If you were around in 2022, you may remember our Makes of the Month. The idea was to highlight a different TCJ pattern every month, making a sample that we would be sharing more or less in real time, bringing you all along with us as we create. It really was fun to dive back into some older TCJ patterns that we hadn't engaged with for a while. And then in the last quarter of 2022 we moved into the studio, so with a lot of change happening all around, we burnt ourselves out and didn't carry the project forward past 2022.
Buuuuut, a few years passed, the calendar flipped to 2025, and we decided we were craving the structure of our Make of the Month project once again. We've already shared a few of those makes on the blog:
- April: Rosecity Quilt - the Lily Pad one
- May: Star Adventure - the Sun Stripes + Checkmate Checkers one
- June: Redford - the Poolside one
- July: Petal Patch - the Scrappy Rainbow one
- August: Diamond Ripples - the Scrappy Big one
But today, let's go back to the one that kicked off 2025. She's a Campfire Glow quilt, and we called her - what else - Fresh Start.
The Campfire Glow Quilt Pattern includes three sizes and two design options. We made a throw size quilt and used the Stash Buster option. The Stash Buster allows you to use either F8s, FQs, 1/4 yards, or 2.5” strips to make all of your Nine Patch blocks. Then you can choose fabric for your Stars and a variety of fabrics for your Star Backgrounds. It really makes for a fun, scrappy looking quilt.
Each Nine Patch in the Campfire Glow quilt has two fabrics - A/B and C/D. In the Stash Buster option, each Fabric Family (A, B, C, D) is made from multiple different fabrics in either F8s, FQs, 1/4 yards, or 2.5” strips. Because this quilt ends up looking very scrappy, we didn't start with a mock up showing specific fabric placement, but rather a mock up showing a simple guideline of what color families would go where.
In our mock up, the first two blocks of the very top row are our Block 1 and Block 2. Block 1 has the cream and dusty blue fabrics (fabrics A and B) and Block 2 has the pink and periwinkle blue fabrics (fabrics C and D). Each fabric family is made using four FQs curated in that family's specific color way. We used a coral floral print from Ruby Star Society for our stars, and a variety of stripe fabrics for our star backgrounds. We cut (2) 10" squares from each of four FQs for our Star Backgrounds.
Campfire Glow is truly such a quick and satisfying make. It's a perfect weekend project, and it comes together so, so fast. I mean, Nine Patches and Sawtooth Stars? It practically sews itself! Which made it the perfect project for us in January of 2025, because, as you may remember, we were about a month out from our very first QuiltCon and were DEEP in sample sewing and bundle production. For Meghan in particular, those few hours a week she could spend escaping into this "just-for-fun" make were an absolute delight and a balm to the chaos around us.
We put this Campfire Glow together in sections, starting first with our Nine Patches. Remember, the top two sets of strips - cream and dusty blues - will become our Block 1s and the bottom two sets of strips - pink and periwinkles - will become our Block 2s.
Strip piecing makes these Nine Patches come together quick as a flash. Our only rule of thumb when sewing in the Stash Buster option is that we try to make sure the two outside strips in any one strip set are different fabrics.
Ta da! Finished Nine Patches! Time to set those aside and move on to the Sawtooth Stars.
So this is where we deviated from the pattern just a bit. But don't fear - we'll walk you through exactly what we did. For a throw size Campfire Glow, the pattern calls for a 1/2 yard of fabric to be used for the Stars and (8) 10” squares for the Star Backgrounds. We followed the directions as written for the Stars (the floral coral fabric above), but for the Star Backgrounds, we used FQs. Here's the math on that:
As written, a 10" square will get you the cuts needed for (2) Sawtooth Star backgrounds. We determined you can get (2) 10" squares from (1) FQ, so (1) FQ will get you the cuts needed for (4) Sawtooth Star backgrounds. A throw size Campfire Glow has (16) Sawtooth Star blocks, so we needed (4) FQs - the striped fabric above. Bada bing, bada boom!
Nine Patches? Done. Sawtooth Stars? Done. Let's see all of our units together, shall we?
It really is so, so good. There is not a single solid anywhere in this quilt, and yet it all pulls together so nicely. Let's get it up on the wall and see it come to life!
For a Stash Buster Campfire Glow like this one, laying it out before final construction felt important to us primarily so that we could balance the Sawtooth Star block backgrounds throughout the quilt. As far as Blocks 1 and 2, in a Stash Buster version, you quickly realize you have to let go of any expectation of maintaining directionality or keeping like fabrics from touching. In a quilt like this, it's more about the color play than the fabric itself, and the story the entire quilt is telling when you take a step back from it. So, follow the pattern's layout guide, and just let go of the rest.
Final construction of a Campfire Glow could not be easier. Blocks 1 and 2 nest with each other, and the Sawtooth Stars have no seams to match (other than watching your points). You will press your rows in alternating directions, so those seams will nest as well. No pins needed anywhere in the final steps of stitching this top together!
(Also, in case you needed proof of our timeline of this quilt, do you see the sneaky sneaky view of two of our QuiltCon samples hanging out on our mezzanine? Blakely Sugar + Spice and Orchard Stars Marco Polo. And if the background of the photo weren't blurred out, you would see stacks and stacks of the bundles we brought with us being prepped down below.)
HOW GOOD IS SHE??? I mean, come on? There's a reason this kit sold out every single time we restocked it. It really is fresh and clean and, like its name, the perfect Fresh Start for 2025.
Campfire Glow Fresh Start went to Wild Phil Quilting, where she was quilted in light pink thread with the Drift pantograph. She is backed in a grey speckled wideback, and bound in a light blue solid.
A TCJ x Sarah Hearts Star Twist Label was the perfect addition.
And there she is! Our inaugural 2025 MOTM quilt, Campfire Glow Fresh Start. She probably took as long to sew as you just spent ogling these gorgeous photos.
Happy sewing!