When to Start a Christmas Quilt: Holiday Quilting Timeline
If you’re planning to make a Christmas quilt this year, now is the time to start. A standard throw or larger quilt takes more time than most people think, especially when you still need to quilt, bind and finish it.
I like to work backward from Christmas instead of trying to guess how long the whole project will take. Starting about three months ahead gives you time to choose a pattern, buy your fabric, piece the quilt, get it quilted and finish the binding without rushing.
This Christmas quilt timeline breaks the process down month by month so you know when to start and what needs to be done. I also included a FREE Quilting for the Seasons Calendar PDF you can use for every holiday and seasonal quilts for the entire year. Just download, print and never get behind on your holiday quilting again.
If you’re reading this in August and thinking you are already behind, you are not. July is the ideal month to start planning a Christmas quilt, but August is still a good time to begin. You simply need to choose your pattern and fabric now and keep the project moving.
When Should You Start a Christmas Quilt?
For a standard throw or larger quilt, I recommend giving yourself about three months for the main quilting process, with November as your safety net.
That means:
July: Choose the pattern and fabric
August: Cut and piece the quilt
September: Finish the quilt top and get it quilted
October: Bind and finish the quilt
November: Buffer month
December: Enjoy the finished quilt
This is not a hard rule. A small wall hanging or table runner can be finished much faster, while a large bed quilt or complicated pattern may need considerably more time.
The important thing is to work backward from the date you need the quilt finished.
August Is Still a Good Time to Start a Christmas Quilt
If you are starting your Christmas quilt in August, don’t panic or feel like you’re already behind.
You still have time to make a beautiful quilt for Christmas.
The trick is to be realistic about the project you choose.
A simple throw with larger pieces is going to be much easier to finish than a queen size quilt with hundreds of tiny pieces. If you are also planning to have the quilt professionally quilted, check the quilter’s schedule before you get too far into the project.
For an August start, I would use this schedule:
August: Choose your pattern, buy fabric, cut and start piecing.
September: Finish the quilt top and get it quilted.
October: Finish the binding, add the label and take care of any other finishing details.
November: Keep this month as your backup time.
December: Give the quilt and enjoy the holiday.
You do not need to make the most complicated quilt in the room to give someone a meaningful Christmas gift. A simple patchwork quilt made with fabrics chosen specifically for someone can be just as special.
July: Choose Your Christmas Quilt
If you are planning ahead for next Christmas, July is the month I recommend for choosing your project.
Decide who the quilt is for, what size you want to make and which pattern you want to use.
This is also the time to buy your fabric, backing and batting.
You do not have to use traditional Christmas fabric. Red and green are always popular, but a quilt made with cream, navy, red, green or winter inspired fabrics can feel festive without looking like a Christmas decoration.
July is also a good time to read through the pattern before cutting anything. Make sure you understand the construction and have everything you need.
August: Cut and Piece the Quilt
August is sewing month.
Cut your fabric and start making the blocks.
If your quilt uses strip piecing or repeated blocks, make several units at a time. Breaking the project into smaller jobs makes a large quilt feel much more manageable.
You can make blocks one day, assemble sections another day and work on the quilt top when you have time.
If you are behind schedule, August is the time to catch up.
Do not wait until November to admit that the quilt is taking longer than expected.
September: Finish the Quilt Top
Your goal for September is to have the quilt top finished.
Once all the blocks are together, give the quilt top a good pressing and check your seams and borders.
This is also the time to prepare your backing and batting.
If you are using a longarm quilter, make sure you have already discussed your deadline. Holiday schedules can fill quickly, so this is not something I would leave until November.
If you quilt your own quilts, September gives you time to baste and quilt without rushing.
October: Quilt, Bind and Finish
October is your finishing month.
Get the quilting finished, trim the quilt and make your binding.
Then finish the binding and add your quilt label.
This is the part of quilt making that is easy to overlook when planning a Christmas gift. We think about making the blocks and forget that the quilt still needs to be quilted and bound.
If you want to finish your binding completely by machine, there are several ways to do it. Missouri Star Quilt Company’s guide to binding a quilt by machine is a useful reference.
November: Your Safety Net
November is your buffer month.
If your quilt is finished, you are ahead of schedule.
If something went wrong, you still have time to fix it.
Maybe you ran short of fabric. Maybe your borders need to be redone. Maybe the quilting took longer than expected. Maybe life simply got in the way of your sewing time.
This is exactly why I like having November as a safety net.
You can also wash the quilt if that is part of your normal finishing process, sew on the label and get the quilt wrapped.
December: Enjoy Your Christmas Quilt
December should not be the month when you are trying to finish a large Christmas quilt.
It should be the month when you get to enjoy the quilt you made for yourself or time to decide how to wrap it for a gift.
