Table of contents for December/January 2021 in Quick+Easy Quilts

Warm & COZY As I write this, there is a blanket of fresh, white snow on the ground in Colorado. It is actually September, but I am grateful to Mother Nature for the inspiration needed to finish up this winter issue! For this installment, our designers were inspired by cold weather, warm mittens, and hot cocoa. They share sweet family traditions, ways to slow down during the holiday season, and quilt patterns that commemorate special memories from their childhood. Charisma Horton designed a quilt inspired by her grandmother’s Icelandic hot chocolate recipe. Along with the pattern for Hot Cocoa, she shares the story of holidays past and how this recipe has become a family tradition she cherishes. In Christmas Presence by Hope Yoder, she gives details about a special holiday…

finished size: 75" × 75" finished blocks: 25 (15") BLOCKS I have to admit, I am somewhat of a homebody and introvert. I far prefer cuddling up on the couch and watching a fun movie with my daughter and husband than going out on the town any day. I am also a lover of fall and winter weather. Those personality traits are just a couple of the reasons why I love quilts. The comfy feeling of a freshly washed quilt and a little chill in the air... The inspiration for Home & Cozy came from thinking of the moments when my heart is most full! Sitting on the couch at home, under a cozy quilt, maybe a dusting of snow or frost on the ground, and my family curled up…

finished size: 64¾" × 87½" finished blocks: 59 (8") BLOCKS One of my favorite memories as a child was the arrival of the Eaton’s and Simpson’s-Sears catalogues when fall was approaching. I loved pouring over the clothing sections and looking at the new sweaters, pants, and jackets. I remember the luscious fall color schemes—rusts, browns, greens. It all had a feeling of warmth and coziness that made my heart sing. I envisioned dozens of outfits with multiple layers of coats, sweaters, and scarves to keep me toasty warm through the fall and winter. While I never got any of the outfits in my dreams, those colors still conjure up memories of leafing through the catalogues. The design in the quilt, created by rotating a very simple block reminds me of…

finished size: 56" × 72" finished blocks: 35 (8") BLOCKS ‘Tis the season to be freezin’! I have always loved the snow. Growing up in California, we never had snow…we had super thick, dense fog, but never snow. When I moved to Utah, and lived thru the first winter, I was in love! I simply loved the beauty of the earth covered in clean white snow. How the bare dark branches of the trees looked magical somehow—as if from a fantasy world. The quiet, gentle floating flakes of snow always mesmerized me as I watched out the window. When we had children, my husband (who grew up in Indiana and always had snow) showed them how to build forts and snowmen, and make really good snowballs. We love to play…

I have to confess I’m addicted to the organic feel of collage quilting. Not only is it modern but also it is super easy to achieve. No matter how you collage it, the background becomes the perfect placeholder to add embroidery. I based this stocking off of my quilt pattern called Animal Art Collage Quilt distributed by RNK Distributing. ~Hope NOTE: Fabrics in the stocking shown are Boho Bouquet designed by Hope Yoder for Blank Quilting Corporation. Hope used her Embellish fusible batting as her base. Rather than string piecing the base, Hope fused squares, rectangles, strips, and selvedges to the batting. She then created fusible motifs using Fuse Embellish Foolproof Repositionable Webbing on the wrong side of the fabrics and trimming the shapes. She used metallic thread to quilt…

finished table runner size: 14" × 72" finished placemat size: 10" × 16" Anew set of placemats with a matching table runner will cheer up any space after the holiday décor has been packed away for another year. Use the same technique to make a coordinating throw as a lovely present for someone special—or just keep it for yourself! Combine simple squares and rectangles in an easy pattern that will work best with a variety of large and small scale prints. It could be time to use that fat quarter bundle you have been keeping for the right design. Maybe you have had your eye on a collection of fabrics from your favorite artist? Or do you have a stash of fat quarters to pull from? Make sure to include…

finished size: 17½" × 51½" finished blocks: 4 (8") BLOCKS Traditionally, a scrappy Buckeye Beauty quilt is made with a constant light background and the small dark squares march diagonally across the quilt. The quilt block is made with two triangle-squares and two Four-Patches. It lends itself to the stack, slice, swap, and sew technique, where you layer your fabric, cut your patches, then take a few of the top patches and move them to the bottom of the pile for an easy way to get a scrappy look. I enjoy working with pre-cuts, dreaming up ways to use them efficiently, and employing innovative cutting and piecing methods. By stacking the squares, four at a time, slicing through all four layers and swapping the pieces according to a diagram, four…

