Embroidered Bow Tie Christmas Quilt Using the NEW GO! Angles Qube

November is here and it’s time to finish some projects for the holidays. This 12 block quilt is a great weekend project—and lots of fun if you would rather stitch than shop over the Thanksgiving holiday. It includes machine embroidery using the seasonal holiday and Christmas dies and also uses the new Angles Qube to create a bow-tie block setting for the machine embroidery.

There are three steps to making this quilt top. The first step is to make the pieced quilt blocks, the second step is to add the machine embroidery to those blocks, and the third step is to assemble the blocks into a top.

Supplies needed:

GO! QUBE Mix & Match 8” Block

GO! QUBE Mix & Match 8” Companion Set – Angles

GO! Holiday Medley Die # 55043

GO! Sleigh and Snowflakes Die #55322

GO! Holiday Accessories Die #55321

GO! Circle-2”, 3”, 5” Die #55012

GO! Star-2”, 3”, 4” Die #55028

GO! Holiday Elements Machine Embroidery Design Set by Marjorie Busby

2 yards Background Fabric

2-1/2 yards Red (or color of your choice) Fabric

Scraps of various fabrics for Appliqué Shapes

Approximately 3 yards Backing if piecing together 40” wide fabric (there will be a significant amount left over for another project)

Machine Embroidery Supplies including coordinating thread and standard bobbins:

The following supplies are recommended: Lightweight tearaway stabilizer, fabric glue or paper backed fusible, Sulky KK2000 Spray Adhesive or water soluble fabric glue, mini iron.

Cutting Instructions:

Image of Block with Shape Numbers

The AccuQuilt GO! Qube Mix & Match 8” Block and the AccuQuilt GO! Qube 8” Companion Set - Angles are used for cutting:

Cutting Instructions Chart:

The following chart corresponds to the image above of the individual quilt block. You will make 12 blocks. The chart includes the Shape # and the Die # as well as the number of pieces to cut for each block and the number of pieces to cut for the entire quilt. It also includes instructions for the size of strip to precut to use the optimal amount of fabric with little waste for each die. There are excellent instructions in the QUBE pattern book for cutting the unique shapes of each die in the Angles Companion Qube.

Step One: Make 12 pieced bow tie blocks.

It is recommended that all seams be pressed open. I normally prefer to press seams to one side so that they interlock, but for these blocks, the goal was a very flat surface. After making two sample blocks using each method, it was decided that pressing the seams open was the best way to make this block.

1) Make 48 Flying Geese (Shapes 4 and 5).

Use Shape 4 (quarter square triangle) and stitch Shape 5 (half square triangle) to each side of the triangle to make a Flying Geese unit. Press seams open.

Add Shape 8 (rectangle) to the Flying Geese unit to make a square. Stitch the long side of a background Shape 8  to the background side of the Flying Geese unit.

2) Make 48 corner triangles (Shapes 3, 5, and 16).

Stitch Shape 5 (half square triangle) to Shape 16 (trapezoid) as shown. Press seam open. Stitch Shape 3 (half square triangle) to the trapezoid triangle unit to make a square.

3) Assemble the Bow Tie Block as a 9 patch as shown below.

Stitch units into rows and then rows into the block. Press all seams open.

Completed Block

Step Two: Complete the machine embroidery on the pieced bow tie blocks.

There are 22 separate designs in this embroidery set. The set was designed so that some of the designs would be used for a larger block like the 8 inch area in the 12 inch block in this quilt and some of the designs will fit a smaller block (finished 6” and requires a 6” x 8” embroidery hoop). I selected the larger designs and used an 8” x 8” embroidery hoop.

1) Hoop stabilizer and center pieced block on the embroidery hoop.

Fold quilt block into quarters marking the center of each edge of the block. Using fabric glue or spray adhesive, secure and center quilt block to stabilizer by matching the centering marks on the embroidery hoop to the center of each edge of the quilt block. I like to do this by folding the quilt block in half and centering on the mid and top marks on the hoop and then folding the block open and centering the lower mark on the hoop.

2) Complete the machine embroidery following the instructions in the machine embroidery set.

Included in the embroidery set are the instructions for cutting the applique shapes as well as all of the steps and color changes for stitching each design. NOTE: These instructions have been recently updated, so if you purchased this previously from AccuQuilt, just log in to your account and re-download the embroidery set and the updated instructions will be included in the download.

Step 3: Assemble the quilt blocks and sashing and borders to complete the quilt top.

When all of the blocks have been embroidered, arrange them in a manner that is pleasing to you.

1) Stitch the vertical sashing between the blocks to create four rows.

2) Stitch the horizontal sashing between the rows.

3) Add the vertical border to the left and right sides.

4) Add the horizontal borders to the top and bottom.

Quilt, Bind, and Enjoy your Christmas Quilt:

Layer the quilt top with backing and batting and quilt as desired. On this quilt, I used open lines around the outer edges of the blocks and stippled more closely around the center of the appliqué. My goal was to make the appliqué be the primary focus of the quilt and for the quilting to serve as simply a functional enhancement for the quilt.

by Marjorie Busby, http://bluefeatherquiltstudio.com/blog