The Mod Mugs quilt pattern in Oh What Fun fabrics

Today I'm sharing a lap size version of the Mod Mugs quilt pattern. I actually finished this one up a few months ago and shared it on Instagram as a part of the Oh What Fun fabric tour with Poppie Cotton, but wanted to share it here as well! 

Find the Mod Mugs quilt pattern in my shop

These sweet Christmas fabrics are perfect for this Mod Mugs quilt - they're all medium- and small scale, they have a vintage feel to them and the colors are so cheery. The little pink Santa print is my favorite in the group!

Sketch Stitched Ornament Tutorial

I have a fun tutorial to share with you today! 

I've been making some of these Sketch Stitched Christmas Ornaments lately and they're fun to make, easy to customize, and a great way to use those fabric scraps we all have on hand. Plus they're a great handmade gift idea!

To make these ornaments I used the raw edge applique technique but... instead of using matching thread and hiding my stitches I love to add some outlining stitching in a nice dark, contrasting thread. It helps the little shapes to stand out really nicely against whatever fabric you use for the background. 

And you can let go of worrying if your stitches are perfect or not - just relax and have fun with these. The stitching looks so fun when it's slightly imperfect - it gives it that "sketched" look!

Ready to get started? 

Winter Magic Quilt in Christmas Morning Fabrics

Today I'm sharing a version of the Winter Magic quilt pattern - a fat quarter friendly Christmas quilt pattern that I released last year.

I have to admit something... this is not exactly a new quilt. I finished it last year in November, and then we used it and loved it. 

But I did finally manage take some photos of it, and with the Winter Magic pattern being the $5 pattern of the month I thought you'd like to see the pattern sewn up in different fabrics than what is shown on the pattern cover.

The Winter Magic pattern is a medallion-style quilt, but it is not as difficult to piece. I really love the look of medallion quilts but sometimes getting everything to line up just right can be tricky. 

So I kept the look of a medallion quilt, but created a better way to put it together!

Fast Track Quilt Pattern - A Christmas Version

 I'm still working away on some Christmas projects for this year, but this quilt I'm sharing today was one I actually finished LAST year.  

As I was pulling out my Christmas quilts the other day (yes, I know...it's already December 8th!) I realized that I never shared the details of this quilt with you.

Holly Jolly Tree Skirt in Holly Holiday Fabrics

In the process of updating the Holly Jolly Tree Skirt pattern earlier this year, I ended up making several versions to test the pattern changes. And I get to share one of those tests with you today!

This is the Holly Jolly Tree Skirt made with Holly Holiday fabrics. I love the pairing of these cheerful fabrics with the pattern!

Holly Holiday came out earlier this year, but you can still find some in shops (here from Fat Quarter Shop, and here on Etsy).

Winter Magic Quilt Pattern

I have a new pattern to share with you today- just in time for your Christmas and holiday sewing. 

Introducing Winter Magic!

I've been loving large-scale statement quilts lately and this one was a fun challenge to design.

Winter Magic is a unique take on a medallion quilt. I love the look of medallion quilts but not the exactness in seam allowances that they require. I designed this quilt to have the look of a medallion without the tricky piecing. 

The pattern makes a 78" x 78" quilt

Find Winter Magic patterns (paper and PDF) in my shop here or PDF versions on Etsy here

Holly Jolly Tree Skirt Pattern

I've been working over the last month to give a fresh new look and an update to one of my best-selling patterns, the Holly Jolly Tree Skirt. It's now in the shop, just in time for your Christmas sewing!

The pattern now comes in full-color booklet form, or instant download (PDF) option. But I figured while I was at it, I might as well add some of the most-requested features to the pattern. 

Use Yardage or Jelly Roll

One of the most common questions I get about the Holly Jolly Tree Skirt is, "can I use a Jelly Roll to make this"? And now the answer is an easy "YES!"

With one Jelly Roll (40, 2-1/2" strips) you can make any of the three sizes of tree skirt (small, medium, large). And using a Jelly Roll makes this tree skirt come together even quicker. I love being able to see all of those lovely prints!

Here's a look at the two versions (wider strip option & Jelly Roll option) side by side so you can see the difference. I love them both for different reasons:

With the wider strip option you can see more of each print - that works really well for medium scale prints like the red floral in the photo above.

But with the Jelly Roll option you get to see a bigger variety of prints. So this is a great option when you love a fabric line and you want a beautiful variety of prints and colors in your tree skirt. 

