Montavilla Sewing Blog

Christmas Gift Quilt Block Tutorial

November 1, 2024

This festive Christmas Gift Quilt Block is perfect for adding a cheerful touch to your holiday decor! Whether you make it a part of a cozy quilt, a wall-hanging, a couch pillow, or a tote bag, it's sure to bring seasonal charm and creativity to your home.

Materials Needed:

Three fat quarters or about 1/4 yard each of:
- White or pastel for the background
- Small Christmas print for the box
- Solid or small print for the bow/ribbon (a vibrant color to stand out)

Tools Required:

Rotary cutter, mat, and 12.5” square ruler
Disappearing fabric marker
Iron and ironing surface

Fabric Cutting Instructions:

Background Fabric (white/pastel):

Cut a 4.5” wide strip about 15” long.
- From this, cut two 4.5” squares, and two 2.5” x 4.5” rectangles.
Cut a strip 8.5” wide about 10” long.
- From this, cut three 2.5” x 8.5” rectangles.

Box Fabric (small print):

Cut two rectangles 3.5” x 6.5”.

Bow and Ribbon Fabric (bright fabric):

Cut a strip 2.5” wide by about 12” long.
- From this, cut two 2.5” squares and one rectangle 2.5” x 6.5”.

Once Everything is cut, it should look like this:

Notes:

Seam Allowance (SA) should be 1/4”, unless otherwise noted.
RST means Right Sides Together.
Machine stitch length should be set to about 2.0.
Press seams after you sew each one. And always press again from the right side of the fabric.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Make the Bow

1.1 Sew Bow Pieces

Place a 2.5” bow fabric square RST on the end of a 2.5” x 4.5” background rectangle. Mark a diagonal sewing line on the bow fabric.
Sew diagonally across the square. Repeat with the other square and rectangle, but sew the diagonal seam so it slants in the opposite direction.

1.2 Press & Trim

Press the SA’s towards the bow fabric, then trim each SA to 1/4”.

1.3 Create Bow V-Shape

Sew the two rectangles together so that the bow fabric forms a "V" in the center.
Press the SA open for less bulk or press to one side if preferred.

1.4 Attach Background Squares

Sew a 4.5” background square to each side of the bow assembly using a scant 1/4" seam.
Press the SA’s outward away from the bow.

2. Make the Box

2.1 Assemble Box Section

Sew a 3.5” x 6.5” box fabric rectangle to each side of the 2.5” x 6.5” ribbon fabric rectangle.
Press SA’s toward the ribbon fabric.

3. Put It All Together

3.1 Attach Bottom Background

Sew one 2.5” x 8.5” background rectangle to the bottom of the box section.
Press SA towards the box.

3.2 Attach Side Background

Sew a 2.5” x 8.5” background rectangle to each side of the box assembly using a scant 1/4" seam.

Press SA’s toward the box.
Finished Box assembly should look like this:

3.3 Connect Bow and Box Assemblies

Sew the bow assembly to the top of the box assembly, ensuring the centers match up. Use a scant 1/4” seam.
Make sure to remove the pin just before you get to it when sewing the seam.
Press SA towards the box.