Balsam Gnomes Quilt Pattern

balsam gnomes quilt

This adorable Balsam Gnomes quilt pattern is an easy pattern for even a beginning quilter.  

Measuring 56” x 72” this quilt is the perfect size to snuggle under! 

This fun quilt is so charming draped on the back of your couch, the end of your bed, or hanging on a ladder or wall in your home!! 

You’ll be smitten with it!

Here is a quick video of the Balsam Gnomes quilt reveal!

General Sewing Directions for the Balsam Gnomes Quilt Pattern

The directions for this quilt are for rotary cutting, machine piecing, machine quilting, and the binding is hand-stitched to the quilt back.

Accurate cutting and sewing enhances your final product.  Pin your pieces together before sewing them to ensure proper seam alignment.

Sew fabric pieces with right sides together, unless otherwise stated.  Use a ¼” seam allowance.  I recommend using a special presser foot with a ¼” guide if you have one for your machine.  This will help you get uniform seams.

Follow the directions described below as you press open the seams.  Each row is pressed in the opposite direction of the previous row to help eliminate bulk and allow seams to lay flat. 

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You can purchase a printable, ad-free PDF of the Balsam Gnomes Quilt Pattern on my Etsy shop!

Fabric Requirements for the Balsam Gnomes Quilt Pattern

The gnomes are created using a variety of red prints, along with white fabric for the beard and peach fabric for the nose. 

The balsam trees are created using a variety of green prints, along with a little brown for the trunk. 

For the background I used a variety of buttery cream prints to show off the gnomes and the balsam trees. 

I used brown fabric for the binding strip. 

Have fun choosing your color palette, and remember…there are no rules!! 

Red Fabric: 

The total fabric needed is about 1 yard.  However, to achieve the scrappy look of this quilt I suggest using a few different prints.  Either raid your stash, or purchase a few new fat quarters. 

White Fabric: 

The total fabric needed is about ⅝ yard. 

Peach Fabric: 

The total fabric needed is about ⅛ yard (or an 8” x 18” piece). 

Green Fabric: 

You’ll need a total of about 1 yard.  Use a few different prints.

Brown Fabric: 

The total fabric needed is about ⅝ yard. I used a variety of browns for my tree trunks, and I used a brown fabric with green pine boughs and red berries for the binding. This fabric is from Holly Taylor’s Winter Manor Collection for Moda.

Cream Fabric: 

The total fabric needed is about 2 ½ yards.  Use a few different prints. 

Backing Fabric: 

You’ll need 2 yards of 108” wide fabric or 4 yards of 42” wide fabric. I used a fun red and white plaid for my quilt! It came from JoAnn’s Fabric.

Batting: 

You’ll need a twin size (72” x 90”) thin cotton batting (like Warm & Natural) to make this quilt.

warm and natural batting logo

Fusible Web (like Wonder-Under): 

You’ll need an 8” x 18” piece                     

Cutting Directions

For some of the pattern pieces you’ll need to use a template. Click below to download the pattern templates.

Here are the directions for printing the templates!

Use your favorite rotary cutter to cut out the following pieces:

Red Fabric: 

Cut 24 – 6 ½” x 8” rectangles* and Cut 24 – 2 ½” x 7 ½” strips  

White Fabric: 

Cut 24 – 4 ½” x 8” rectangles*

*Sew 1 large red rectangle to 1 white rectangle along the 8” side to make an 8” x 10 ½” rectangle, press seam toward red.  Repeat for all 24. 

red and white unit to cut triangles from

Cut 24 triangles from this red/white unit using Template A.  Follow the placement directions on the bottom of the template. 

Peach Fabric: 

Cut 1 – 4” x 42” strip or cut 1 – 8” x 18” rectangle**

Fusible Web: 

Cut 2 – 4” x 18” strips or cut 1 – 8” x 18” rectangle**

**Iron fusible web to the back side of the peach fabric, paper side facing up.  When cooled, carefully peel off paper backing.  Then use a scissors to cut 24 oval noses from the peach fabric using Template D.  You can trace the noses with a pencil first before cutting them out if you’d like to, but it doesn’t matter if they’re not exact!

Brown Fabric: 

Cut 24 – 1 ½” x 2 ½” strips

Cream Fabric: 

Cut 48 – 2 ½” x 3 ½” strips and Cut 48 triangles using Template B and Cut 48 triangles using Template C

Green Fabric:  

Cut 24 triangles from Template A

Binding: 

Cut 7 – 2 ½” x 42” strips.

cutting binding strips

Backing: 

If using 108” wide fabric trim to measure 64” x 80”. 

If using 42” wide fabric cut 2 – 2 yard pieces.  Trim the salvage edges and sew them together along the 2 yard side using a ½” seam to make a 72” x 80” backing piece.  Trim to measure 64” x 80”, with the seam running horizonal along the middle of the backing. 

