Happy Holidays

Designer: Cyndi Walker of Stitch Studios

• 3⁄8 yard total assorted red, pink, green, and aqua prints (appliqués, blocks, prairie points)
• 1 yard cream tone-on-tone (blocks, inner and outer borders)
• 9×22" piece (fat eighth) coral print No. 1 (blocks)
• 1⁄8 yard coral print No. 2 (blocks, prairie points)
• 1⁄4 yard pink paisley (binding)
• 1 yard backing fabric
• 35" square batting
• Clear monofilament thread
• Freezer paper
• Spray starch

Finished quilt: 26-1⁄2" square

Finished block: 8" square

Quantities are for 44⁄45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics.

Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the following order. Click on "Download this Project" above for pattern pieces.

Designer Cyndi Walker uses a freezer-paper-and-starch method to prepare appliqué shapes for machine appliqué. Instructions that follow are for this technique.

1. Lay freezer paper, shiny side down, over patterns. Trace each pattern the number of times indicated in cutting instructions. Cut out freezer-paper shapes on drawn lines.

2. Using a hot dry iron, press freezer-paper shapes, shiny sides down, onto wrong sides of designated fabrics; let cool. Cut out each shape, adding a 3⁄16" seam allowance to all edges.

3. Spray a small amount of starch into a dish. Place a template-topped appliqué shape on a pressing surface covered with a tea towel or muslin. Dip a cotton swab in starch and moisten seam allowance of appliqué shape (Diagram 1).

4. Using the tip of a hot dry iron, turn seam allowance over edge of freezer-paper template and press until fabric is dry. Press entire seam allowance in the same manner, adding starch as necessary and ensuring fabric is pressed taut against template. Carefully peel off template.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to prepare all appliqué shapes.

From assorted red and pink prints, cut:

• 12 of Pattern A

From assorted green prints, cut:

• 8 of Pattern B

From remaining assorted red, pink, green, and aqua prints, cut:

• 32--3" squares for prairie points (Cyndi cut 16 sets of 2 squares, placing matching prairie points opposite each other in the finished quilt.)
• 36--1-1⁄2" squares

From cream tone-on-tone, cut:

• 2--4-1⁄2×26-1⁄2" outer border strips
• 2--4-1⁄2×18-1⁄2" outer border strips
• 2--1-1⁄2×18-1⁄2" inner border strips
• 2--1-1⁄2×16-1⁄2" inner border strips
• 4--2-1⁄2×3-1⁄2" rectangles
• 36--2-1⁄2" squares
• 8--1-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" rectangles
• 4--1-1⁄2" squares

From coral print No. 1, cut:

• 12--2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles

From coral print No. 2, cut:

• 4--2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles
• 4--3" squares for prairie points
• 4--2-1⁄2" squares

From pink paisley, cut:

• 3--2-1⁄2×42" binding strips

Sew together four assorted print 1-1⁄2" squares in pairs (Diagram 2). Press seams in opposite directions. Join pairs to make a Four-Patch unit. Press seam in one direction. The Four-Patch unit should be 2-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make five Four-Patch units total.

1. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each remaining assorted print 1-1⁄2" square.

2. Align a marked assorted print square with one end of a cream tone-on-tone 1-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" rectangle (Diagram 3). Stitch on marked line and trim seam allowance to 1⁄4". Press attached triangle open, pressing seam toward assorted print.

3. Align a second marked assorted print square with remaining end of Step 2 rectangle. Stitch, trim, and press as before to make a small Flying Geese unit (Diagram 3). The unit should be 2-1⁄2×1-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make eight small Flying Geese units total.

1. Referring to Diagram 4, lay out a Four-Patch unit, two small Flying Geese units, and a cream tone-on-tone 1-1⁄2" square in two rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams away from small Flying Geese units. Join rows to make a corner unit. Press seam in one direction. The corner unit should be 3-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four corner units total.

2. Referring to Diagram 5, lay out four corner units, four cream tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2×3-1⁄2" rectangles, and remaining Four-Patch unit in three rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams toward cream tone-on-tone rectangles. Join rows to make center block. Press seams toward middle row. The center block should be 8-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

1. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong sides of 24 cream tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2" squares.

2. Referring to steps 2 and 3 of Assemble Small Flying Geese Units, use two marked cream tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2" squares and one coral print No. 1--2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangle to make a large Flying Geese unit. The unit should be 4-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make 12 large Flying Geese units total.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, join two cream tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2" squares and one large Flying Geese unit to make a short inner background strip. Press seams toward squares. Repeat to make four short inner background strips total.

2. Sew cream tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2" squares to ends of two short inner background strips to make two long inner background strips. Press seams away from squares just added.

3. Sew short inner background strips to opposite edges of center block. Add long inner background strips to remaining edges. Press all seams away from center block.

4. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, sew together two large Flying Geese units and one coral print No. 2--2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangle to make a short outer background strip. Press seams toward rectangle. Repeat to make four short outer background strips total.

5. Sew coral print No. 2--2-1⁄2" squares to ends of two short outer background strips to make two long outer background strips. Press seams away from squares just added.

6. Sew short outer background strips to opposite edges of center block. Add long outer background strips to remaining edges to complete quilt center. Press all seams away from center block. The quilt center should be 16-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

7. Referring to Appliqué Placement Diagram, position assorted red and pink print A berries and assorted green print B leaves in corners of quilt center. Using clear monofilament thread and a tiny blanket stitch, machine-appliqué pieces in place.

1. Sew cream tone-on-tone 1-1⁄2×16-1⁄2" inner border strips to opposite edges of appliquéd quilt center. Add cream tone-on-tone 1-1⁄2×18-1⁄2" inner border strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward inner border.

2. Fold an assorted print 3" square in half diagonally with wrong side inside to make a triangle; press. Fold triangle in half again and press to make a prairie point (Diagram 6). Repeat with remaining assorted print 3" squares and coral print No. 2--3" squares to make 36 prairie points total.

3. Referring to Diagram 7, position nine prairie points on one long edge of a short cream tone-on-tone outer border strip, starting and stopping 1⁄2" from each end. Space prairie points evenly and overlap adjacent edges; make sure all double-folded edges face in the same direction. Once you are satisfied with placement of prairie points, pin in place, then machine-baste them to border strip with a scant 1⁄4" seam. Repeat with second short cream tone-on-tone outer border strip.

4. In same manner, position and baste nine prairie points on a long cream tone-on-tone outer border strip, starting and stopping 4-1⁄2" from each end of strip (Diagram 8). Repeat with second long cream tone-on-tone outer border strip.

5. Sew short outer border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Sew long outer border strips to remaining edges to complete quilt top. Press all seams toward inner border, making sure tips of prairie points point toward outer border.

1. Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste.

2. Quilt as desired. Cyndi outline-machine-quilted around the appliqués. She quilted a stylized fleur-de-lis in each corner of the quilt top and a cable design in the border (Quilting Diagram).

3. Bind with pink paisley binding strips.