1. Cut two squares 7/8" larger than desired finished size of triangle-square. 2. On wrong side of one square, mark diagonal line from corner to corner.This will be your cutting line. Mark sewing lines ¼" away from each side of cutting line. 3. Place marked square on top of other square, right sides facing. Sew along marked sewing lines. 4. Cut along marked cutting line. 5. Press seam allowances toward darker fabric. TIP: This method works for any size triangle-square. Cut squares the finished size of triangle-squares plus 7/8". Products used: Havel’s Self-Healing Cutting Mat, Havel’s 6" x 24" Fabric Ruler, and Havel’s 45mm Rotary Cutter. Fabric from Abstract Collage collection by Ampersand and Garden Glory collection by Maja Ronnback, both for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics. Watch this Sew EasyTM Lesson at…

Dale Alan-Rowse quiltingcowboy.com Dale is a quilt and fabric designer who taught himself to quilt on a tour bus for a ballet company in 1999. He lives in Palm Springs, California with his husband and rescue dogs. Emily Baily auntemsquilts.com Emily loves to create modern scrappy quilts. Her goal is to make the world a softer, more loving place—no quilt police allowed! She lives in Center-ville, Utah. Natalie Crabtree Instagram @njcrabtree Natalie lived in Kyoto, Japan near the Nishijin Textile district for a year with her husband and considers it the most fulfilling time in her life. She lives in Mason, Ohio. Abigail Dolinger abyquilts.wordpress.com Abigail is the Children’s Ministry Director at her church and enjoys sharing her love of sewing with the children. A lifelong quilter, Abigail is from…

1. Place one small square on larger square, right sides facing and aligning raw edges. Draw a line diagonally on wrong side as shown. 2. Sew on drawn line.Trim ¼" beyond stitching. 3. Press open to reveal triangle. 4. Following pattern instructions, repeat for remaining corners to complete unit. Products used: Havel’s Self-Healing Cutting Mat, Havel’s 45mm Rotary Cutter, and Havel’s 6" x 24" Fabric Ruler. Fabric from Garden Glory by Maja Ronnback collection and Abstract Collage by Ampersand collection for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics. Watch this Sew EasyTM Lesson at QuiltingDaily.com/Sew-Easy-Stitch-and-Flip-Corners…

We asked our editors for their favorite products that help them keep projects and their sewing supplies organized. This compiled list of time-tested products offers you a variety of tools and techniques to make project organization a breeze! Make your own zippered case to store all the things you need to sew on the go with the Sew Plush Planner Organizer pattern. Customize your case with zippered pockets, removable snap pouches, mesh pockets, and so much more. etsy.com/shop/kidgiddy Yazzii bags come in a variety of sizes and shapes to store your supplies and projects. Perfect for toting what you need for a retreat too. yazzii.us “I store WIPs (work in progress) in Iris scrapbook bins. They are 12 inches square and clear, so I can put everything I need for…

Grandma Cline’s Cinnamon Rolls ½ cup milk ½ cup granulated sugar 1½ teaspoons salt ¼ cup butter ½ cup warm water 2 tablespoons yeast 2 eggs – beaten 4½ cups flour Brown sugar Dark Karo syrup Light Karo syrup Scald milk, and then stir in sugar, salt, and butter. Cool until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add yeast/water to large bowl. Stir in lukewarm milk mixture, eggs, and half of flour. Mix until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to make a slightly stiff dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 mins. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover. Let rise in warm place free of draft until double in size. While you are waiting for the dough to rise, prepare…

finished size: 66" × 66" finished blocks: 9 (18") BLOCKS I love the soft coloring of this collection and the beautiful artwork of the panels. Even though most probably consider this as a baby quilt, it's intended use is as a wall hanging for a special little girl who adores animals; she wants to be a vet when she grows up. The positive messages in the artwork are a bonus. The stripe fabric in this collection is an important element in my design. Making a mitered border around the panels really “steps up” the design. If you’re a bit nervous about doing mitered corners, this may be a good project for you to take on. You can practice the technique and have a beautiful quilt when done! Plan Brenda used…

