Happy Holidays Quilt

Beige
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Happy Holidays Quilt

(Beige colourway)

What a wonderful heirloom quilt this is sure to become. Filled with delightful seasonal motifs
it will signal the start of the festive season every year you bring it out and display it. Prancing
reindeer, Santa’s sleigh, Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and Christmas stockings
brimming with toys are just some of the motifs that fill the quilt with their charm. The quilt
takes a little concentration to make, but you are sure to be thrilled with the finished result,
and there are many helpful diagrams to guide you on your way. There is another quilt in this
design with a beautiful blue Chambray background. It is made in exactly the same way, so
brief instructions are given at the end of these beige colourway instructions. There is also a
lovely goose pillow in two different colourways that will complement the quilt beautifully –
see tildasworld.com for the instructions.

Difficulty rating ***

Materials
• Fabric 1: 6yds (5.5m) – Eucalyptus beige (110090)
• Fabric 2: two pieces 5½in x 1½in (14cm x 3.8cm) – Slumbermouse denim (100521)
• Fabric 3: two pieces 2¼in x 2in (5.7cm x 5.1cm) – Winter Rose blue (100522)
• Fabric 4: ⅜yd (40cm) – Autumn Bloom eggplant (100524)
• Fabric 5: two pieces 3½in x 4½in (9cm x 11.4cm) – Squirrel Dreams blue (100525)
• Fabric 6: two pieces 3½in x 4½in (9cm x 11.4cm) – Slumbermouse plum (100526)
• Fabric 7: 10in (25cm) square (or a fat eighth) – Winter Rose hibiscus (100527)
• Fabric 8: 10in (25cm) square – Sleepybird mulberry (100528)
• Fabric 9: ¼yd (25cm) – Autumn Bloom old rose (100529)
• Fabric 10: ⅛yd (15cm) (not a fat eighth) – Slumbermouse hazel (100531)
• Fabric 11: ¼yd (25cm) – Winter Rose hazel (100532)
• Fabric 12: two pieces 8½in x 4½in (21.6cm x 11.4cm) – Sleepybird pecan (100533)
• Fabric 13: ⅜yd (40cm) – Autumn Bloom hazel (100534)
• Fabric 14: 14in (35cm) square – Slumbermouse lafayette (100536)
• Fabric 15: 14in (35cm) square – Winter Rose sage (100537)
• Fabric 16: ¼yd (25cm) – Sleepybird lafayette (100538)
• Fabric 17: ¼yd (25cm) – Autumn Bloom sage (110539)
• Fabric 18: two pieces 8½in x 4½in (21.6cm x 11.4cm) – Squirrel Dreams sage (100540)
• Fabric 19: ⅜yd (40cm) – Eucalyptus light blue (110084)
• Fabric 20: ¼yd (25cm) – Olive Branch lavender (110085)
• Fabric 21: ¼yd (25cm) – Eucalyptus eggplant (110086)
• Fabric 22: 14in (35cm) square – Olive Branch blush (110087)
• Fabric 23: 14in (35cm) square – Eucalyptus hibiscus (110088)
• Fabric 24: ⅛yd (15cm) – Olive Branch old rose (110089)
• Fabric 25: ⅜yd (40cm) – Eucalyptus sand (110091)
• Fabric 26: ¼yd (25cm) – Olive Branch hazel (110092)
• Fabric 27: two pieces 2in x 1¼in (5.1cm x 3.2cm) – Eucalyptus sage (110093)
• Fabric 28: ¼yd (25cm) – Olive Branch laurel (110094)
• Fabric 29: 14in (35cm) square – Eucalyptus lafayette (110095)
• Fabric 30: ¼yd (25cm) – Solid dove white (120001)
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• Fabric 31: 10in (25cm) square – Solid cappuccino (120007)

• Fabric 32: 10in (25cm) square – Solid blue sage (120008)
• Fabric 33: 10in (25cm) square – Solid rust (120017)
• Fabric 34: 10in (25cm) square – Solid petrol (120037)
• Wadding (batting): 67in x 88in (170cm x 224cm)
• Backing fabric: 5yds (4.6m) – Olive Branch blush (110087)
• Binding fabric: ⅝yd (60cm) – Olive Branch blush (110087)
• Thick card for turned-edge appliqué circles
• Piecing and quilting threads
• Black stranded embroidery thread for French knot eyes
• Quilter’s ruler, rotary cutter and mat