Of course, sometimes life happens and you end up sewing in December anyway. We have all been there.
But starting early gives you a much better chance of enjoying the holiday instead of spending Christmas Eve trying to finish the binding.
FREE Quilting for the Seasons Calendar
I made a free Quilting for the Seasons Calendar to help you plan your quilts around holidays and special occasions.
It gives you a simple starting point for deciding when to begin a seasonal quilt so you are not trying to figure it out at the last minute.
Print it and keep it in your sewing room, planner or quilt notebook.
Christmas Quilt Ideas and Inspiration
If you still need to choose a project, look for a pattern that matches the amount of time you actually have.
Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter has a wonderful post of Christmas quilt ideas with a variety of styles and sizes. Her collection is a good place to look when you need Christmas quilt inspiration without committing to one particular style.
SewCanShe also has a collection of 25 festive Christmas quilting projects that can give you ideas for everything from smaller projects to larger quilts.
Remember that the simplest quilt can often be the best choice when you are working toward a holiday deadline.
Sew Nikki Quilt Patterns
I have gifted one or more quilts over the last few years to family members. Planning on continuing with this until each family member and close friend has gotten at least one quilt from me.
Two years ago, I gifted 4 quilts to family members that I had made during that year. Most were samples of my quilt pattern designs, they were not made with Christmas themed blocks or with holiday colors. Here are some digital quilt patterns for beginner to intermediate level.
When to Start Quilts for Other Holidays
The same backward planning method works for other holidays and seasons.
If you know the date you want the quilt finished, start by counting backward about three months.
| Finish By | Start Planning | Start Sewing |
|---|---|---|
| Valentine’s Day | November | December |
| Easter | January | February |
| Mother’s Day | February | March |
| Father’s Day | March | April |
| July 4th | April | May |
| Halloween | July | August |
| Thanksgiving | August | September |
| Christmas | July | August |
| Birthday Gift | 3 months before | About 10 weeks before |
For a large or complicated quilt, start earlier. For a small wall hanging, table runner or baby quilt, you may not need the full three months.
The calendar is a starting point, not a rule.
Give Yourself More Time Than You Think You Need
There is nothing wrong with finishing a quilt early.
In fact, I highly recommend it.
A quilt can look simple on the pattern cover and still take longer than expected. Maybe there is more cutting than you realized. Maybe you decide to change the colors halfway through. Maybe one block does not cooperate.
That is quilting.
Giving yourself extra time means you can deal with those little problems without turning your Christmas quilt into a stressful project.
The goal is not to make quilting feel like a deadline, the goal is to make the deadline work for you.
Resources You May Like
- Jingle Geese Table Runner
- Christmas Ornament Quilt Block
- Mini Quilted Stocking
- Churn Dash Big Block
- How to Finish a Quilt: Basting, Backing, Quilting, Binding
- How to Make Frakenbatting with Batting Scraps
FAQ
When should I start a Christmas quilt?
For a standard throw or larger quilt, July is a good time to start planning and August is a good time to begin sewing. Starting about three months before Christmas gives you time to piece, quilt and bind the quilt without rushing.
Can I make a Christmas quilt in three months?
Yes. Three months is a reasonable starting point for many throw size and larger quilts if you have regular sewing time. A complicated quilt or large bed quilt may need more time.
What if I did not start my Christmas quilt in July?
Start now. August is still a good time to begin a Christmas quilt. Choose a simple pattern, gather your fabric and start sewing. You still have several months to finish it.
When should I send my Christmas quilt to a longarm quilter?
Try to have your quilt top finished by September and contact your longarm quilter early. Holiday schedules can fill quickly.
When should I start a Halloween quilt?
July is a good time to plan a Halloween quilt and August is a good month to start sewing.
When should I start a Thanksgiving quilt?
Start planning in August and begin sewing in September for a standard throw or larger quilt.
How early should I start a quilt as a Christmas gift?
About three months before Christmas is a good starting point for a standard throw or larger quilt. Start earlier if the quilt is large, complicated or needs professional quilting.
More Christmas Gift Ideas
If you are making smaller quilted gifts for Christmas, table runners are a great choice. They don’t take as long as a full size quilt and you can make these in a few weekends.
If You’re New Here
I’m really glad you found your way here.
If you’re new to quilting, then welcome. The learning curve is fast, and yes, you will face challenges. But I’ve got you. If I can do it, so can you!
Here’s where to go next:
- Learn to Quilt Page – every step of making and finishing a quilt
- Free Pattern Index – all my free patterns in one place
- Digital, ad-free patterns – clean, printable, and beginner-friendly
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If this is your first time stopping by, welcome! Your place for free crochet, sewing and quilt patterns for beginner to intermediate skill levels. Want a digital pattern? We have those too! Plus tutorials to walk you through how to make each item from start to finish.
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