Christmas in July - Ribbons Quilt and Tutorial

I was so excited when Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Betsy asked me to participate in her Christmas in July Hop.  I mean, who doesn't love Christmas??  This blog hop is full of Christmas Home Decor and Homemade Christmas gifts :)  And getting a jump start on the holiday's is always a good idea!!

I debated for a while what to put together . . . and then my mom got some new couches and was discussing how she would move them around to make room for the tree.  (Yup, that is a first concern with new furniture in the house I grew up in :)  As she was making plans she mentioned how great it would look to have a  simple Christmas throw to go on the back of her couch.  Wham!!!  Idea :)  You know, something that is just right for curling up with a few little ones while you read Christmas stories and drink hot chocolate.  And so Ribbons came about . . . The perfect Christmas throw that can be whipped together super fast for you or for a loved one :)

So what are you going to need to make your own Ribbons throw.  Simple.  Your favorite Christmas Jelly Roll (I used Kate Spain's Joy) and (4) 1/2 yard cuts of coordinating solids.  

We'll start with a little bit of cutting.  Press the 1/2 yard solid pieces and then lay them on top of each other on your mat.  (Yes, I cut all 4 of mine at the same time, just make sure you have a sharp blade.)  Cut (7) 2 1/2" x WOF strips and trim the selvages from the top. (makes 28 strips total because stacked up)  Set (2) of each of the solid strips aside for binding.   Then cut 1/2" up from the fold on the 5 remaining sets of strips to create a total of (40) 2 1/2" x 21" strips.

 Now open your jelly roll, and with the strips folded, trim the selvage edge from all 40 strips.

And you are already on to sewing!!! You will be sewing strips together end to end alternating from print to solid.  But rather than doing a straight edge, Ribbons is sewn on an angle.   This is just like making a binding strip. (A really long binding strip)  Place your first 2 pieces with right sides together on a 90 degree angle.  Draw a diagonal line across the top strips that meets at the corner of the bottom strip.  Pin on either side on the line.  Sew a seam directly on top of the line.

Now, this is where it is easy to make a mistake.  The solids make it hard to tell if you are on the right side or wrong side.  So a trick -  if you lay your strip flat and then bend it to create a L shape the end of your strip will be right side up :)  So, now you are going to add another print strip using the same method as before.  Then add a solid, then print, ect. until you have sewn all of 40 of your jelly roll strips and all 40 of your solid strips into one very long strip!!!

*** Now, if you want to save some time, as Ribbons is a quick Christmas project, you can make this a completely pin-less project!!!!  Instead of drawing your diagonal line and pinning, just line your pieces up with right sides together on the 90 degree angle, and then draw a dot where the pieces meet up at the end.  Now holding the pieces together, sew at an angle towards the dot.  The first few might be a little tricky, but trust me, you get plenty of practice with this quilt, you will have it down in no time!!

Remember to keep your L shape so that you have right sides together.  When you get really good, you can not even bother with the dot.  I just put my fingernail there and sew towards it :)  If your using this method, again, just keep adding strips alternating prints and solids until you get all 40 solids and all 40 prints sewn into one strip.

Now, go ahead and trim away the excess at each of the seams about a 1/4" from the sewn line.  It doesn't have to be perfect, just approximate :)

Press each of the seams in one direction.

 *** If you end up with some major twisting while trying to press, rather than try to move it all the way down your massive strip, just unpick a seam, get the twist out, and then sew the seam back up again.  This seems a little like a waste of time but trust me, it is way faster than trying to move the twist down the strip.

Now the fun part begins.  Take your super long strip and line the first strip up with the last strip (Or the top with the bottom).  You don't have to bother lining up the entire strip, you can do that as you sew.

Place the 2 ends of the strips with right sides together and begin sewing a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Continue to line up the raw edges as you continue to sew the 1/4" seam.

Continue sewing until you get to the bottom of the strips.  Mine had a little twist in it but no worries.  Just pull it tight and clip the end to make your one strip into 2.  Then finish sewing the 1/4" seam to the end of the strip.

Press your seam to one side.  You don't have to press, but I find it makes it easier to line things up.  You can trim your end if needs be to line the pieces up.

Now, it is just repeating the process.  Take the end of your 2 strip piece and line it up with the top of your 2 strip piece.  Once again, sew a 1/4" seam aligning up the raw edges as you go.

Continue this way until you get to the end of your strip.  And once again, clip the bottom of the strip to create 2 strips and then finish sewing the 1/4" seam to the end of the strips.  Press.

Now just repeat this process, turning your now sets of 4 into sets of 8, and then your sets of 8 into sets of 16.  When you sew the set of 16 together and trim at the bottom you are done!!

Open it up and check it out!!!  A super fun, super fast, Ribbons Christmas Throw!!

So now it is time to turn that finished quilt top into a finished Quilt ;)  Time to  Baste It, Quilt It, and Bind It!!!  Which is a whole lot in one little sentence.  If you are new to quilting, you can see my Finishing Your Quilt Series of video tutorials that will walk you through Basting, Quilting, and Binding step by step ;)  Use your remaining solid strips to bind the quilt.  And Wha La!!!  A beautiful Ribbons Christmas Throw measuring appx. 60" x 70" perfect for snuggling up with under the Christmas Tree!!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Ribbons Quilt I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Ribbons Quilts!!!

The quilting on this Ribbons throw is my version of Holly and Ivy with loops.

I thought it might be fun to include a little video tutorial of how you can do your own Holly and Ivy quilting on your home machine.  It is a little tricky to start but you catch on quick.  Remember, like all things free motion quilting . . . Practice makes Perfect :)  Hope you enjoy :)

Thanks for popping in today and sharing this Christmas in July quilt with me ;) 

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!