How to Make the Postcards From Sweden Quilt
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Postcards from Sweden quilt was a free quilt pattern designed by Kelly Liddle of Jeli Quilts. The original quilt pattern was hosted on Craftsy/Bluprint for free but is unfortunately no longer available.
I had this pattern linked in my list of 75+ Free Quilt Patterns for Beginners, and the amount of requests and complaints about this quilt pattern being no longer available is substantial, lol. Luckily the pattern is made of all half-square triangles and is easy to reproduce.
So in today’s post, I’m sharing my interpretation of how to make the quilt.
Postcards from Sweden Quilt
If you want to make an exact replica, you are in luck because Amazon sells a quilt kit with 35 Kona fat quarters plus a bit of yardage for the binding for around $100.
That is actually not a bad deal, as Kona fat quarters can run anywhere from $3.50 to $5 per fat quarter. And with the kit, the colors are already curated and put together, so no wasting time searching and adding fabric to an online cart.
Of course, a quilt kit is not necessary. If you want to make the Postcards From Sweden quilt your own, you can use any combination of fabrics. You could use scraps from other projects or a selection of solids.
To make the quilt, you need 180 half-square triangle blocks. (15 rows of 12.) Depending on the size of the squares you start with, you could have different-sized quilts. As an example:
- 5-inch squares would result in a 48 by 60-inch quilt.
- 6-inch squares equal a 60 by 75-inch quilt.
- 8-inch squares would result in an 84 by 105-inch quilt.
Pin this project for later.
Make it faster
There are a couple of options to speed up the assembly of the Postcards From Sweden quilt.
- You could start with a layer cake (10-inch squares of various colors. (Something like this) and do the 4 at a time half square triangle method. (See a video and tutorial for this method in my chevron quilt pattern.)
This method is the speediest but also gives you the least variety of colored half-square triangle blocks.
For a larger variety, you could cut the layer cake into 5-inch squares, then use the 2-at-time method to make half-square triangle blocks and trim them down to 4.5 inches. (I demonstrate the 2 at a time method in my Heart Table Runner Quilt Pattern.) - Another option is using a charm pack. (This Kona charm pack comes with 101 different-color fabrics. I actually just bought one for myself. It is so pretty!) If you used that Kona charm pack, you would need 2 of them.
Making the half-square triangle blocks
There are 2 options.
1. Shortcut Half-Square Triangle Block Method. You can use the shortcut methods mentioned above with precuts. These methods are the fastest but give you a limited amount of color and size variations. (You are stuck with the 4.5-inch block; if you use the 4-at-a-time method, you get 4 of the same color-combo blocks. Which is not necessarily the worst thing, considering you need 180 blocks.)
2. You can use the half-square triangle method that the original pattern designer used. Which is to cut your squares in a diagonal and then re-sew them together based on the color template, and trim them to size, based on your starting square size. (See the tutorial/image below.) You can use a charm pack for this, but then you’re limited to the 4.5-inch block. You can also use fat quarters or scraps from your stash that you have cut into 5, 6 or 8-inch squares.
sewing the blocks as the designer intended
- Choose your fabrics and cut them into squares. (There is a list of fabrics used in the printable template.)
- Cut squares diagonally into two triangles.
- Sew the triangles together, press, and trim.
- Arrange the finished blocks according to the fabric layout.
Pattern/fabric layout for the Postcards From Sweden Quilt
This is how the half-square triangle blocks are laid out. Access the pdf of the template and fabrics used, below.
Access a pDF version of the pattern layout and suggested fabric list here.
FYI: To be notified about new patterns, tutorials, pattern updates, and fun family recipes, be sure to sign up for my weekly/biweekly newsletter. =>> Here.
More Half Square Triangle Quilt Projects
- Straight As An Arrow Quilt Pattern
- Half-Square Triangle Pillow Pattern
- Sew Festive Christmas Quilt
- Jack-O-Lantern Quilt Pattern
Share Your Finished Project!
If you end up making a version of the Postcards From Sweden Quilt, be sure to share an image to my private Facebook sewing group so we can all see it!
Don't miss any more posts!