This 64” x 80” size allows the backing to extend 4” beyond all edges of the quilt top.

Batting: 

Trim to same 64” x 80” size as the backing piece.

Sew the Blocks

It’s so fun to sew these blocks together!!!

Gnome Block: 

Sew a cream triangle cut from Template B to the left side of the red/white gnome triangle.  Press seam toward cream triangle.

Sew a cream triangle cut from Template C to the right side of the red/white gnome unit.  Press seam toward cream triangle. 

This unit should measure 7 ½” x 10 ½”, carefully trim if needed so red/white triangle is still centered vertically in the block.

Place the peach oval nose cut from Template D on the face of the gnome.  I like the nose to be mostly on the white with a little of the nose sticking above onto the red.  Press to set nose in place via directions for the fusible web.  Then carefully stitch ⅛” or so around the edge of the nose, 2-3 times around. 

Use a wider length of stitch than normally used.  It’s ok if the stitching overlaps and looks a little messy, that adds to the charm of this gnome block and makes each one unique! 

Who knew applique was so simple?!?!

Sew the 2 ½” x 7 ½” red strip to the bottom of the white gnome beard to represent the start of the body.  Press seam downward toward the red strip.

Unfinished block should measure 7 ½” x 12 ½”, trim if needed.  Repeat for all 24 gnome blocks.

Balsam Block: 

Sew a cream triangle from Template B to the left side of the green triangle.  Press seam toward cream triangle.  Sew a cream triangle from Template C to the right side of the green triangle unit.  Press seam toward cream triangle.  This unit should measure 7 ½” x 10 ½”, carefully trim if needed.

Sew a 2 ½” x 3 ½” cream strip to each side of the 1 ½” x 2 ½” brown strip, sewing along the 2 ½” sides.  Press seams toward brown center.

Sew this cream/brown unit to the bottom of the green triangle.  Press seam upward toward the green/cream unit.

Unfinished block should measure 7 ½” x 12 ½”, carefully trim if needed so green triangle is still centered vertically in the block.  Repeat for all 24 balsam blocks.

Sewing the Rows

Now that you have the blocks sewn, pressed, and trimmed it’s time to sew them together into rows!

On your design wall or floor lay out all of the blocks for each row.  Arrange the blocks of each row according to the diagram shown here.

Starting with ROW 1 pin the first and second blocks right sides together.  Make sure to line up the seams of the cream/brown trunk strip and the red body strip.  Place a pin where the seams align, and place a few pins along the edge to hold the blocks in place.  Stitch the blocks together using a ¼” seam, removing pins as you come to them. 

Repeat until you have all of the blocks sewn to each other for each of ROWS 1 – 6.  As I sew a ROW I lay it back down in order, or label it with a piece of paper pinned to the row so I don’t mess up the order of the ROWS.

Pressing the Rows

Press the seams of ROWS 1, 3, and 5 to the right.  Press the seams of ROWS 2, 4, and 6 to the left.  By using this rotating direction of pressed seams, you will have nicely nested seams and less bulk when you sew the ROWS to each other.  This method of pressing distributes the bulk, which will make you happy when machine quilting your project!  Bulky seams can lead to bumpy quilting patterns, broken thread, and overall unevenness of your quilt top.

Pin ROW 1 to ROW 2, pinning in all nested seams in place.  Sew ROWS 1 and 2 together, removing pins as you come to them.  Repeat until all ROWS are sewn to each other, in order, and the quilt top is completed!

Press the seams connecting each of the ROWS upward toward ROW 1.

Layering the Top, Batting, and Back

I refer to layering the quilt as “sandwiching”.  You need to sandwich the top and back with the batting in the middle.   

Tape the Backing Down

On a hard surface floor, or with two large tables pushed together, use painter’s tape to tape down the backing fabric.  As you tape the back down you’ll want to make sure the fabric is smooth, without wrinkles.  Also, make sure the right side of the fabric is facing down! 

Add the Batting

Lay the batting on top of the taped-down quilt back, and move your hands across it to smooth it all over.  This will get rid of any wrinkles in the batting, and help to adhere it to the backing fabric. 

Place the Quilt Top

Once you have the batting placed on top of the quilt back, center the quilt top over the two bottom layers.  Right side facing up, of course!  The two bottom layers of the quilt (the back and the batting) should extend about 4” all around the outside edges of the quilt top.

Move your hands across the quilt top to smooth it all over, and help remove any wrinkles.  This will also help adhere the quilt top to the batting a little bit. 

