click here to find the tutorial.

Moose Panel Pillow by Cynthia Brunz, featuring A Moose for Christmas collection by Cheryl Haynes

Click here to read Cynthia's post.

Winter Joy Door Banner featuring the Winter Story collection

Click here to find the tutorial.

Let It Snow Christmas Card by Cherry Guidry

Click here to find the tutorial.

Stop by tomorrow for a Technique Tuesday post by Debby Kratovil using Jackie Robinson's A Festive Season collection.

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Christmas in July: Blog Hop Day 2

 It's the middle of July...the sun is shining...flowers are blooming...

So of course it's the perfect time to start planning for Christmas! 

We've shared all of our holiday fabric collections, and now we're moving on to the blog hop! Over the next four days, we'll be sharing tutorials using our fabrics. If you like what you see, the fabrics are available in stores now, so you can get started on your favorite featured project now and be done before the holiday rush begins! 

Crank up the air conditioning, pull out your wool hat, and enjoy our Christmas in July series!

Today Debby from Debby Kratovil Quilts is here sharing a gorgeous star quilt she made using Amanda Murphy's Nordic Holiday collection. Enjoy the tutorial and visit Debby's blog for a chance to win fabric. 

Here's Debby:
Q: Why did you choose this collection?
A. Amanda Murphy has done it again! Nordic Holiday is refreshing, modern and appeals to just about any quilter. Snowflakes, reindeer, bears and a non-traditional holiday color palette combine to inspire all sorts of patterns. Yes, there's red and green. But look at that blue and gray!

Amanda includes a lovely reindeer in her collection.

Nordic Holiday reindeer

I have a similar one I designed in 2004.

Reindeer from my Merry Merry quilt

I initially was going to bring out my Merry, Merry patterns from 2006. I shared this appliquéd reindeer on my blog last year as a free pattern. What? You missed that? Click here for that quilt pattern (with a Christmas tree, angel and other blocks).

Q. Can we see the fabrics? 
A. Nordic Holiday swatches in the swatch book:

Nordic Holiday Swatch book

And here is the set of fabrics that Benartex sent. It didn't take long for me to decide on a pattern.

Nordic Holiday fabrics

Q. And what did the fabrics say to you? (We know you wait for them to talk to you before cutting!)

A. I did cut out a large hexagon double star (which I will show at a later time), but then decided that I couldn't offer the pattern here because it's a new workshop I teach. (The fabrics forgot about that, so I had to remind them that I needed a pattern I could share.) Plan B was my "go to" very BIG Lone Star. When I say BIG, I mean 29"!

Q. Can we see the steps? And is it easy?

A. Of course, I'll show the steps. And easy is my middle name!

I call this easy because I took out all the y-seams traditionally associated with a Lone Star quilt.

I selected two fabrics with good contrast for my star center. I cut two 3-1/2" x wof strips of each. Offset the red one 3" as shown here and sewed with 1/4" seam, pressing toward the red print (#1885-10). Using the 45 degree line on my ruler, I lined it up with the seam as shown below. Slice off the side. The blue print is #1883-08.

Seam and slice at 45 degree angle on left side 

Cut 3-1/2" wedges as shown. You are measuring from the CUT edge. Do NOT use the lines on your cutting mat for this. It's all in relation to your ruler.

Cut 3-1/2" Two-Patch 45 degree wedges

Place the red diamonds at the pointed ends

Two wedges become a Diamond 4-Patch

 Sew together and press seam open.

Diamond 4-Patch, seam pressed open.

 Make 8 of these units

Make 8 Diamond 4-Patch units

Now we cut the setting triangles, large and small. Remember, there are no y-seams! I selected the wonderful gray scroll print: #1883-13.

Cut four 6-3/4" squares and four 9-5/8" squares. Recut each into two triangles each. You will now have 8 small and 8 large triangles.

Large and small setting triangles

It's important to audition your triangle placement before you sew. It's easy to get things mixed up. Sew the small triangle on first. Press toward the triangle. Then add the large triangle (which is slightly oversized). Again, press toward the triangle.

Make 4 of these units

Make 4 units that are the mirror image of the above unit. This is how they will look when sewn together.

