Celebrate Christmas Quilt Along : All a Flurry

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to share this block with you as part of the Celebrate Christmas Quilt Along. Thank you for joining me here today, and thank you to Michele of The Quilting Gallery for inviting me to be a part of this great project!

I love the holidays. I always have, but even more so since having children. My kids are now three and five, so they are acutely aware of all the fun festivities that go on at Christmas time.

We visit Santa (although without tears these days), we make candy and other sweets from scratch, we make handmade gifts, we decorate the house, we go to the zoo for the festival of lights, we go to live nativities...In a nutshell, we're all a flurry. It's a fast pace, but it's such a fun time of the year, especially with young children.

All a Flurry is also the name of my block for the Celebrate Christmas Quilt Along. It is an ideal pattern to showcase some of your favorite charm squares, although any fabrics will work. I've used some charm squares of Kate Spain's Flurry line of fabric and white Kona cotton for my block, but I think it would look beautiful in any combination of fabrics. All a Flurry is a simple block to construct and the bold graphic design and clean lines give it a modern feeling.

Please be sure to read all of the instructions before getting started. All seam allowances are ¼”. If you'd like to make a block of your own, the free pattern is available to download as a pdf here.

Cutting Instructions:

* Cut (4) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares (A) from your choice of fabric (note: I used a charm square here, cut in half lengthwise and then again width-wise to yield (4) 2 1/2" squares)

* Cut (2) 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangles (B) from a solid fabric

* Cut (1) 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" rectangle (C) from a solid fabric

* Cut (4) 2 1/2" x 5 1/2" rectangles (D) from a solid fabric

* Cut (4) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares (E) from your choice of fabric (note: I also used a charm square here, cut in half lengthwise and then again width-wise to yield (4) 2 1/2" squares)

* Cut (2) 2" x 9 1/2" rectangles (F) from a solid fabric

* Cut (2) 2" x 12 1/2" rectangles (G) from a solid fabric

Construct the block:

Sew one square A to one rectangle B, right sides together.

Press seam open. Sew another square A to rectangle B.

Press seams open. Repeat with the other squares A and rectangle B.

Sew rectangle C to the pieced A-B-A. Press seams open.

Sew the other pieced A-B-A to rectangle C. Press seams open.

Sew one rectangle D to the top and one rectangle D to the bottom of the pieced square. Press seams open.

Sew a square E to both short ends of rectangle D. Press seams open.

Repeat with the remaining squares E and rectangle D, and press seams open.

Sew the constructed E-D-E rectangle to the left side of the pieced square. Press seams open.

Sew the other constructed E-D-E rectangle to the right side of the pieced square and press seams open.

Sew one rectangle F to the top and press open.

Sew the other rectangle F to the bottom of the pieced square and press seams open.

Sew one rectangle G to the left side and one rectangle G to the right side of the pieced square. Press seams open.

Square up block with a 12 1/2” ruler if necessary.

If you're following along, please be sure to add your block images to the Celebrate Christmas Quilt Along Flickr group!

Thanks again to Michele of The Quilting Gallery. Be sure to stay tuned for more great blocks in the Celebrate Christmas Quilt Along!

Celebrity Round-up: Pre-Cuts on Generation Q today

There is a great little discussion on GenerationQ today all about pre-cut fabrics. What is your favorite? I don't buy many, but I do love a stack of fat quarters. Go read why and see what six other designers picked for their top choice too!

And I think I might add this gorgeous bundle from Purl to my Christmas list...

Stockings for Kids

A few weeks ago I received an email from Lyanna, telling me about a project that she's working on. She works for the Bair Foundation, an agency that helps foster children in Central Virginia and they would like to give each child a stocking for Christmas that they can call their own. In years past the children were given paper stockings that were thrown out after the holidays. But this year Lyanna and the staff have made it a goal to give each child a handmade stocking, one that they can keep and use year after year. So she is organizing a stocking drive through her blog, Purple Panda Quilts, and her goal is to collect 50 stockings by December 1.

Can you help and make a stocking or two? Lyanna is posting weekly tutorials on various ways to make a stocking and there was a brand new one yesterday for a cute appliqued version. As an added incentive, everyone who donates a stocking is eligible for some great prizes.

I'm in! Are you? I'm hoping to make at least one stocking to send to Lyanna. For more information on Stockings for Kids, please visit her blog or the Flickr group.