festive flannel

Warm up on those cozy nights with this festive flannet quilt. Get perfect triangles by using Freezer Paper templates! This is a simple and inexpensive way to create your own quilt patterns!

Turn this into an upcycled project but sourcing your fabric from thrift stores. Repurpose old shirts pajama pants or flannel sheets into your projects. It is not only a win for the environment but also a way to make your projects more affordable. Toss in some scraps or smaller amouts of purchased fabrics as needed to get the look you want.

Click here to download the instructions which include step-by-step photos and templates.

Supplies • Baby Lock Sewing Machine -Chorus/Ballad • Baby Lock Compact Digital Dual Feed Foot with Standard Sole • Baby Lock Open Toe or N Foot along • Upcycled Flannel Garments (approximately 8-10 piece) • Additional flannel fabrics or scraps can be incorporated into this project. • If purchasing fabric select 10-12 ½ yard pieces or fat quarters of fabric. • 4 ½ yards of 45” flannel for backing and binding. • Cotton batting • Madeira Sewing/Quilting Thread • Reynolds Kitchen ® Freezer Paper • Cut 35- 6” X 18” strips for Freezer Paper Templates • Rotary Cutter Ruler and Mat • For this project you will need a 6” wide ruler with degree markings • Add-a-quarter inch ruler (optional) • Iron and Pressing mat • Scissors Pins and other basic quilting notions • Sharpie marker or pen • Temporary Adhesive Spray or Quilt Safety Pins • Marking pen

Upcycle Fabric Preparation Launder any items you purchased first and then trim away any of the seams collars waistbands pockets or plackets keeping your fabric in as large of pieces as possible. Press the fabric pieces and set-aside. If purchasing other fabrics to incorporate into the project make sure to launder as well to ensure that all fabrics have been preshrunk.

For this project the fabric was cut into squares and rectangles at least 8” X 8”. This is a little bit more wasteful but because working with unusual pieces of fabric it seems to be easier to cut this up. We will end up with some extra pieces but these can be used for some of the ½ triangle sections of the pattern or used for a fun scrappy project in the end.

Creating Freezer Paper Templates Freezer Paper has been used in quilting to crate templates for applique as well as for a method of paper piecing. Freezer Paper is not transparent but does have both a non shiny/matte side and a shiny/waxy side. These work together to help us create a template pattern and stitch our blocks together. Unlike traditional paper piecing using freezer paper technique eliminates the step of removing all the paper from the stitched block. To create the templates we will start with using one of the 6” X 18” strips of freezer paper. Template A: Starting ¼” in from one edge of the paper use the 60 degree marking on your ruler the matt side of the paper to draw lines. Template B: In order to align these sections together we need to create another template with the lines drawn in the opposite direction. Draw another set of lines on a piece NOTE: No seam allowance was added to the top or bottom of these templates. When we trim up the blocks we will cut ¼” away from the edges of the freezer paper.

Now that we have our two main templates drawn we need to transfer that onto the remaining strips of freezer paper. You have two options to complete this:

1. Repeat the process above with marking and drawing lines on all the strips. Make sure create half Template A and half Template B.
2. Layer several sheets of the Freezer paper together. Place and pin the drawn template on top of the stack and pin together. Do your best to keep these sheets lined up together to get consistent templates. a. Place the open toe or N foot on your machine. b. If your machine has a low-bobbin indicator turn this feature off in the settings. c. Unthread the machine. Stitch accurately along the drawn lines allowing the needle to perforate the layers of the freezer paper. d. Mark the template A or B and continue making sure you create half Template A and half Template B. e. If new to FPP you can also mark the sections of your template 1-6 starting from one end to the other.

Basic Overview of Freezer Paper Piecing Process When working with Freezer Paper piecing you will press the Freezer Paper template to the wrong side of the fabric. As mentioned above we are working with roughly 8” squares but don’t have to be perfect with our pieces as these will be trimmed as we go!

PRO-TIP #1: SHINY SIDE TO THE WRONG SIDE! To test your pattern make one full strip of triangles all the way through. This will give you a good practice and allow you to do the rest of your blocks assembly style by attaching all the 1 and 2 pieces first and then all the 3 pieces. It was helpful to pull 6 blocks of fabrics for each strip and mix up the fabrics to ensure a scrappy look at the end of the quilt.

PRO-TIP #2: SEW. PRESS TRIM Follow these steps systematically for each step of the strip to ensure accuracy.

1. Place fabric and check sewing line
2. Sew
3. Press
4. Trim (use ¼”seam allowance) Once we have all the blocks sewn we will leave the Freezer Paper attached until we assemble the blocks.

Instructions Piecing the Strips

1. Let’s start with creating a Template A Strip.
2. Select 6 squares of fabric to use for the strip. • Note pay attention to fabrics with a specific direction. Many of these plaids were interchangeable with the right/wrong side of the fabrics but the polka dots and tree fabrics Many of the plaid were intentionally off set to add to the look of the quilt
3. The pieces of the strip have all been marked #1-6 to showcase the stitching sequence. (see downloadable instructions for step out photos)
4. Crease the perforated stitch line between all the sections of the strip. This will help us to fold back the freezer paper one we begin pressing fabrics.
5. Press the wrong side of the #1 fabric to the back shiny side of the freezer paper ensuring that there is at least ¼” of fabric extending beyond the paper edges and the perforated stitch line.
6. Pull back the FP on the #1/2 line and cut a ¼” away from the folded edge of FP.
7. Place the #2 block of fabric right-sides together with the #1 block. Ensure that the #2 fabric will fill the #2 section of the strip. You can generally tell this as you are layering the fabrics if it will fill the section.
8. Trim any excess fabric aligning it with the previous ¼” seam of section #1.
9. Stitch fabrics together using the edge of the fabric as your guide.
10. Note: Using an Open Toe or N Foot is helpful when doing paper piecing. The Standard J Foot also works well.
11. Once stitched press the section #2 towards the shiny side of the FP template.
12. Pull back the FP on the #2/3 line and cut a ¼” away from the folded edge of the FP.
13. Place the #3 block of fabric right-sides together with the #2 block. Ensure that the #3 fabric will fill the #3 section of the strip. You can generally tell this as you are layering the fabrics if it will fill the section.
14. Trim any excess fabric aligning it with the previous ¼” seam of section #2.
15. Stitch fabrics together using the edge of the fabric as your guide.
16. Continue to process for the remaining sections. Pay attention to what is the bottom line of your blocks for those fabrics that have direction to them like the Christmas Tree Print.
17. Keep this flow in mind as you piece the blocks: • Place fabric and check sewing line • Sew • Press • Trim (use ¼”seam allowance
18. Remember to pay attention to the orientation of the fabrics as you are piecing.
19. Once all 6 sections are sewn and pressed trim a ¼” around the edge of the FP. This will be your seam allowance for the blocks.
20. Repeat this process for all the remaining blocks. Half Template A and half Template B.
21. Keep your scraps as oftentimes excess pieces can be used for the smaller ½ triangle sections.

Piecing the Top Quilt

1. This quilt used 33 strip sections: 11 rows containing three completed pieced strips. The rows were offset using Template A/B/A and B/A/B. This allowed for a pieced triangle in between each strip.
2. With all the strips completed lay out your quilt as desired. Note: Take a picture to review the strips and adjust as desired. This is also a good trick to help remember your row order. This quilt can be very busy so having a reference to go back to is nice.
3. Sew the three strips together to create a long row using a ¼” seam allowance. This can be done leaving the FP still on the sections.
4. Then attach each row together nesting the seams together. Remove an of the FP from the strip sections at this time.
5. Press along the way as you add rows to the quilt.

Quilting the Top

1. Once the quilt top is all assembled and pressed we are ready to quilt.
2. Cut the backing fabric in half and piece together.
3. Layer the backing batting and quilt top together.
4. Pin or Spray baste the layers together.
5. If you machine has a Basting Stitch like the Chorus/Ballad you can also baste the quilt layers together.
6. Quilt as designer using Stitch-in-the-Ditch Free Motion Quilting or Straight Matchstick Quilting using the Compact Digital Dual Feed foot.
7. This quilt was quilted using the Compact Digital Dual Feed foot and the Quilt bar. The Guideline Marker on the Chorus could also be used to help create rows of Straight Matchstick Quilting.
8. Once quilted square up the quilt trimming off excess backing and batting.
9. Cut 2.5” strips of fabric from the excess backing.
10. Miter the strips together and press in half to create the binding.
11. Attach the binding to the back side the quilt press towards the front and finish using the Serpentine stitch or bind the quilt as desired.

Bonus Plaid Garland! Since this is an upcycled project it still felt wasteful to have all the extra pieces of flannel. These could be used in a variety of ways including stuffing for dog beds or pillows or another scrappy project such as the plaid garland. Take a piece of ribbon or robe and just simply knot the extra fabric on. This would be a cute garland for a mantle or could be used as a chew toy for your furry friends!!