These are mirror images of each other

Use your long ruler and the 45 degree line to help you slice off the excess large triangle. I also like to align the ruler markings for inches along one or more seam line. Sewing diagonal seams can be tricky!

Slicing excess fabric

Now, place the two units together and sew with 1/4" seam; press seam open. Make four.

Make 4 of these units

And what does it look like with all those seams pressed? Here is the 29" star from the back.

Seams pressed open make for a very flat quilt center

Now for the borders. I wanted to use the reindeer print, but I only had enough for 2 borders (without chopping off parts of the reindeer!) So, I took that awesome red snowflake print and used that for the sides. Who says your borders have to match?

I also wanted to introduce a green (which is in the reindeer print, #1880-10). The green is the same pattern as the blue and gray already used: #1883-14). Inner border was cut 1-1/2". Outer reindeer print was cut (VERY CAREFULLY) at 6-1/2". The snowflake print only allowed me to cut two 5-3/4" strips. Again, who says your quilt's borders have to be the same size?!

Here she is: Holiday Star, 41-1/2" x 43"

Holiday Star: 41-1/2" x 43"

Thanks, Debby! 

Head over to Debby's blog for a chance to win a bundle of Nordic Holiday. 

Follow along with our Christmas in July Blog Hop!

Wednesday: Mulberry Lane Placemats by Lisa Ruble

Thursday: Nordic Holiday Star Quilt by Debby Kratovil

Friday: A Moose for Christmas Pillow by Cynthia Brunz

Saturday: Winter Story Wall Hanging by Benartex blog design team

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Christmas in July: Nordic Holiday

It's the middle of July...the sun is shining...flowers are blooming...

So of course it's the perfect time to start planning for Christmas! 

Over the next two weeks, we'll be sharing all things winter holiday related with you. The fabrics are available in stores now, so you can get started on your favorite reindeer, snowflake, or Christmas tree quilt pattern now and be done before the holiday rush begins! 

Crank up the air conditioning, pull out your wool hat, and enjoy our Christmas in July series!

We recently shared Amanda Murphy's Folk Art Fantasy collection. Today she's back with Nordic Holiday, a Scandinavian-inspired fabric collection. 

Join us as we talk to Amanda about Nordic Holiday. 

What inspired your Nordic Holiday collection?

That animal print was the inspiration. Nordic Holiday is more winter themed than Christmas. I chose all Nordic animals, starting with ones that turned white in the winter to camouflage. It’s really a clean, Scandinavian design.

I wasn’t sure about it as a feature print because it didn’t have a lot of color. Then I developed the other main reindeer print (with scrolls, stars and snowflakes) to work with the animals.

What is your favorite print?

I love the red snowflake print. It works well for winter without being specifically Christmas. It can function as a blender but also can be fussy cut in so many ways.

We noticed some similarities between this collection and Folk Art Fantasy.

The star print is very similar to Folk Art Fantasy. You think about Northern Stars and folk art, and there’s a connection there. Sometimes things evolve and work in different collections. The colors are similar too, so the fabrics can work together.

Tell us about the color palette.

It includes my favorite blues and greens that I always use. And red, of course. But I wanted a collection that could stand on its own without red, so it would be less Christmas-y.

You have several new patterns designed for Nordic Holiday. Can you tell us about them?

 Absolutely The Nordic Row Sampler is the “ugly sweater” concept. It was the inspirational quilt for that collection. It is beginner quilt—all rectangles—but there’s a lot of piecing! The stripe print in the line was inspired by this quilt.

Here's the sampler in a green/red colorway as well: 

Starry Night is based on 12” squares rearranged. It includes a little bit of applique and a lot of other things as well. I did a different quilting motif in each block. This pattern allows prints to shine on their own since they’re larger scale blocks.

Northern Lights is a trio of freeform applique patterns; the designs could also be pillows.

Amanda also designed a free quilt pattern using Nordic Holiday, Candy Dish.

Click here to find out how to download it.

Click here to see the entire Nordic Holiday collection.

Click here to visit Amanda's website, where you can find her patterns, more inspiration, machine quilting tutorials, and SVG file downloads. 

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