Week 1 - the Big Jam Quilt Along
A row‑by‑row quilt‑along that’s absolutely jam‑packed with joy
🍓Pick Your Flavours & Cut Your Fruit
Welcome to Week 1 of the Big Jam Quilt Along - I’m so glad you’re here. Over the next few weeks we’ll be stitching something fun, colourful, and wonderfully achievable together. Whether this is your first quilt or your fiftieth, you’re in exactly the right place.
This first week is all about choosing your flavours and cutting your fruit, the heart of the Big Jam quilt. Think of it as opening the pantry, pulling out your favourite jars, and deciding what kind of jam you want to make.
🍑 Choosing Your Flavours
Your “flavours” are your colour stories, the mood, the season, the feeling you want your quilt to hold. You might be drawn to:
Strawberry & Raspberry - pinks, reds, and warm berry tones that feel like summer mornings
Apricot & Peach - soft oranges, golds, and sunlit warmth
Blackberry & Blueberry - deep purples, navies, and moody richness - this is the one that I am going with.
Mixed Fruit - a joyful, scrappy mix that feels like a whole pantry of possibilities
There’s no wrong choice. Follow what feels delicious.
If you’re working from your stash, pull out anything that sparks a little joy. If you’re using a curated bundle, lay everything out and notice which colours want to sit together. This quilt is wonderfully forgiving.
You might like to take a photo of your fabric pull at this stage, it’s always lovely to look back and see where the journey began.
Watch the video below
In week one I chat about fabric selection, giving you some ideas on what you could use. Once we have chosen our flavour of fabric, I show how to cut your squares, especially good if you are a beginner quilter. There are a couple of different methods that I show, using a normal ruler, and a stripology ruler.
🍇Colour Your Own
There’s also a little Colour‑Your‑Own page in your pattern and test out ideas before you commit to cutting. Grab some crayons, felt tips, or coloured pencils and have a quiet moment colouring in your own Jam Quilt Pattern. It’s a lovely way to explore different flavour combinations, try out contrasts, or simply enjoy the childlike pleasure of colouring. Many quilters tell me this is the moment their quilt really “clicks” , when they can suddenly see the whole thing coming to life. Treat it as a sketchbook page, a mood board, or a bit of gentle fun before the sewing begins.
You will also find a fabric swatch page, to stick the fabrics you have chosen into the pattern for future reference.
🍋 Cutting Your Fruit
Once you’ve chosen your flavours, it’s time to slice your fruit. This week you’ll be cutting:
Your main “fruit” fabrics
Your background
Any accent pieces you want to sprinkle in
Take your time with this part. Put on a favourite playlist or a podcast. Cutting is the quiet, meditative moment where the quilt begins to take shape in your hands.
A few gentle reminders for beginners (and anyone who needs them):
A fresh blade makes everything easier
Good lighting helps more than you think - I definitely know this, working on The Little Boat.
You can always cut a test piece first
Label your stacks of cut squares as you go, your future self will thank you when we start assembling those Half Square Triangles next week.
🍇 Share Your Basket
I’d love to see what flavours you’ve chosen. Share your fabric pull on Instagram or in the Facebook group using #BigJamQAL , it’s always such great fun to see the colour stories emerging across the community.
Next week we’ll start assembling our half square triangles, but for now: choose your flavours, cut your fruit, and enjoy this gentle beginning.
How the Quilt Along Works
We’ll be sewing together over four Sundays, starting 1st March 2026.
Each week you’ll get:
A new blog post with clear step‑by‑step instructions
A pre‑recorded video you can watch anytime
Tips, close‑ups, and gentle guidance
A little story or two from my floating studio
There’s no pressure, no deadlines, and no live sessions to juggle. Just calm, cosy sewing whenever it suits you.
You can always buy a pre cut kit, and get jamming straight away. Scroll down to the bottom to see more.
what’s coming up
Week 2 - Sunday 8th March
Make the fruit.
This week is about bringing your fruit to life by prepping your half square triangles. There aren’t too many in this pattern, but I always like to get them sewn together and trimmed to size before I start sewing my rows.
Week 3 - Sunday 15th March
Build your Jam Jar, row by row
This week, you’ll start assembling your jam jar by sewing the rows together. Here comes the satisfying bit. I love a bit of chain piecing, and I hope that you do to.
Week 4 - Sunday 22nd March
Put the jar together and finish the top.
Get the Pattern
The full Jam Quilt pattern is now available to download from my website.
It includes:
Step‑by‑step instructions
Diagrams
Cutting charts
Colouring sheet
Fabric requirements
The Jam Quilt Pattern, available as a pdf download for just £10.00.
You can buy the fabric kit directly from me, and there is even a pre-cut kit available for those that want to get stuck in straight away.
What You’ll Need
Sewing machine
Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler
Thread
Pins or clips
Iron and ironing board
The Jam Quilt pattern
Nothing fancy - just the basics.
Join In
To share your progress and connect with fellow quilters, we invite you to join the Made on The Cut Facebook Group, where you can post your photos, ask questions, and enjoy community support throughout the Quilt Along.
Made on the Cut, quilting and sewing group | Facebook
A juicy little quilt‑along to sweeten your spring
