We’re ready to kick off the Jolly Bar 4 Quilt Along. To celebrate the release of Jolly Bar Book Vol. 4, we are sewing a few blocks weekly from January through March of 2023. If you’re in the mood for an easy-to-sew quilt to start off your year, this is the perfect pattern to get you into the swing of things. Find all the details and the sew along schedule, below.
About the Jolly Bar 4 Quilt
The Jolly Bar 4 Quilt Along sampler quilt measures 66.5″ x 84.5″ finished. Join us as we make the beautiful blocks from the Jolly Bar Book Vol. 4. We’re starting with Jolly Bars, 5″ x 10″ precuts, which means you can skip the ironing and get right to cutting and sewing.
Quilt Along Supplies
For this nine-week quilt along, the most important items to grab so you can join in the fun are the Jolly Bar Book Vol. 4 and the Jolly Bar 4 Quilt Along Fabric Requirements.
You’ll also want to pick out your favorite Jolly Bars, or if you want to sew one just like Kimberly’s, reserve Simply Delightful by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda Fabrics (due in February).
Jolly Bar 4 Quilt Along Schedule
You can find the Jolly Bar 4 Quilt Along free cutting guides here each Thursday. Click the block titles to download each cutting guide. The guide will tell you how many blocks to make.
| Week | Date | Block(s) |
| 1 | January 19 | Shirley Temple & Whoopsie Daisy Blocks |
| 2 | January 26 | Stained Glass & Herb Garden Blocks |
| 3 | February 2 | Galway & Curio Blocks |
| 4 | February 9 | Mosaic & The Nutcracker Blocks |
| 5 | February 16 | Blueprint & Stardust Blocks |
| 6 | February 23 | Illumination & Zinnia Blocks |
| 7 | March 2 | Festoon & Double Dutch Blocks |
| 8 | March 9 | Primrose & Shoofly Blocks |
| Finishing | March 16 | Finishing Pattern |
Be sure to subscribe to our Fat Quarter Shop YouTube Channel and check out our Friday Livestreams to stay up to date on Kimberly’s Jolly Bar 4 progress.
We invited some friends to join us, and they’re sharing their progress along the way! You can follow them on social media for inspiration and tips.
Meet the Quilters
- Amanda, (@graccieone)
- Becca, Sew Becca, (@sewbecca)
- Cynthia Horst, Dream Quilt Create, (@dreamquiltcreate)
- Francine, Buffalo Flatts Quilt Co, (@buffaloflattsquiltco)
- Kate, Katie Mae Quilts, (@katiemaequilts)
- Linden Vine, Vine Lines Creative, (@vinelines)
- Mary Mata, Mi Mundo en Telas, (@mimundoentelas)
- Mona Phelps, Bluegrass Stitches, (@bluegrassstitchesandcrafts)
- Pat Sloan, (@quilterpatsloan)
- Shelly, Matante Quilting, (@matantequilting)
Share with FQS!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, and share your progress with the hashtag #JollyBar4QAL so we can cheer you on!
24 comments
It used to be that Quilt Alongs were groups getting together and socializing while making a quilt, and given the directions to do so. But now it has come to businesses enticing quilters for a fun project, but only if you buy their book.
Fat Quarter Shop actually has had quite a few QALs that included free patterns.
I agree. I watched Kimberly’s video in 2022 where she talked about all the QALs FQS would be doing in 2023. Hardly any of them are QALs. As a beginner, I thot a quilt along was just that. Guess not. Follow Pat Sloan. She has excellent videos an tutorials! And she actually does the videos for some of the FQS QALs that FQS doesn’t do!
Hi Katie and Linda!
We understand not everyone wants or is able to join in the quilt alongs that require books orr paid patterns, which is why we have many free quilt alongs each year as well!
Our quilt alongs are online and we love that it allows anyone anywhere to join in and connect with other quilters from anywhere in the world via social media!
Right now the Sewcialites 2 Quilt Along is going on which is completely free and includes a variety of free block designs from well known designers and Kimberly is doing free tutorials for each block on Livestreams! She’ll be doing tutorials for the Bountiful Quilt Along which is starting soon. If neither of those interest you the Stronger Together Quilt Along is another free sew along starting next month.
Hope you find one you’d enjoy joining! Happy quilting!
Sure will be glad when my book shows up so I can sew along with the rest of you. Looking forward to it.
