The Farmer’s Son: Jolly Bar Bon Bons Quilt

draft horse statue — The Farmer’s Son quilt is made from the Jolly Bar Bon Bons pattern.

The new Fat Quarter Shop shortcut quilt pattern is Jolly Bar Bon Bons. (It’s free!) To make the 60-inch square quilt, you’ll need one jolly bar (a package of 42 5-inch by 10-inch rectangles) and background fabric. For my version of the quilt, I used leftover jolly bars from my Jolly Braid Tote Bag and added charm squares from two fabric collections. I love the gold metallic accents on the two Zen Chic collections, and they look great together. I also wanted to add a splash of red because this quilt will be a gift for my brother and it’s his favorite color. Plus, he was born on Christmas Day, so White Christmas Metallic and Sno were fitting nods to his special day.

I used Moda Bella Solids in Lead for the background and The Farmer’s Son in Tractor Oil gray from the Wool & Needle Flannels IV collection by Primitive Gatherings for the backing. (Do you remember that I decided to back all my quilts with either flannel or double-faced fleece? It really adds to the cozy feel!) I trimmed some of the selvages from the binding and backing fabrics and created little labels to infuse the quilt with meaning. Then, I tucked them under the binding of the quilt and attached it all with a narrow zigzag stitch.

quilt labels — I captured a few meaningful words for my brother.

Walking Foot Quilting and Aurifil Thread for the Win

The pattern is very easy and comes together quickly. Happily, I found it to be a relaxing project for our snowy February. (In case you didn’t hear, Minneapolis set a new record with more than 30 inches of snowfall this month!)

I wanted to quilt this myself with my walking foot. But I had a hard time deciding on thread color. So I called Customer Service at the Fat Quarter Shop for help. Truly, they offer fantastic customer service! Theresa offered to take a little field trip to the warehouse and then called me back to report that Aurifil 80-weight Grey Smoke thread would be a great match. Have you tried the 80-weight thread? My sewing machine loved it! The thread tension was wonderful. The recommended Microtex sharp needle performed well. And the thread blended beautifully. As you can see below, a lot of stitching intersects. But that fine thread didn’t look like a big knot at those points. I like that!

The Farmer’s Son Quilt on Location

Be sure to check out the tutorial at the Jolly Jabber blog from the Fat Quarter Shop, YouTube video, the other bloggers’ Bon Bons quilts, and the Jolly Bar Bon Bons Quilt Kit that looks perfect for spring. In fact, you can make this short-cut quilt before the bunnies and chicks take over the aisles at Target. And with that, I’ll leave you with a few more photos of The Farmer’s Son quilt. I had fun taking photos in a nearby neighborhood that features farm-styled community buildings to honor the land’s former life as a working farm and the spirit of those who cared for it.