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Welcome to Debbie Shore's Block of the Month Quilt (2022)

Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps

Celebrate Christmas in style with Debbie Shore's fun and festive 12-part quilt-along project.

For the 2022 Block of the Month project, my quilting friend Melissa Nayler and I decided to make a fun Christmas-themed quilt. I know, Christmas in January… I’ll say no more! The quilt will look lovely on the back of a sofa, on a wall, or even as a tablecloth, and hopefully will be a talking point during the festive season.

The process for making this 'Christmas Capers' quilt will be a little different from the previous Block of the Months, as it has 13 blocks and there won’t be a block to sew in December. By combining two blocks into one month for January and July, and leaving December block-free so you can dedicate the month to quilt construction, it means your 'Christmas Capers' quilt can be pieced, quilted and bound in time for the festivities.

We’ve covered a wide range of techniques (machine raw edge appliqué, machine piecing, English paper piecing, foundation paper piecing, curved piecing, Dresden and log cabin) in this quilt. These are not only achievable for the confident beginner quilter and patchworker, but are also attractive and fun to those with more experience.

All the appliqué blocks use fabric adhesive sheets (for example, Bondaweb) and a straight machine stitch, but feel free to use whatever appliqué process you prefer. If you don’t want to make the whole quilt, you’re welcome to incorporate any of the designs into your own projects.

I hope you’ll enjoy making this quilt over the course of 2022! Let's get started.

Finished quilt size: 42in (106.75cm) square

TIPS:

• Read through all instructions for each block before making a start.
• Stitch with an accurate ¼in (5mm) seam allowance throughout, unless otherwise stated.
• All seams will be sewn with the right sides of fabric facing, unless otherwise stated.
• When cutting out, be conservative with your fabric.
• Before pressing seams, set the seam first by running a hot iron along the length of your stitching. This enables the stitches to sink into the fabric and the seams to be pressed flat.
• Generally, seams should be pressed towards the darker fabric. However, to avoid bulk, in some cases it is necessary to press towards the lighter fabric or press the seam open; these instances will always be indicated. If you prefer to press all seams open, that’s fine.
• Be aware that some of the edges will be on the diagonal, so try not to stretch the fabric. A light spray of starch may help to stabilize those edges.
• Keep all left-over fabric; use it for smaller pieces needed for the quilt throughout the year.
• Where designs are appliquéd to a background block, the background fabric will be initially cut slightly larger than required and trimmed to size after the design has been attached.
• All templates (including letters) have been reversed, which is necessary if using fabric adhesive sheets (see the information below). If using spray adhesive to adhere, you’ll need to flip the templates before preparing them for appliqué.
• Chain piecing is a technique used when piecing together multiple segments within a block. Several seams are sewn one after another in a long chain with a continuous stitch; there’s no need to cut the thread between stitching each segment, and this will save you time.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ADHESIVE SHEETS:

1. Trace the design onto the smooth side of the fabric adhesive sheet. Roughly cut out the shape, leaving a small seam allowance (approx. ¹/₈in or 2mm) all around.


2. Position the rough side of the cut-out shape onto the wrong side of the fabric. With a hot, dry iron, press for approx. 4 seconds.


3. Cut out around the shape along the drawn line.


4. Remove the adhesive sheet from the shape – a pin lightly scratched across the back will help. You’re now ready to adhere the shape to the background fabric.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STITCHING THE APPLIQUÉ SHAPES:

1. Look at the photo of the complete design. Without adhering or sewing anything, place your appliqué pieces on the background fabric and build up the picture, so you can see the order in which to follow when you adhere then sew. Make sure the pieces at the back of the picture are positioned first, and those in the foreground are the last to be added. Overlap (or underlap) where necessary.


2. Once you are happy and familiar with the order of the appliqué pieces, in turn press your appliqué pieces in position on the background with a hot iron, the right sides of the shapes uppermost. If you’re unsure whether you’ve got the overlap (or underlap) correct on a shape, with the tip of the iron just press a small section of the shape’s centre in place first then check. If the position is wrong, you should be able to remove and replace the shape while the glue on the back of the appliqué is still hot.


