A Pick Your Own Adventure Winter Woodland Christmas Quilt

Longtime C&T author Mary Hertel has a reputation for creating a world of foundation paper piecing patterns that can be adapted across a wide variety of projects. Now she brings twenty more fabulously fun foundation paper pieced quilt blocks in her new book, Sew a Winter Woodland Christmas, Enjoy creating 20 whimsical woodland holiday motifs with a wintery twist! Mix and match them to make your own foundation paper-pieced adventure. Foundation paper piecing (or FPP) can be intimidating to some quilters, but before you click away, consider giving Mary Hertel’s foundation paper-piecing patterns a try.

What exactly is foundation paper piecing? FPP is a technique that allows you to create unique shapes with your sewing machine that can be easily combined to create almost anything you can imagine. The easiest way to think of foundation paper-piecing is like paint by number with fabric. Fabric A goes to Fabric B, to Fabric C, and so on. What makes Mary’s patterns accessible to beginners or those who have sworn off foundation paper piecing in the past is the intentionality she brings to each design. When designing her blocks, she considers the most efficient way to create a shape without creating tediously small pieces that take up extra precious sewing time or create super bulk seams. Trust us, not only will you thank her while piecing the block, but you’ll really love her when it comes time to quilt your finished project! Not only that, each one of her books contains full-color foundations that make it easier for you to keep track of which piece of fabric you want to use next. This keeps mistakes at a minimum. You won’t confuse part of Santa’s hat for his face if you’re sewing it to the red piece of paper! Check out this tutorial from Mary Hertel over on the C&T Publishing YouTube channel for an in-depth look at her techniques for foundation paper piecing a design featured in one of her previous books.

Mary’s new release, Sew a Winter Woodland Christmas, isn’t your typical Christmas quilt pattern, though she does provide a lovely lap quilt option. In this book, you’ll find a host of nine giftable projects you’ll be more than tempted to keep for yourself! Create a custom stocking to hang on your chimney for the special kitty or doggo in your life.

Gift a wintry apron or table runner to your holiday party hostess. Mary even offers smaller projects like a gift bag or zippy pouch for the beginning foundation paper piecer or those who prefer to let their hard work shine with a simple setting like a throw pillow.

As always, you can grab any of Mary’s previous foundation paper piecing titles to mix and match blocks with projects from previous books and vice versa. Open even more possibilities with her previous holiday title, Sew Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, or add a touch of fantasy to Christmas-themed projects with her book Sew Magical.