Three Size Options

In addition to new Jelly Roll instructions, the pattern now also has three size options. Probably the second most asked question I get is how to make the tree skirt smaller or bigger. And now those instructions are a permanent part of the pattern!

Small - diameter 43"- 44" (good for tree height 4 1/2 - 6 feet)

Medium - diameter 49" - 51" (good for tree height 7 - 7 feet)

Large - diameter 58" - 59" (good for tree height 9+ feet)

diameter is measured at the widest point of the tree skirt before quilting

(All of the photos in this post are showing the medium sized skirts)

See the back of the pattern cover for all of the details:

Christmas Morning Fabrics

Both of the versions that I'm sharing today are made with fabrics from the Christmas Morning line designed by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics. It's a beautiful line, with perfect reds, slightly olive greens and the most gorgeous gray prints.

**This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post. Thank you!

Christmas Morning is selling quick - so if you want to make a tree skirt I'd snag your fabrics quick. Some of the prints are already hard to find!

Get your copy of Holly Jolly Tree Skirt Pattern here

both paper copies and PDF (instant download) available

Quilt shops can order wholesale through Checker or Brewer. 

Contact me (abrightcorner@gmail.com) for more info.

The pattern gives instructions for adding ribbon ties to help keep the tree skirt in place around the tree, but they are optional. In fact, I left the ribbons off of our family's tree skirt and it stays in place fine. 

However if you have little ones, or furry friends that like to play under the tree I'd recommend adding the ribbon ties.

Did you know? 

• Even though it is not a square or rectangle shape, you can still have your longarm quilter quilt your tree skirt for you! 

• You can make a reversible tree skirt! Choose a favorite print for the backing - one that coordinates with the binding (maybe a fun plaid? Or a novelty print?) and you'll have the option to flip the tree skirt over to change your look. Check out this older post to see an example of one I made years ago. 

• Don't have a Jelly Roll but love the look? Cut your own 2-1/2" strips. The back of the pattern gives you the total number of strips you'll need for each size of tree skirt. 

• Holly Jolly is a quilted Christmas Tree skirt pattern so the instructions are similar to a quilt pattern. No templates or paper pieces are needed. Instructions include how to cut and piece fabrics together as you would for a traditional quilt. The only special tool you'll need is a long ruler with a 60 degree marking on it (like this one, or this one)

Tree Skirt Details:

Pattern: Holly Jolly (find it here in my shop)

Fabric: Christmas Morning by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics

Quilting: Soho (edge to edge computerized longarm design) was used on the wide strip tree skirt, and Two Simple design was used on the Jelly Roll version.

Pieced on a Juki TL-2010Q using Aurifil Thread (50 wt color 2021)

Want to make a version like this one? Here are the fabric requirements for the specific Christmas Morning prints:

1/2 yard each of the following six prints

Plus 1/2 yard for binding: I used the red dot from the Christmas Morning line.

(for the Jelly Roll version, use one JR of Christmas Morning, with the red dot for binding)

Want to save this post and come back to it later? Save this image to your pinterest board

**This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post. Thank you!

Game Night Quilt - The Christmas Version

I'm sharing my latest quilty finish with you today, and yes, yes I know, I know.......it's a CHRISTMAS quilt.  I'm sure we're all tired of seeing reds and greens.  I'm the same way.  But I decided when I started this quilt in November that I'd slow down and allow myself to enjoy the process. 

I let go of the self-imposed deadline of Christmas and as a result I was able to really enjoy every step of making this quilt - from choosing the fabrics from my stash, to picking a perfect backing (which you'll see in later photos.) 

The pattern for this quilt is called Game Night and you can find it in my book, Fresh Fat Quarter Quilts. 

Find Fresh Fat Quarter Quilts here on Amazon, or grab an autographed copy here from my shop, or tell your local quilt shop to order copies!  

The Game Night quilt pattern uses 10 fat quarters (plus background fabric).  But for my version I used red, green, and black prints from my stash and my scrap bins.  I tried to use a different red print and green print for each block, and I love the result!

(You can see the original Game Night quilt in this blog post)

Don't let the circles scare you away from trying this quilt!  In the instructions I give you two options to choose from - a more traditional applique technique, and a fusible applique method - that's what I used here.

 I used Heat n Bond Featherlite for my fusible webbing and then a machine blanket stitch (it's a setting on my machine) to secure the circles.  Easy peasy.  And I step you through it in the book.  If you prefer the more traditional method of applique I provide instructions for that as well. 