Fabric Notes
If using the same fabric for the backing and binding, as we have done, there is sufficient
fabric left over from the backing to cut the binding too. If so, cut four strips 2½in (6.4cm)
down the length of the fabric, instead of the cuts given in Step 6.
If a fabric’s pattern works in any direction, rotate the shape as needed to cut economically.
Where a long eighth or long quarter of a yard is given in the Materials list you could use fat
eighths and fat quarters instead (unless otherwise stated). A fat eighth is assumed to be
approximately 10½in x 18in (26.7cm x 45.7cm) and a fat quarter approximately 21in x 18in
(53.3cm x 45.7cm).

Finished Size
59in x 80in (150cm x 203cm)

General Notes
• Fabric quantities are based on a usable width of 42in (107cm), unless otherwise stated.
• Measurements are in imperial inches with metric conversions in brackets – use only one
system throughout (preferably inches). Width measurements are generally given first.
• Before using your fabrics, press before cutting and trim as needed to square up the fabric
pattern/weave, using a quilting ruler to cut the top raw edge at 90 degrees to the
selvedges.
• Use ¼in (6mm) seams unless otherwise instructed.
• Read all the instructions through before you start.
• Always make one complete block as a test before going on to make the remaining blocks.

Quilt Layout
1 There are eight different festive motifs in this quilt, each of which are repeated twice,
sometimes in a reflected (flipped) version. Filler pieces of sashing are used to link the motifs
into rows. The motifs are described in full, so follow the instructions and diagrams carefully.
Once the quilt is assembled, holly berries in two sizes are added with turned-edge appliqué
using an easy gathering technique. See Fig A for the fabrics used, Fig B for the quilt layout
and Fig C for the individual festive motifs. Cutting out instructions are given first and then
each of the motifs are described and illustrated. Arrowheads on the diagrams show the first
stages of sewing a block together; long arrows show where one stage of assembly leads to
another.
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Fig A Fabric swatches (beige colourway)

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Fig B Quilt layout

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Fig C Festive motifs

Cutting Out
2 Cut the Fabric 1 sashing pieces first, keeping the remainder of the fabric for the blocks. Fig
B shows where these sashing pieces occur in the quilt.
• Sashing A – cut twelve strips 29¾in x 2in (75.6cm x 5.1cm). Sew the strips together into
pairs to make six long strips each 59in x 2in (150cm x 211cm).
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• Sashing B – cut two strips 29¾in x 2½in (75.6cm x 6.4cm). Sew the strips together to
make a long strip 59in x 2½in (150cm x 6.4cm).
• Sashing C – cut two strips 2in x 10¼in (5.1cm x 26cm).
• Sashing D – cut two strips 2in x 21in (5.1cm x 53.3cm).

3 There are eight different festive motifs, so when cutting Fabric 1 for these motifs, refer to
the following diagrams for the sizes of the pieces to cut and the positions of the fabric pieces.
It will help you to print out the diagrams and keep the measurements and fabric positions for
each motif together. There are many cut pieces needed for this quilt, so it will also help if you
keep the fabric pieces for each individual motif in separate bags.
• Reindeer – Fig D and Fig L.
• Santa Sleigh – Fig E and Fig L.
• Christmas Stockings – Fig F and Fig M.
• Christmas Tree – Fig G and Fig N.
• Goose – Fig H and Fig N.
• Gingerbread House – Fig I and Fig N.
• Mittens – Fig J and Fig L.
• Holly – Fig K and Fig M.

4 When cutting the print and solid fabrics, refer to the motifs and diagrams noted above.
Always cut the largest pieces first.

5 To cut the backing fabric, remove the selvedges and cut the fabric into two pieces each 88in
(224cm) long x width of fabric. Sew them together along the long side and press the seam
open. Trim to a piece about 67in x 88in (170cm x 224cm).

