12 Days of Christmas in July - and Quilt-Along, Day 8!

Hi, all!

Welcome once again to the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop! It's hard to believe we're more than halfway through the hop, but there are lots more great Christmas ideas to come!  I hope you'll share anything you've been inspired to create on tomorrow's Whoop Whoop Friday post - it's always fun to see others' creations and interpretations of the hop designs!

Today's bloggers love color like I love fabric!  Our first blogger is Michele from Crayon Box Quilt Studio.  She and I share a love of Kate Spain fabrics, and I participated in her first Kate Spain charm swap a few years ago.  This year she's got a fabulous KS project to show us - I can't wait to see the final reveal!

And then we'll be hearing from Jan, who blogs as The Colorful Fabriholic.  Jan just published a book with AQS called Cut and Shuffle Quilts - definitely a must-have if you like simple and quick quilts!  She's got a great gift item to share and I can't wait to see it!

So go check out today's entries and then come back here to see today's steps for the quilt-along!  I'll be here waiting!

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Today we'll be assembling the "C" units, which will fill in the corners of the outer star.  For these units you will need:

32 red HSTs

12 red 4.5" squares

16 background 4.5" squares

16 background 4.5" x 8.5" rectangles

16 background 4.5" x 12.5" rectangles

First we'll make the 4-patch units.  Lay out the pieces for the four-patch blocks to the left of your sewing machine as shown in the photo above.  Take the top right block and lay it face down on the top left block.  Pick up and sew together.  Do not cut thread. Take the bottom right block and lay it over the bottom left block.  Pick up the pair and sew together.  Repeat the process, pulling alternately from the top piles and then from the bottom piles, until all the sets have been sewn together.

Lay them out and cut between the second and third pair.  This will separate one four-patch block, still chained together, from the rest.  Do the same with the rest of the string until you have sixteen block sets.

Press the seams toward the HSTs.

Lay the four-patch sets next to your sewing machine again.  Nesting the seams, sew each pair of block sets together to create the four-patch blocks.

Press the seam toward the red 4.5" square.

Lay out the four-patch units, the 4.5" x 8.5" background rectangles, and the 4.5" x 12.5" rectangles as shown in the photo above

Lay the 4.5" x 8.5" rectangle face down on the right side of the four-patch block.  Pick up the pair and sew the seam.  Repeat for all sixteen sets, chain piecing for speed.

Cut the sets apart.  Press the seam toward the 4.5" x 8.5" rectangle.

Re-arrange the remaining pieces as shown above.  Lay a background rectangle on the left side of the 4-patch unit and stitch the seam.  Repeat for all sixteen sets, chain piecing for speed.

Cut the piecing chains.  Press the seam toward the 4.5" x 12.5" background rectangle.

Now is a good time to add these to your design wall and see how pretty your quilt is going to be!  Are you excited yet?

Remember - you can post your progress on Instagram using the hashtag #12daysofxmasinjulyqal so we can all enjoy and cheer you on!

Hugs and see you tomorrow!

Sarah

July 14th:     Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts

                    Carole Carter @ From My Caroline Home

July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist

                   Chris Dodsley @ Made by ChrissieD

July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion

                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter

July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn

                    Selina @ Selina Quilts

July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ Buzzin Bumble

                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies

July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne

                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter

July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio

                    Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic

July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

                     Zenia Rene Lewis @ A Quilted Passion

July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms

July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ

                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy

July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication

                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts

                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle