Forty-two Christmas blocks, each charted in two sizes, run from pieced snowflakes, stars, and twinkle lights to one-of-a-kind picture blocks: a gingerbread house, a nativity, Old St. Nick, toy soldiers, a new puppy, a little deer, an ice skate, a mitten, and a fresh-cut tree. Because every block is built to mix and match, including with blocks from Lori Holt's other books, the same set can become a full holiday sampler, a calm two-color quilt, or a single block on a mug mat. The palette runs scrappy and bright in classic reds and greens with aqua and pink mixed in, so the finished quilts read cheerful and nostalgic at once.

What the Book Includes

This listing is for the printed pattern book, not a kit or a finished quilt. Fabric, batting, backing, and notions are not included.

Inside are complete instructions for 42 Christmas blocks, each given in both a 6-inch and a 12-inch finished size, plus seventeen projects. The 207 full-color pages cover cutting and assembly with photos and diagrams throughout, and the book includes the Vintage Christmas Sampler shown on the cover. A semi-concealed spiral binding with a covered spine lets the book lie flat at the machine and on the cutting table.

The Projects

The book includes seventeen projects with full instructions, well beyond a single quilt:

• The Vintage Christmas Sampler, the cover quilt
• Nine more quilts: Bringing Home the Christmas Tree, Warm and Cozy, Christmas Memories, Christmas Eve, Gingerbread Lane, Holiday Express, Deck the Halls, Land of Make Believe, and Christmas Row
• A two-color quilt offered in eight colorways, plus matching two-color pillows
• Smaller makes: a tablerunner, a mug mat, a placemat, a Sno-Globe pillow, and a Happy Holidays pillow

What You'll Need

The blocks are built with conventional patchwork: rotary-cut squares, rectangles, and triangles joined with straight seams. Every block includes cutting for both the 6-inch and 12-inch size, so a single design works at either scale. The smaller blocks are a natural way to use scraps and fat quarters, and the projects scale up with yardage and precuts. The cover samples use Lori Holt's Cozy Christmas collection for Riley Blake Designs, and any scrappy holiday palette works just as well. Full fabric amounts for each project are inside the book. A rotary cutter, mat, and ruler are the core tools.

Perfect For

• Quilters who want a library of Christmas blocks to mix and match, including with Lori Holt's other Farm Girl and Bee books
• Anyone who wants both traditional pieced blocks and holiday picture blocks in two ready-made sizes
• Quilters who like options, from a quick mug mat to a full bed-size sampler
• Holiday gift-makers and anyone building seasonal decor

Why You'll Love This Book

The two-size system is what makes the book worth pulling out every December. Every block is charted at both 6 inches and 12 inches, and the blocks mix and match with each other and with the blocks from Lori Holt's other books, so a single design can be a small accent or the anchor of a whole quilt. A scrappy sampler can combine sizes without recalculating anything, and the picture blocks give the holiday version its character.

The projects reach well past a single quilt. Alongside the cover sampler, the book includes nine more quilts, a two-color quilt in eight colorways, two-color pillows, and a set of smaller makes like a tablerunner, a mug mat, a placemat, and two pillows. That range means there is something for a free evening and something for a longer winter project, which also makes the book a good fit for block exchanges and holiday classes.

The 207 pages are full color throughout, with clear photos and diagrams, and the semi-concealed spiral binding with a covered spine lets the book lie open flat next to the machine. It is the kind of seasonal reference that comes off the shelf year after year, because there is always another block to try or another way to set the ones already made.

Product Details

• Brand: It's Sew Emma
• Item #: ISE-925
• Authors: Lori Holt
• Category: Quilt Pattern Book
• Skill Level: Confident Beginner to Intermediate (conventional patchwork piecing throughout; blocks range from simple pieced designs to more detailed picture blocks)
• Technique: Conventional Patchwork
• Number of Designs: 42 Christmas blocks (each in 6-inch and 12-inch sizes) and 17 projects
• Finished Sizes: Blocks finish at 6 inches and 12 inches; project sizes vary and are listed inside the book
• Pages: 207, full color
• Format: Printed Pattern Book
• Made in the United States