Does a Christmas Quilt need to be Red & Green?

When you picture a Christmas quilt, what colors come to mind?

For most of us, the answer is probably red, green and white. They’re the colors we grew up with—the Christmas trees, wreaths, ribbons and ornaments that immediately tell us the holidays have arrived.

And I love a traditional red-and-green Christmas quilt.

But when I started playing with color ideas for Patchwork Pines, I found myself wondering: Does a Christmas quilt actually have to be red and green to feel like Christmas?

The answer, I discovered, is no.

When the Blocks Tell the Story

One of the things I love about Patchwork Pines is that you don't have to rely entirely on color to establish the theme.

The pine trees already tell part of the story. There is something about a row of evergreen trees that immediately makes us think of winter, especially when they're surrounded by a light background.

That gave me permission to move away from the traditional Christmas palette.

Instead of relying on Christmas red and evergreen green, I tried teals, aquas, icy blues and deep blue-green, with just a few small touches of red.

And it still feels like Christmas.

Maybe a slightly different Christmas—crisp winter mornings, snow-covered trees and cool blue skies rather than red bows and evergreen wreaths—but Christmas nonetheless.

That led me to a design principle that I think is useful well beyond this particular quilt:

The stronger the motif, the less the color palette has to do the storytelling.

If your quilt is filled with recognizable Christmas trees, stars, ornaments or snowflakes, you have a lot more freedom to experiment with color.

Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with staying traditional.

Deep reds, evergreen greens, warm creams and perhaps a little gold make a beautiful Patchwork Pines quilt. Those colors bring an immediate sense of nostalgia and warmth.

Try a Unique Palette Instead

If traditional Christmas isn't quite your style, consider choosing colors that say winter rather than specifically Christmas.

Think about a mix of

Mint green, Taupe, and Red

That's essentially the direction I took with my teal version of Patchwork Pines.

The reds provide enough contrast to define the trees, while the lighter mint green and taupe give the quilt that cool, wintry feeling. A few touches of dark green provide just enough holiday warmth without taking over the design.

The result feels festive and unique.

If you have a Jelly Roll filled with traditional Christmas prints, use it!

In fact, one of the things I enjoy most about designing Jelly Roll patterns is seeing how dramatically the personality of a quilt can change depending on the fabric collection.

The pattern stays the same. The story changes.

Patchwork Pines can be traditional. It can be modern. It can be wintry, whimsical, sophisticated or wonderfully scrappy.

You get to decide what story yours tells.

Make Your Own Patchwork Pines

I'd love to know what you would choose.

Are you a traditional red-and-green Christmas quilter—or would you make Patchwork Pines in something completely unexpected?

Every quilt has a story.