6 Cut the binding fabric into eight strips 2½in (6.4cm) x width of fabric. Sew them together
end to end and press seams open. Press in half along the length, wrong sides together.
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Fig D Cut measurements for the Reindeer blocks

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles
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Fig E Cut measurements for the Santa Sleigh blocks

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles
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Fig F Cut measurements for the Christmas Stocking blocks

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles
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Fig G Cut measurements for the Christmas Tree blocks

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles
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Fig H Cut measurements for the Goose block

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles

Fig I Cut measurements for the Gingerbread House block

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles
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Fig J Cut measurements for the Mittens block

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles

Fig K Cut measurements for the Holly rows

Sizes include seam allowances
All pieces to be cut initially as squares or rectangles
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Fig L Block colourways for Reindeer, Santa Sleigh and Mittens

Numbers indicate fabrics used (see Fig A). All backgrounds are Fabric 1. Make the number of blocks indicated
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Fig M Block colourways for Christmas Stockings and Holly

Numbers indicate fabrics used (see Fig A). All backgrounds are Fabric 1. Make the number of blocks indicated
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Fig N Block colourways for Christmas Tree, Goose and Gingerbread House
Numbers indicate fabrics used (see Fig A). All backgrounds are Fabric 1. Make the number of blocks indicated

Making the Common Units

7 The motifs in the quilt use some patchwork units that occur often – half-square triangle
(HST) units, corner triangle units and flying geese units. These three common units will be
described first and shown in Fig O (shown in grey colours). Refer back to these basic
methods when needed.

Half-Square Triangle Units

Half-square triangle (HST) units occur in the reindeer, sleigh, gingerbread house and goose.
The sizes needed vary, so follow the cutting measurements carefully.
The method described here makes two units at the same time. Take two different
squares and on the wrong side of the lighter square, pencil mark the diagonal line. Place the
two squares right sides (RS) together and sew ¼in (6mm) away from the marked line on both
sides, as shown. Cut the units apart along the marked line and press the units. The seam is
normally pressed towards the darker fabric. Check each unit is the unfinished size it is meant
to be.
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Corner Triangle Units

Corner triangle units occur in all of the motifs. A triangle may only be needed on one corner
or more. The sizes of the pieces will vary depending on the motif, so follow the cutting
measurements carefully. Regardless of the size though, the basic method is the same.
Take the larger piece of fabric and place it right side (RS) up. Take the smaller square
and pencil mark the diagonal line on the wrong side. Pin the square right sides together with
the larger piece of fabric, aligning the edges as shown and with the diagonal line in the
direction needed. (Note: the position of the square and the direction of the marked line will
vary depending on the unit you are making.) Sew along the marked line. Trim off excess
fabric ¼in (6mm) outside the sewn line and press the triangle outwards.

Flying Geese Units

Flying geese units occur in the holly, Christmas stockings, Christmas tree and gingerbread
house. The sizes needed vary, so follow the cutting measurements carefully.
Take the rectangle and place it right side up. Take two squares and pencil mark one
diagonal line on the wrong side of each square. Place one of the squares right side down on
the left-hand side of the rectangle, aligning the top, bottom and left side and with the diagonal
line in the direction shown in Fig O. Sew along the marked line. Trim off excess fabric ¼in
(6mm) outside of the sewn line and press the triangle outwards. Repeat with the other square
on the other side of the rectangle, angling the marked line in the opposite direction.

Fig O Making the common units

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Making the Reindeer

8 Start by making the common units – the half-square triangle units and corner triangle units.
Once these are made, follow Fig P to make unit f/g and then Fig Q to make unit o/n/o.
Unit f/g – the stages of creating this long triangle on one side of the rectangle are shown and
described in Fig P, so follow this carefully. Once made, the unit should be 3in x 2in (7.6cm x
5.1cm) unfinished. (Note: When making the f/g unit for the reflected reindeer, the red dot on
piece f needs to be on the opposite side, and piece g needs to be angled the opposite way.)
Unit o/n/o – creating a narrow diagonal strip of print fabric for this unit uses the same
technique as corner triangle units, but because the corner triangles are quite large, it is shown
in Fig Q.

Fig P Making reindeer unit f/g

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Fig Q Making reindeer unit o/n/o

9 When all the pieced units have been made, assemble the reindeer block following the stages
in Fig R. Press after each seam is sewn, pressing seams open or to one side. Sew the three
rows of a reindeer unit together. Check the sewn reindeer is the unfinished size given in Fig
D. You can add the French knot eyes now or later (described in Step 28).