Baste the Layers

You can either spray baste your quilt layers or pin them together 1 ½” stainless pins.  If pinning place pins around the entire quilt every 4-5 inches so the three layers don’t move around when you’re machine quilting this project.  Again, make sure all wrinkles are smoothed out.  Adjust basting if needed. 

“Quilting” the Quilt

Use whatever free-motion stitch you’d like. You’ll need a darning foot to free-motion quilt on your domestic sewing machine, and you’ll need to either be able to lower the feed dogs on the machine or place a special cover over them. 

If you’re using a straight stitch to machine quilt you’ll need a walking foot to allow the layers to move smoothly through the sewing machine without bunching up.  You could also hand-tie the quilt to secure the layers together.

I used a loopy meandering quilting design, doesn’t it look whimsical?

Binding the Quilt

When you’ve finished securing the layers together, it’s time to bind your quilt! 

How to Prepare the Quilt Binding

Fold each of the cut binding strips in half end to end.  Use the 45° line on your plastic ruler to trim the ends at a 45° angle. 

trimming ends of binding strip

When you open the strips the angles on the ends will be facing in opposite directions.

trimmed ends of binding strip

Place the ends of two strips perpendicular, right sides together, and sew ¼” seam. 

Repeat to join all strips into one long binding strip.  Press in half lengthwise, right sides facing out.

How to Sew the Binding to the Quilt

Begin to sew the raw edge of the binding to the quilt by pinning it along one side.  Be careful to sew the raw edge of the binding strip to the quilt, not the folded edge!

I usually start sewing the binding strip in the middle of the quilt side that I’m starting with.  Start sewing about 12” in from the end of the binding strip, leaving a hanging “tail” on the binding.  You’ll sew this to the other end of the binding strip when you finish sewing all along the sides of the quilt.

Stop sewing on the first side ¼” from the corner, use a pin to mark this location and sew right up to it.  Backstitch a bit, and cut your thread but DON’T cut the binding strip.

How to Sew the Mitered Corner

Now, remove the quilt and binding strip from your machine and fold the binding strip straight up so it’s perpendicular from the side you were just sewing on. 

Fold the binding strip back down on itself and match it to the edge of the quilt you just sewed it to, and the next edge of the quilt you’re about to sew it to.  Pin this fold in place, and pin the binding strip to this edge of the quilt and continue to sew it, again stopping ¼” from the next corner and repeating the folding process described above. 

Continue in this manner until you are on the last side of the quilt, the side you started on. 

How to Connect the Ends of the Binding

Stop stitching about 14” – 16” from where you started.  Backstitch and cut the thread (but not the binding strip, not yet!), remove the quilt and binding strip from the machine.

You now have two “tails” of the binding strip, tail #1 from where you started stitching it to the quilt and tail #2 from where you ended.  You’ll need to join these tails together so that you have a continuous binding strip to finish sewing down to the quilt.  Follow the steps below to join the tails!  

STEP 1

Lay tail #1 of the binding strip along the unsewn edge of the quilt.  Trim it at a 90° angle about half way between this unsewn edge.   

STEP 2

 Lay tail #2 of the binding strip over tail #1 along the unsewn edge of the quilt.  Measure 2 ½” beyond the trimmed straight edge of tail #1.  Mark this 2 ½” measurement with a pin or pencil, and trim the tail #2 at a 90° angle also.  The two trimmed binding strip tails should overlap by 2 ½”.

STEP 3

Unfold the two tails so they lay flat. Pin the two tails together perpendicular to each other (right sides together).  Use a fine pencil to draw a diagonal line from the corner of tail #2 to the opposite side, as shown here. 

Sew along the drawn diagonal line.  Trim the outside corner ¼” from the seam and finger press the seam open.  Fold binding strip in half again.  The continuous binding strip should now lay flat along the unsewn edge of the quilt.  Finish sewing the binding strip to the quilt.

Trim the Batting and Back

Trim the batting and quilt back to ¼” from the edge of the quilt top.  I use a ruler and a rotary cutter to accomplish this task.  Work carefully, so you don’t cut into your quilted project!

Hand-Stitch the Folded Binding Edge to the Quilt Back

Here is my FAVORITE part of the process!  Hand-stitch the folded edge of the binding strip to the back of the quilt.  When you get to the corner, carefully turn the corner right-side out to make a nice, mitered corner.  I tack a few stitches up the corner to hold it in place, and then continue stitching along all sides and corners until…

VOILA!  Your quilt is complete!  Make sure to add a label to the back!!

This Balsam Gnomes quilt looks so cute along with the Balsam Gnomes table runner!!! They both make great gifts or decor for your home!

Happy quilting!!!

Bonnie

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4 Comments

  1. 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!

    1. 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 =)

  2. […] out the Balsam Gnomes Table Runner and the Balsam Gnomes Quilt to see the other […]

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