It’s that special time of the year when we gather with our loved ones and shower them with goodies 😊 Hopefully, handmade goodies – ha! And just in time to help with the latter is the return of the Quiltmas Spectacular.
This year, I’m super excited to reveal the Merry Midnight quilt block pattern. There are a few steps to bring this one to quilty life, but nothing too complex, and it’s sure to lead to some classic Christmas results.
Let me tell you a little bit about how this quilt block came to be and what quilt technique you’ll be mastering by the end of making it.
Today I’m covering:
- What is the Quiltmas Spectacular
- How to Participate in the Quiltmas Spectacular
- Inspiration Behind the Merry Midnight Quilt Block
- Quilt Techniques Featured in the Merry Midnight Quilt Block
- Tips for Piecing Quarter Circles
- Materials Needed to Make the Merry Midnight Quilt Block
- Merry Midnight Quilt Block Design Ideas
This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.
What is the Quiltmas Spectacular
If you haven’t heard of the Quiltmas Spectacular before, then you’re in for a treat. It’s an annual event (although we did skip last year 😉), where 12 modern quilt pattern designers come together to celebrate the magic of the holiday season by offering a new modern quilt block pattern every day for the first twelve days of Christmas.
Take a trip down Quiltmas Spectacular quilty lane with the following quilt block patterns:
How to Participate in the Quiltmas Spectacular
The only way to participate and receive the 12 quilt block patterns is by purchasing your pattern bundle here. Quiltmas Spectacular 2025 is over. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you’re the first to hear of future releases!
Hurry, the Quiltmas Elves will be closing the doors to the Quiltmas Spectacular pattern bundle on December 31, 2025.
Inspiration Behind the Merry Midnight Quilt Block
This year, instead of just focusing on Christmas Day, I thought ahead to the end of the holiday season and the start of the New Year. Specifically, I was inspired by one of my favourite activities of my childhood – watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve celebration and the ball drop at midnight.
The shiny, sparkly ball seemed so glamorous and exciting when I was a kid. Such a fun way to kick off the New Year.
So, I decided to capture those feelings in quilt block format 😉
Quilt Technique Featured in the Merry Midnight Quilt Block
To add detail and dimension to the quilt block design and to make it a fun piecing adventure, I incorporated several quilting techniques.
Half Square Triangles
First up are some half-square triangles. You know my love for this cute base block; it is where my quilting adventures started after all 😊 (Read more about My First Quilt – a Study in HST) Suffice to say, I love sneaking these cuties in whenever I can!
The pattern calls for making HST using the 4-at-a-time method. This couldn’t be a simpler or more effective way of making several half-square triangles at once. You can refer to this step-by-step tutorial for a deeper understanding of how to use this piecing technique.
Patchwork
One of the most basic quilting techniques out there is simple patchwork. This is usually where most quilters get started on their quilting adventures, but I kinda skipped right over this basic and went straight to HST making.
What’s great about patchwork is that it helps you understand the basics of piecing. You get to learn how to cut accurately and how to piece using a consistent ¼” seam allowance (or scant ¼” SA as I prefer to use – learn how here). The other thing I love about patchwork is that it’s the perfect scrap buster. All those trimmings can be cut down into smaller squares and stored until you’re ready to create 4, 6, 9, or 16 patch quilt blocks, Irish chain quilts, and so many other fun designs just waiting for you to feature those squares in.
For the Merry Midnight quilt block, you’ll be piecing your squares into simple 4-patch blocks.
The fun is coming up with different colour combos 😊
Quarter Circles (aka Drunkard’s Path)
Before you get nervous about seeing quarter circles in the quilt block design, I want to point out that piecing curves together isn’t difficult; it just requires a little patience and understanding of the technique.
Tips for Piecing Quarter Circles (aka Drunkard’s Path)
And there are a few, including:
- Cutting accurately – obvious, I know, but it really does go a long way in helping things come together. Acrylic rulers help!