Linda J Anderson, please check out the free current Sewcialites 2 Quilt Along on the home page. This is a free quilt along with wonderful patterns and great suggestions from other quilters! https://www.fatquartershop.com/sewcialites Quilters from all over the world are participating and showing their blocks weekly. Please join us!
I’m in, I have all 4 Jolly Bar books and just made the Friendship Bracelet quilt from vol. 4. I used the Spring Brook Jolly Bar from Moda. Love it.
Looking forward now to quilting along as a way to audition the rest of the blocks and see which other quilts from the book I will make. Vol. 1-3 have languished in the shelf, I think after this, they will not.
I just completed my first two blocks and I’m loving it
My JB4 book just arrived and am so glad. Need to get going so I’m not behind!
Thanks for doing this as it’s my first QAL! Yippee!
So glad I found this page. Sew alongs that follow quilt books can be confusing when trying to figure out quantities for one block. Thank you so much for giving us the quantities for one block. I am sewing along with Pat Sloan and enjoying making these blocks. Lynn
Boy, I wish I had found your blog before I starched and pressed my Jolly Bars. I lost 1/2 inch. I will order another and will only starch yardage from here on out. Thank y’all for our your help and information.
i am sewing along with this one and several others. i am up to week 5. it is so fun. i am sewing ahead, just in case i get caught up with another, then i will get done on the same time. thanks for the fun books.
You promised they would be easy. Thank you that they really are and so much fun as well. Am having a ball.
Hi Dottie!
Glad to hear you’re having fun! Thank you for sewing along. 🙂
I have purchased all four jolly bar books and am disappointed that there are not instructions for one block for each quilt. I have downloaded the one block guides for book 3, however it is not complete. Will there be guides created for the remainder of the blocks and as books are published, include these in the books? Thanks.
Any idea when the finishing instructions will be released? Trying to sew my sections together to stay more organized. Thanks for doing this, it has been fun!!
This has been so great! This was my first ever QAL and using the Jolly Bar 4 book. This has been a wonderful opportunity to hone skills as a newer quilter, put practice into the techniques you teach on the live streams, and find a community of quilters all over who had some inspiring ways of building their sample quilts! Thanks so much for putting this together. Looking forward to the finishing!
Are there videos for this sew along? I have ordered everything and am ready to go but I cant find any videos. HELP I suppose Im just not understanding. I watch Kimberly”s videos on you tube but I cant find the Jolly Bar Stitch along.
Hi Debbie, not all of our sew alongs have video tutorials. The Jolly Bar 4 quilt along is inspired by the Jolly Bar Book Vol. 4. All the instructions you need to complete each block is in the book and then the pattern releases (linked above) are the cutting directions specific to this sampler quilt.
I hope that helps clear some things up. If you are looking for quilt alongs with free video tutorials our Bountiful Charity Quilt Along just started and the patterns are free: https://blog.fatquartershop.com/2023-bountiful-quilt-along-release-1-baskets/
There are many more past quilt alongs and other upcoming ones that will also be free patterns and feature video tutorials.
Apologies for the confusion!
Linda and Katie…I’m sorry you feel this way. #1. Linda it sounds like the QALs your referring to can only be achieved in person. #2. When Kimberly shows on her videos the upcoming QALs she’s showing you what she uses, you don’t have to purchase her fabrics, you can use what you have at home. #3 FQS offers lots of free quilt patterns #3. Go to a local quilt shop, most of them offer classes but you have to pay for the class AND purchase the fabric at their quilt shop to participate in the class.
I just don’t like it when people complain about someone who shares their love of quilting and also makes videos demonstrating how to make the quilt blocks (which she has to pay staff to help her film). Also, you need to remember, this is Kimberly’s business, her income for her family, she has many employees so she has to make a profit.
I’m all done! Any chance the FINISHING info is already out there?? Can’t wait to complete it. I saw Pat Sloan mention the “4 inch border” and was curious if the finishing info was out there!
Thanks! LOVED this one, keep em’ coming!
Are there instructions available for all the single Jolly Bar blocks in the Jolly Bar book series? If not,can you go back and create the directions for a single block? THANKS.
Hi Diane!
Every block in the Jolly Bar Book is shown in the books themselves. The only way to get the Jolly Bar quilt patterns besides the books is by buying the Jolly Bars as they come out. That is the only way to get these Jolly Bar patterns for now. Thank you!
I just finished the blocks! I’m waiting (impatiently 😝) for the finishing instructions. This was fun! Thank you for this sew along. I will have to do a quilt in several of the patterns. This helped me to use a layer cake in my stash.