10 Make three reindeers in total, changing fabrics as shown in Fig L. Now sew them together
in a row, as in Fig S.

11 Make the second reindeer row in the same way, but reversing the direction so the deer face
the opposite way. (Reminder: When making the f/g unit for these reflected reindeer, the red
dot on piece f needs to be on the opposite side, and the g piece angled the opposite way.)

Fig R Assembling a reindeer

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Fig S Sewing three reindeers together

Making the Santa Sleigh

12 Start by making the common units – the half-square triangle units and the corner triangle
units. When all the pieced units have been made, assemble the block following the stages in
Fig T. Check the sewn sleigh is the unfinished size given in Fig E. You can add the French
knot eyes now or later (described in Step 28).

13 Make the second Santa Sleigh block in the same way, but reversing the direction so it
faces the opposite way.

Fig T Assembling a sleigh

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Making the Christmas Stockings

14 Start by making the common units – the corner triangle units and flying geese units. When
all the pieced units have been made, assemble the block following the stages in Fig U for the
tops of the stockings and Fig V for the final block assembly. Check the sewn block is the
unfinished size given in Fig F. You can add the French knot eyes now or later.

15 Make the second Christmas Stocking block in exactly the same way.

Fig U Assembling the stocking tops

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Fig V Assembling the Christmas stockings

Making the Christmas Trees

16 Start by making the flying geese units – there are five different sizes. Now make unit s/r/s
(the bucket) following the instructions in Fig W carefully (the long triangles needed here are
created using the same method as unit f/g for the reindeer). When all the pieced units have
been made, assemble the tree block following the stages in Fig X. Check the sewn block is
the unfinished size given in Fig G. You can add the French knot eyes now or later.
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17 Make the second Tree block in the same way, but reversing the direction so it faces the
opposite way. The s/r/s unit for the tree bucket is symmetrical, so make the unit in the same
way as before (no reflection needed).

Fig W Making Christmas tree unit s/r/s

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Fig X Assembling a Christmas tree

Making the Goose

18 Start by making the common units – the half-square triangle units and the corner triangle
units. When all pieced units have been made, assemble the block following Fig Y. Check the
sewn block is the unfinished size given in Fig H. Add the French knot eye now or later.

19 Make the second Goose block in exactly the same way.

Fig Y Assembling a goose

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Making the Gingerbread House

20 Start by making the common units – the half-square triangle units, the corner triangle units
and flying geese units. When all the pieced units have been made, assemble the block
following the stages in Fig Z. Check the sewn block is the unfinished size given in Fig I.

21 Make the second Gingerbread House block in exactly the same way.

Fig Z Assembling a gingerbread house

Making the Mittens

22 Start by making the various corner triangle units. When these pieced units have been
made, assemble the block following the stages in Fig AA. Check the sewn block is the
unfinished size given in Fig J.

23 Make the second Mittens block in exactly the same way.

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Fig AA Assembling the mittens

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Making the Holly Rows

24 Start by making the flying geese units – there are four per section (sixteen in a whole
row). Now make the square-in-a-square unit b/c/c/c/c as shown in Fig BB 1 (this is very
similar to making corner triangles). These units are made using two different green prints
(Fabrics 15 and 14), as shown. When all these pieced units have been made, assemble the
holly unit following the stages in Fig BB 2. Check the sewn unit is the unfinished size given
in Fig K.

25 Repeat the process to make four sections for a row. Now sew the sections together with
pieces f and g, as in Fig BB 3. Make the second holly row in exactly the same way.

Fig BB Making a holly section and row

Assembling the Quilt

26 To assemble the quilt, take all of the blocks you have made and lay them out in rows as
shown in Fig CC. Place the longest sashing strips (A and B) between the rows and the shorter
strips (C and D) at the sides, where shown. Start by sewing the block rows together, pressing
seams open or to one side. In Row 3 and Row 5, sew the goose to the house first, and then
add the mittens on top.

27 When all of the block rows are assembled, sew the horizontal sashing strips between the
rows, pressing the seams towards the sashing.