- Pin – but pin strategically! You want to pin from the center, then the ends, then in between. This approach will keep your pieces lining up and will help you avoid pulling your fabric into place.
- Place don’t pull – handling your fabric pieces is key to preventing them from stretching out on you. There are a lot of bias edges that you’re working with, and the minute you start pulling or tugging on your fabric, it’s definitely going to stretch out on you. So, place, don’t pull 😊
- Press don’t iron – this is a tip that generally applies to all patchwork piecing, but even more so whenever you’re working with bias edges (think angles and curves). What’s the difference between the two? Ironing is the act of moving the iron back and forth, while pressing involves lifting and placing your iron. The latter pulls less on your fabric, which keeps the integrity of the block shape.
- Bonus – use a wool pressing mat – not a requirement, but it definitely helps! The wool mat keeps your fabric from moving around, which helps increase your block’s accuracy. You can read more about why I love them here. I loved mine so much, I even upgraded to a larger size.
All these small steps/tips add up to help you achieve quilty success!
Materials Needed to Make the Merry Midnight Quilt Block
I always get asked what materials and notions I use, so here’s a round-up of everything I pulled out to make the Merry Midnight quilt block:
- Merry Midnight Quilt Block Pattern –
available exclusively as part of the Quiltmas Spectacular pattern bundle here(offer expired EOD December 31, 2025!) - Merry Midnight Templates – included in the Merry Midnight quilt pattern.
- Fabrics – you can absolutely use fabric scraps, but I opted for several AGF Pure Solids in:
- Sewing machine
- Sewing machine needle
- 50wt Aurifil Thread for piecing
- Rotary cutter
- Cutting mat
- Ruler
- Iron
- Wool pressing mat – Use code SHANNONFRASER15 to save 15% on your small, medium or large wool pressing mat at The Felt Store Canada or The Felt Store USA. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts.
- Tailor’s Clapper (optional, but super helpful)
- Fine Mist Spray Bottle
- Seam Ripper (mistakes happen!)
- Marking tool
- Pins
- Pin cushion
You can find most of my favourite notions here.
Merry Midnight Quilt Block Design Ideas
There are quite a few ways that you can feature the Merry Midnight quilt block in your quilting adventures.
Quilt
The most obvious is to make a quilt! Whether you feature the other Quiltmas Spectacular quilt blocks (from this year or years past), it’s sure to make for a fun holiday-themed quilt.
But you can also do a deep dive and stitch up several, or 25 blocks, to create a generous throw-sized quilt measuring 60”x60”.
I mocked one up featuring a scrappy but coordinated look to get your ideas flowing.
Quilted Table Runner
The holidays are the key entertaining season of the year, and that means tablescapes are top of mind. To help you set a festive mood for your Christmas dinner or New Year’s brunch, you could feature 4 or 5 Merry Midnights blocks to create a unique table runner.
I love layering quilted table runners over a tablecloth for added texture and coziness, which you can see in full effect below, featuring the Refracted Star quilted table runner (this is the holiday block I designed for Quiltmas 2022).
Quilted Placemats
If you’ve got a smaller table or need a housewarming gift, then quilted placemats are your quilty ticket!
They’re small enough that they don’t require a ton of time or material to make, and they’re sure to stand out as a unique hostess gift instead of the usual wine (although wine is always welcome – ha!).
Quilted Cushions
This is probably my favourite handmade gift to make, as I know it doesn’t require a ton of space to store, you can customize the colours to the recipient’s décor, and they’re a super fast make, which is always welcome during the craziness that is the holiday season 😉
For more holiday stitching inspiration, check out:
I can’t wait to see your Merry Midnight quilt blocks start popping up on the ‘gram. Be sure to use #MerryMidnightQuilt and #ShannonFraserDesignsPatterns on your post so I can see it too 😊
Happy holiday stitching!
xo
Shannon
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