Wool Felt/Felted Wool • you may want to preshrink it if it will be washed—check label for fiber content and suggestions for use • 80/12 or 90/14 needle • 3.0-3.5mm stitch length • standard presser foot • use a pressing cloth—the heat from the iron can damage the wool Felt • do not prewash • 80/12 needle • standard presser foot Terrycloth • buy an extra ¼ yard for every 2 yards to allow for shrinkage • preshrink warm water wash/ regular dryer, and wash twice before using • 80/12 or 90/14 needle • teflon foot • 3.0 stitch length Flannel • shrinks a lot—may need to purchase extra yardage • preshrink hot water/hot dryer • 80/12 needle • standard presser foot Minky • no need for prewash • 90/14…

finished size: 78" × 78" finished blocks: 36 (12") BLOCKS I designed this quilt and it is centered around hot chocolate. My grandmother is from Iceland. She loved/loves to share her family traditions with me. One very important thing that she remembered from her childhood Christmas’ in Iceland was that before church on Christmas morning her father always made homemade hot chocolate from scratch and brought it to her and her sisters in bed. They didn’t have a ton of money and they always knew what they would be getting for gifts. But the hot chocolate was such a treat and she treasured that. In fact, the hot chocolate was made from specific Icelandic chocolate bars that her family would bring to us on visits or ship to us so…

finished size: 54" × 54" finished blocks: 9 (14") BLOCKS I’ve always enjoyed a traditional red and white quilt, especially for Christmas. I wanted to do one that incorporated my current design kick which is organic shapes and motifs. Christmas quilts often feature leaves, berries, and wreaths, however, I was curious how branches could be used to create a new more modern design. I originally thought I would make this quilt with multi-colored berries, however in the end I decided to stay with just a simple red and white. I found the process of designing an original red and white work really interesting. There were several points of the decision making process where I wanted to add more color—green keystones at intersection of sashing, etc.—but it just didn’t improve the…

finished size: 10" × 18" We live in such a fast-paced world that it's hard to slow down and spend time curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa or tea and remember what a good year we had. We created a family tradition that helps us to do just that. After Christmas each year, have each family member write (with a pen and paper, not digitally) a letter to themselves about all the good things that happened in the current year. This could include details about the gifts and memories made during the current holiday, new friends, vacations, new jobs, fun times, etc. The letter is to be sealed and placed in the stocking only to be read the following year. The idea is to create…

Playful Precut Quilts by Amanda Niederhauser Stash Books, 2020 If you are addicted to precuts like we are, sometimes it is hard to find just the right pattern to go with the size you purchased. Amanda Niederhauser has given us a collection of 15 projects that fit the bill. The mix and match blocks use 5-inch charm squares to fat quarters, and everything in between! Traditional blocks look so fresh and new in current fabrics and colors. ctpub.com The Bonnie & Camille Quilt Bee by Bonnie Olaveson and Camille Roskelley It’s Sew Emma Publications, 2020 This book is positively delightful! If you are a fan of Bonnie and Camille, you will want to add this book to your collection immediately. Scattered throughout the pages are stories behind the quilts, how…

finished size: 72" × 86" finished blocks: 30 (12") BLOCKS Inspiration for quilts is everywhere—old buildings, stacks of lumber or boxes, rolls or bales of hay and straw, even fences and gates. Modern art, calligraphy, and origami can also be the seeds for quilt ideas. That must make me a quilter because everything looks like a quilt to me. The inspiration for the blocks in this quilt came from a DIY art project using empty picture frames. (See, there is a quilt in everything!) I experimented with squares and rectangles until the geometric shapes were just right for rich, modern colors and prints. Plan This quilt is fat quarter* friendly! Each fat quarter yields enough patches for two blocks. Each block in Ramona’s design consists of 6 cream print B’s…

finished size: 60" × 75½" finished blocks: 17 (8½" × 14") BLOCKS I really enjoy making Majestic Mountain blocks. I have so much fun playing with them and seeing the different ways I can use them in a quilt. Sometimes I just start making these blocks and throw them up on the design wall to see what happens. It never fails to inspire. I have created several patterns using this block. When I saw the fabric line True Colors by Tula Pink for Free Spirit, I loved the bright, vibrant colors and thought they would make a beautiful modern quilt. Last summer we had a cute little exchange student from China. It was fun to learn of her culture as she learned of ours. The lotus flower is very symbolic…