There’s just something magical about a woodland Christmas. And the Balsam Gnomes quilt brings that feeling right into your home!
This whimsical quilt features a playful collection of scrappy gnomes tucked among balsam trees. Made with simple piecing techniques and a little bit of applique, this beginner-friendly quilt pattern is a fun project for quilters who love traditional Christmas colors, scrappy fabrics, and a little bit of Northwoods charm.
The finished quilt measures 56″ x 72″, making it a wonderful size for snuggling under, displaying on a quilt ladder, draping over a couch, or adding a cozy touch to a guest room.
Here is a video of the Balsam Gnomes quilt reveal!
Ready to make your own Balsam Gnomes Quilt?
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Purchase a printable, instant download PDF of the Balsam Gnomes Quilt Pattern here!
Meet the Balsam Gnomes
These little woodland gnomes are the stars of this fun Christmas quilt!
I designed the Balsam Gnomes Quilt with a scrappy look in mind, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to dig into your fabric stash and combine a variety of favorite prints.
The gnomes are made with red prints, white beards, and peach-colored noses, while the balsam trees use a mix of green prints and brown fabrics for the trunks. A collection of buttery cream prints creates the background and gives all those colorful little gnomes and trees room to shine.
And remember there are no rules when it comes to choosing your fabrics!
You could make your gnomes traditionally Christmas-y with reds and greens, or have fun creating your own color story.
Balsam Gnomes Quilt Details
Finished Size: 56″ x 72″
Skill Level: Beginner Friendly
Pattern Type: Quilt
Techniques: Rotary cutting, machine piecing, simple applique, machine quilting and binding
The Balsam Gnomes Quilt is designed with beginning quilters in mind. The individual blocks may look a little intimidating at first because of the triangle shapes, but the construction is approachable and broken into manageable steps in the pattern.
The result is a cheerful quilt with plenty of personality!
Fabric Inspiration for Balsam Gnomes
For my original quilt, I used a combination of scrappy prints to create a cozy, traditional Christmas palette.
Red Fabrics
Use a variety of red prints for the gnome hats and bodies. A scrappy combination of several prints gives the quilt extra personality.
Green Fabrics
Mix several green prints to create the balsam trees. This is another great place to use scraps from your stash.
Cream Fabrics
Cream prints create the background and help the colorful gnomes and trees stand out.
White Fabric
White fabric is used for the gnome beards.
Peach Fabric
A small amount of peach fabric creates the adorable gnome noses.
Brown Fabric
Brown fabric is used for the tree trunks and binding.
The fun part? You don’t have to copy my colors!
Imagine blue and aqua gnomes with snowy white trees, pink and green gnomes for a whimsical twist, or a collection of vintage-inspired fabrics for a more muted Christmas look.
A Scrappy Quilt That’s Full of Personality
One of my favorite things about the Balsam Gnomes Quilt is that every gnome can have its own personality.
Using a variety of fabrics keeps the quilt from looking too uniform and gives you the freedom to make each little gnome unique.
This is the perfect project for quilters who love to mix fabrics and don’t mind if every piece isn’t perfectly matched.
In fact, the scrappier, the better!
Making the Gnome Blocks
The gnome blocks combine simple piecing with a small amount of applique for the noses.
The applique doesn’t need to be perfect. In fact, I love stitching around the noses a few times with a slightly longer stitch length. A little bit of wonkiness adds charm and makes every gnome look a little different.
The complete pattern includes the cutting directions, templates, block instructions, and detailed construction information you need to make the gnome blocks.
Want to make your own?
Making the Balsam Tree Blocks
The balsam trees are made using simple piecing techniques and a variety of green fabrics.
Mixing different shades and prints of green gives the trees a wonderfully scrappy Northwoods look.
The tree trunks add a little bit of brown throughout the quilt and help connect the gnome and tree blocks visually.
The complete printable pattern includes all of the cutting and construction information needed to make the blocks and assemble the quilt.
From Blocks to Quilt
Once the individual gnome and balsam tree blocks are complete, they are arranged into six rows to create the finished quilt.
I love watching this quilt come together because the little characters begin to appear as the blocks are arranged.
Tip: A design wall, or even a clean section of floor, makes it much easier to arrange your blocks before sewing the rows together.
The complete pattern includes the quilt layout and step-by-step instructions for assembling the blocks and rows.
Quilting Your Balsam Gnomes Quilt
There are lots of ways to quilt this project!
For my original Balsam Gnomes Quilt, I used a loopy, meandering quilting design that adds to the whimsical personality of the quilt.
You could also:
Use a walking foot and quilt simple straight or wavy lines.
Try free-motion quilting.
Have your quilt professionally long-arm quilted.
Hand quilt the finished quilt.
Use a simple all-over design that lets the gnomes remain the star.
Choose the quilting style that makes you happy!
Finishing Your Quilt
Once your quilt has been quilted, it’s time to add the binding and finish your quilt.
The Balsam Gnomes Quilt is finished with a traditional binding that is machine stitched to the front and hand stitched to the back.
And don’t forget to add a quilt label!
A handmade quilt is even more special when you can record who made it, when it was finished, and perhaps a little note about why you made it.
Make It Your Own
The Balsam Gnomes Quilt doesn’t have to be a Christmas quilt!
Although the original red, green, cream, and brown color palette gives it a traditional holiday feeling, you can completely change the personality of the quilt with your fabric choices.
Try:
Traditional Christmas
Red, green, cream and brown
Winter Woodland
Forest green, icy blue, cream and gray
Vintage Christmas
Muted reds, sage greens, dusty blues and warm creams
Whimsical
Pink, aqua, yellow and mint
Scrappy Stash Quilt
A little bit of everything!
There are no rules. Let your scraps play!
Love Gnomes? Make the Whole Collection!
The Balsam Gnomes Quilt is part of my whimsical Gnomes Collection, featuring fun projects inspired by woodland gnomes and the Northwoods.
If you love these little guys, be sure to check out the other LAKEGIRLQUILTS gnome patterns!
Get the Balsam Gnomes Quilt Pattern
Ready to make your own little forest full of gnomes?
The Balsam Gnomes Quilt Pattern includes the complete printable instructions, cutting information, templates, block construction, quilt assembly and finishing directions you need to make this 56″ x 72″ quilt.
Available as an instant-download PDF in the LAKEGIRLQUILTS Etsy shop.
More LAKEGIRLQUILTS Patterns
Looking for more beginner-friendly quilt patterns with a scrappy, whimsical feel?
Visit the LAKEGIRLQUILTS Etsy Shop!
Check out other patterns on the blog!
Happy quilting!
Bonnie
I would just like to say that this is the clear and concise explanation for making and attaching binding to a quilt! This was very valuable to me on its own, let alone the cute quilt pattern!
Thank you Bonnie!
You’re welcome! Binding a quilt can seem intimidating but it’s really quite easy when you break it down and have good directions to follow!! I hope you make the quilt pattern and enjoy it =)
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