Easy Jolly Bar Sixteen Patch Quilt Tutorial

It’s Grandma Jane here and I am excited to be helping The Cottage Mama in the Jolly Bar Blog Hop over at the Fat Quarter Shop. They recently launched their very own precut called the Jolly Bar. It is a 5”x 10”precut fabric collection exclusive to the Fat Quarter Shop! Each Jolly Bar also comes with an exclusive super easy pattern. And today I’ll be sharing an Easy Jolly Bar Sixteen Patch Quilt Tutorial with you all!

The Fat Quarter Shop asked us to sew along with our OWN original pattern design using one of the four different Moda collections being launched this month. I fell in love with Fresh Air by American Jane, a 1930’s reproduction line, and immediately thought of show-casing the little prints in a traditional sixteen patch design.

Easy Jolly Bar Sixteen Patch Quilt Tutorial

Quilt Fabric Requirements:

Finished size 39 ½” x 39 ½”

• (32) Jolly Bar precut pieces
• ¾ yard sashing and border fabric
• ½ yard binding fabric
• 1 ¼ yard backing fabric
• 44” x 44” square of batting
Here are the directions for a really easy way to use the Jolly Bar for making a sixteen patch. For the best results, sew with a scant ¼ inch seam, measure carefully and press seams open as you go!

1. Select two contrasting Jolly Bar pieces for each sixteen patch block. I used 32 pieces or 16 pairs for this little quilt. (A Jolly Bar has 42 pieces so you could make up to 20 sixteen patch blocks for a larger quilt.)

2. Place two contrasting Jolly Bar pieces right sides together (RST) and pin long sides. Stitch ¼ inch along each of the long sides.

3. Carefully measure in 2 ½ inches from the long stitched edge of the fabric (place 2 ¼ inch ruler line along the stitched seam) and cut the Jolly Bar pair in half lengthwise. I use blue painter’s tape to mark my rulers if I have lots of cutting to do as a little reminder where to place my edges.

4. Press the seams open.

5. Place these same two pieces RST but match up the opposite fabrics as shown in picture. Pin carefully and match up center seams and short sides. Stitch ¼ inch along each of the short sides.

6. Carefully measure in 5 inches from the short edge of the fabric and MARK this line with a fabric pen or pencil. (Do not cut yet!) Match and pin the center seams together.

7. Stitch ¼ inch away from the marked line on both sides.

8. CUT on the marked line you made with the fabric pen. You now have two 5” x 5”pieces with two of the edges sewn together.

9. Carefully measure in 2 ½ inches from the stitched edge of the fabric (place 2 ¼ inch ruler line along the stitched seam) and cut in half. Repeat for the other piece.

10. Press seams open. You now have (4) cute little matching four patches that you can sew together in a checkerboard pattern to create your sixteen patch. Each four patch should measure 4 ½ inches square. Pin and match the seams of the four patches carefully as you sew. The sixteen patch block should measure 8 ½ inches square.

11. Repeat for the other 15 fabric pairs to make 16 blocks. Arrange the blocks in a four by four grid on a design wall or table for good color placement.

12. Vertical Sashing: Cut (3) strips 2”x WOF (Width of Fabric). Sub cut into (12) 2” x 8 ½ inch sashing strips. Stitch one sashing piece to the right sides of the first three of blocks in each row. Sew blocks together in 4 rows.

13. Horizontal Sashing: Cut (3) strips 2” x WOF. Cut each into a 36 ½ inch strip. Stitch one to the bottom of the first three rows of blocks. Sew rows together.

14. Borders: Cut (4) strips 2” x WOF. Cut 2 into 36 ½ inch strips for the side borders. Cut 2 into 39 ½ strips for the top and bottom borders. Attach the side borders first and then the top and bottom.

15. Layer the quilt top, batting, and back. Quilt and bind as desired.

Hope you enjoy my method for quick and easy sixteen patches with the versatile Jolly Bar precut!

P.S. This little quilt would also make a great table topper! I am off to mail this to Lindsay’s sweet Josephine as it will be perfect to keep her warm and toasty in her car seat during the cold winter up north!

—Grandma Jane XXOO