One of the really nice things about finishing a Christmas quilt AFTER Christmas is that I was able to find a cute backing fabric in a 50% off sale at my local quilt shop.  These little peppermint circles are from the Sweet Christmas fabric line by Urban Chiks (Moda fabrics). 

Now comes the hard part, folding it up and putting it away for the next 10-ish months.  Or maybe I'll just let it sit here on my ladder for a week so I can enjoy it a little :)

Quilt details:
59"x 73"
Pattern: Game Night (from Fresh Fat Quarter Quilts book)
Fabric: Red, green, and black prints from my stash & scrap bins
Quilting: Soho (edge to edge computerized design)
Backing: Peppermint Polka Dot, Marzipan color (Sweet Christmas by Urban Chiks for Moda)

If you make a Game Night quilt I'd love to see it!  Be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@abrightcorner) and use the hashtags: #gamenightquilt and #abrightcornerpatterns

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.

Under the Tree Block + Vintage Christmas Sew Along

Hello everyone - I'm just popping in quickly today to share a little quilt block that I stitched up this week.

I made this sweet little block for the Vintage Christmas Sew Along with the Fat Quarter Shop.  The name of the block is "Under the Tree" and it's such a cute little present!

  

I shared my first sew along block a few weeks ago (see the post here).  The pattern for both the first block and this one are both from the Vintage Christmas book by Lori Holt.

What is it about little blocks that make them so irresistible?  This block measures 6.5" square, but the book also has instructions to make a 12.5" block as well.

To read more about this fun book and to see photos from inside, check out this post.  And you can find the Vintage Christmas book here from The Fat Quarter Shop.  

Happy sewing everyone!
--Andy

Christmas Patchwork Pillow Tutorial

I can hardly believe it's December already.  The days are just flying by and I'm still trying to put up the rest of the Christmas decorations!  

This week I pulled out our Advent Calendar and all of our fun Christmas pillows.  I wanted to add a new one this year so I grabbed some favorite Christmas-colored scraps and got to work.

I made a similar pillow to this one a couple of years ago but I wanted to update the colors for this new version.  And I thought I'd share how I made it!  Here's what you'll need for this 18" pillow:

Supplies
81 (2.5") squares
22" x 22" piece of muslin or solid white fabric
22" x 22" piece of thin batting
at least 6" coordinating print for binding
1/3 yard of coordinating print for backing
18" pillow insert

You will need 81 (2.5") squares.  I dug through my scrap bin and cut them to size, but an easy way to get these is to cut charm squares into 4 equal pieces, or to cut some squares from left-over jelly roll strips.  

Decide on a layout for your squares. You'll need 9 rows with 9 squares in each for an 18" pillow. I did a diagonal pattern alternating between the three colors (red/pink, aqua, green) but a random, scrappy pattern would be great too.

Sew your squares together into rows, then join rows.  I like to press all odd numbered rows to the left and even numbered rows to the right.  Then when I join the rows, the intersecting seams will nest beautifully.  

Layer the 22" piece of muslin, the 22" piece of thin batting, and the pillow top.  I like to spray baste for this step using some 505 Spray but you could also pin baste.  

Then quilt your pillow however you'd like.  I used my walking foot and did some straight line quilting using the seams as my guides.

This is what the quilting looks like from the back...

...and from the front.  Simple, clean lines helps the fabric really be the star of the show!  Trim the extra batting and muslin from the edges of the pillow so that it measures 18.5" x 18.5".

From the backing fabric cut two rectangles that are 12" x 18.5".  On one long edge of both backing pieces, fold under 1/2" and press, then fold under again and press. Stitch along the first fold line to hold it in place and create a nice, finished edge.  

Place the quilted and trimmed pillow front right side down on the table.  Then layer the two pillow backing pieces right side up with the finished edges overlapping in the middle of the pillow, and the raw edges lining up with the raw edges of the pillow front.  

Pin around the outer edges of the entire pillow.

Then using a basting stitch, baste around the entire pillow about 1/8" in from the edge.  This will hold all the layers together as you add the binding, and your basting stitches will be hidden under the binding.

From the binding fabric cut two 2.5" x 42" strips.  Sew them together end to end to make a binding and then bind the pillow as you would a quilt.  Add the pillow insert and it's ready to use!

Want to make a pillow that's a different size?  I have a guest post over at Diary of a Quilter today sharing my easy trick for making an envelope backing for any size pillow.  It's an easy-to-remember formula and I use it every time I'm making a pillow.  

#christmaspatchworkpillow #abrightcorner

Thanks for stopping by, and happy sewing everyone!
--Andy