3. All the appliqué designs in this quilt are stitched with a straight machine stitch, approx. ¹/₈in (2mm) from the edge of the shape. If you prefer to use a different stitch – maybe a zigzag or blanket stitch – please do so. If you wish to add an appliqué shape and stitch it before adding the next one, then that’s fine as well; just be aware that any contrast stitching could show through subsequent lighter applique shapes positioned on top).

The first block will be out January 1st 2022, and I'll link all of the blocks below as they come out, so you can always find them when you need them!

• Block 1: there are two – Christmas Logs and JOY
• Block 2: Turkey Trot
• Block 3: Star Wreath
• Block 4: A Trio of Trees
• Block 5: Drunkard's Path at Christmas!
• Block 6: Presents Galore
• Block 7: there are two – Gnome Alone and YUM
• Block 8: Reach for the Stars
• Block 9: Bauble Tree
• Block 10: Ho Ho Ho; It's Santa!
• Block 11: Pretty Poinsettia
• Finishing your Block of the Month 2022 quilt

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You will need:

Equipment

• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Rotary cutter, cutting mat and ruler
• Scissors
• Pins or quilting clips
• Quick unpick/seam ripper
• Erasable marker pen
• Hand-sewing needle 
• Fabric adhesive sheets 
• Fabric glue pen
• Photocopier paper (for reproducing templates, EPP papers etc)
• Card (for foundation paper piecing)
• Optional: fabric spray adhesive, spray starch 

Materials

Gather:

• Eight Christmas-themed or plain Fat Quarters (20 x 22in, or 50 x 55cm)
• 59in (150cm) of background fabric (BG): we’ve used white-on-white fabric
• 46in (117cm) square of backing fabric
• 220in (560cm) of 2¼in (5.75cm) wide straight binding, which you could make from 12 x 44in (30.5 x 111.75cm) fabric
• 46in (117cm) square of wadding/batting
• Small fabric scraps from your stash in black and pink, for facial features: if you haven’t got pink, you can always use blusher on white fabric.
• Small scraps of sew-in interfacing or lightweight fabric, for the bells in “Star Wreath” (March’s block)
• A selection of matching and contrasting sewing threads
• Stranded black embroidery thread/floss for facial features

Cutting information:

Before we start, you’ll need to cut the following blocks from your background fabric. The amounts are from multi-directional fabric; if yours is directional, add a couple of inches (10cm or so) extra.

Cut your first piece to measure 13in (30.5cm) deep across the width of the fabric, then sub-cut into:

• one 13in (30.5cm) square, for “Star Wreath” (March’s block)
• one 13in (30.5cm) square, for “Turkey Trot” (February’s block)
• one 9 x 13in (23 x 33cm) piece, for “Gnome Alone” (one of July's blocks).

Cut your second piece to measure 7in (17.75cm) deep across the width of the fabric, then sub-cut into:

• one 13 x 7in (30.5 x 17.75cm) piece, for “JOY” (one of January’s blocks)
• one 19 x 7in (48.25 x 17.75cm) piece, for “YUM” (one of July’s blocks).

Cut your third piece to measure 19in (48.25in) wide x 13in (33cm) deep across the width of the fabric for “Ho Ho Ho, It’s Santa!” (October’s block). 

With your patterned/colour fabrics, if you’re using long quarters, I would suggest that you cut out the larger pieces for “Presents Galore” (June’s block) and “Ho Ho Ho, It’s Santa!” (October’s block) before you start. I recommend:

• Two 2¾ x 10½in (7 x 26.75cm) rectangles in 1st Green and one 2 x 10½in (5 x 26.75cm) rectangle in 2nd Metallic, for Present 1 (“Presents Galore”, June’s block)
• Two 2½ x 10½in (6.5 x 26.75cm) rectangles in 2nd Green and one 2½ x 10½in (6.5 x 26.75cm rectangle in Gold, for Present 3 (“Presents Galore”, June’s block)
• 13¼ x 5¼in (33.75 x 13.5cm) rectangle in 1st Metallic, for Santa’s Sleigh (“Ho Ho Ho, It’s Santa!”, October’s block).

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