Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing a Bucket-List Christmas Quilt project I’ve had on my list for several years. Yes, years! The Swell Christmas collection for Moda Fabrics arrived in stores in May of 2018. I first saw it at International Quilt Market in October of 2017 and absolutely fell in love with the collection. I bought yardage of every single print and proceeded to make two of my designs with these fabrics. But there was always one quilt I wanted to make with this group.
A Bucket-List Christmas Quilt
My First Swell Christmas Quilts
I still remember how much I loved this gorgeous collection from first sight. It was so much fun to make my Four-Square quilt with this group–it’s still a favorite of mine. (I’ve since updated the pattern to include several sizes, too). I also knew I needed to re-make my Pot Luck quilt in this collection. It was so perfectly suited to fussy-cut the Santa print for the Dresden centers. Truly, I could have made an entire quilt with the Dresdens with these fabrics!
The Swell Christmas Quilt Kit
But there was another quilt I always wanted to make with these fabrics, and it was the Swell Christmas quilt that came as a Moda Kit with the collection. The quilt was darling, but I thought my two Swell Christmas quilts would suffice. Still, I held on to enough yardage to make that quilt if I were ever able to find one of the panels.
During the summer of 2018 I went to a retreat where several of my friends were making the Swell Christmas Santa quilt. Their quilts were going together so quickly, and I was a little mad at myself for not having just purchased that kit, lol! This quilt finishes at 56″ x 70″ and is made up of twenty alternating log cabin blocks with an applique’d Santa on top of the blocks made from a ready-to-sew panel.
A Wonderful Surprise
These hoarded Swell Christmas fabrics stayed in a dresser drawer for several years until Chelsi and I mentioned them on one of our podcast episodes. Chelsi actually purchased the kit when it was available but has never sewn up her quilt. After that podcast episode aired one day last fall, a package arrived a few weeks later. A friend of the podcast actually found one of the panels and mailed it to me (Thank you, Donna)! It was the most wonderful surprise and gift. I knew that I was definitely going to make this quilt now.
Swell Christmas Progress
We recently taped a podcast episode where we mentioned this quilt again. And that was just what I needed to get myself to find the fabrics and the panel and put them front and center in my sewing room. The fabrics were in a bin in my closet, and the panel was in a box with another bucket list Christmas project. The instructions for this quilt are actually a free Moda download, and I had already printed them off and stored them with the panel. So, the other night I decided just to start cutting strips for the log cabin blocks.
Sewing the Blocks
Log cabin blocks are so much fun to sew and a perfect “leaders-and-enders” project for other sewing. I had a couple of things I needed to get finished for our filming deadlines, so I started sewing these blocks in-between. By the end of the weekend, I had finished the first ten “A” blocks and moved on to the “B” blocks. I’m pretty sure I will have this put together in a couple of days and be ready to applique’ my Santa by the weekend.
More Soon!
I can’t wait to keep sewing and will update you soon with my progress. I really think I’ll be able to use this one for Christmas this year!
Happy quilting!
Carol Hartman says
Love the log cabin quilt, and I’m really loving the fabric. Fabric and the pattern together is perfectl! Love your quilts, blogs and podcasts! I’m a better quilter watching your quilting tube, so many great tips. Enjoyed your quilting class when you first had your online class. I was over COVID but it took me months to get over, wasn’t the best when the class started. Got through it plus finished the quilt top, took me longer but I finished!! Thank you for all you do!
Terry Ancellotti says
Swell Christmas is my all time favorite quilt fabric. I am a Christmas not and love to decorate for the holiday. I also collected many of the fabrics in the line and you have put a spark in my to make this log cabin quilt. I love it. I also have the snowman line which I believe came out the year after Santa. Thank you for your inspiration.
Karen Smith says
I fell in love with your Four Square Quilt done in Swell Christmas several years ago. I went on a scavenger hunt for the fabric, but didn’t get it made until the first of this year. Wonder if I have enough left to make a Log Cabin version? Not sure why I love this fabric so much, but it is my favorite Christmas fabric. Thanks for showing us this pattern—had never seen it!
Ruth Rosimo says
Ho! Ho! Ho! I too love this fabric collection and quilt. Fortunately, I bought the kit to make this quilt but the kit has sat for years. You have inspired me to start and hopefully finish this quilt! Thank you for being such an inspiration!
Nancy says
I couldn’t believe what I saw in this email. I love all of this fabric and I have many different packages of this Santa print. I had some family problems and couldn’t put myself to work because the holidays changed for me and changed my love for quilting to cross stitch. But I might try again, if not for this Christmas maybe next
Joni says
I bet this Swell could also be made with Kitty Christmas. I believe I have a large “kitty” panel. I’ll have to plan for next Christmas❣️
sherri McConnell says
Absolutely would work I think!