28 If you haven’t sewn the eyes yet, sew them now with French knots using six strands of
black stranded cotton wound twice around the needle.
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Fig CC Assembling the quilt

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29 The final step is to add the holly berries. These are made by gathering a fabric circle
around a smaller circle of stiff card, but you could use another method of your choice. Circle
patterns are provided if you wish to use these, with ½in (1.3cm) seams allowed all round. If
you don’t want to use the patterns, cut the following sizes.
• Small berry – cut a fabric circle 2⅜in (6cm) diameter and a card circle 1⅜in (3.5cm)
diameter.
• Medium berry – cut a fabric circle 2⅝in (6cm) diameter and a card circle 1⅝in (3.5cm)
diameter.

30 Follow Fig DD, placing the smaller card circle in the centre of the wrong side of the fabric
circle and marking the circle. Remove the card for the moment. Using a strong thread, hand
sew a gathering stitch all around this marked inner circle, slightly outside of the marked line.
Leave tails of thread, as shown in the diagram. Put the card circle back in place and pull on
the gathering thread to gather it up over the edge of the card. Press well, remove the card and
press again. Make eight medium berries using Fabric 9 and eight small berries using Fabric
24 – this is enough for both holly rows.

31 Using a matching hand sewing thread and small slip stitches, sew the berries in place as
shown in Fig EE. Note that the sizes and the fabric colours alternate and that the berries
overlap the long sashing strips. The berries that use Fabric 9 are identiied on the diagram.
Press the berries and your quilt top is now finished.

Fig DD Making the appliqué berries

Fig EE Positioning the berries

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Quilting and Finishing

32 If you are quilting the quilt yourself you now need to make a quilt sandwich – you can do
this in various ways, as follows.
• Use large stitches to tack (baste) a grid through the layers of the quilt in both directions,
with lines about 4in (10cm) apart.
• Use pins or safety pins to fix the layers together.
• Use fabric glue sprayed onto the wadding (batting) to fix the layers together.
If you are sending the quilt off to be commercially long-arm quilted you won’t need to make
a sandwich, as this is done when the quilt is mounted on the machine. When the layers of the
quilt are secured, you can quilt as desired.

33 When all quilting is finished, square up the quilt ready for binding.

34 Use the prepared double-fold binding strip to bind your quilt. Sew the binding to the quilt
by pinning the raw edge of the folded binding against the raw edge of the quilt. Don’t start at
a corner. Using a ¼in (6mm) seam, sew the binding in place, starting at least 6in (15.2cm)
away from the end of the binding. Sew to within a ¼in (6mm) of a corner and stop. Take the
quilt off the machine and fold the binding upwards, creating a mitred corner. Hold this in
place, fold the binding back down and pin it in place. Begin sewing the ¼in (6mm) seam
again from the top of the folded binding to within ¼in (6mm) of the next corner and then
repeat the folding process. Do this on all corners. Leave a 6in (15.2cm) ‘tail’ of unsewn
binding at the end.

35 To join the two ends of the binding, open up the beginning and end of the binding tails,
lay them flat and fold the ends back so the two ends touch. Mark these folds by creasing or
with pins – this is where your seam needs to be. Open out the binding and sew the pieces
together at these creases. Trim off excess fabric and press the seam. Re-fold the binding and
finish stitching it in place on the front of the quilt.

36 With the quilt right side up, use a medium-hot iron to press the binding outwards all
round. Now begin to turn the binding over to the back of the quilt, pinning it in place. Use
matching sewing thread and tiny stitches to slipstitch the binding in place all round, creating
neat mitres at each corner. Press the binding and your fabulously festive quilt is finished.
Happy Holiday Quilt A4 pattern
Patterns for the appliqué berries (½in seams allowed)

Small Medium

Cut fabric Cut fabric

2⅜in (6cm) 2⅝in (6.7cm)
diameter diameter

1⅜in (3.5cm)
finished diameter 1⅝in (4.1cm)
finished diameter
Happy Holiday Quilt US letter patterns
Patterns for the appliqué berries (½in seams allowed)

Small Medium

Cut fabric Cut fabric

2⅜in (6cm) 2⅝in (6.7cm)
diameter diameter

1⅜in (3.5cm)
finished diameter 1⅝in (4.1cm)
finished diameter