Hi, Everyone!  Jessica Dayon- @jessicadayon- here today bringing you the tutorial for my contribution to Countdown to Christmas!  This block is called Peppermint Bark and is a fun one to make!  I hope you like it as much as I do!  Moda Bake Shop's Countdown to Christmas has become one of my favorite things to look forward to in December!  It's a special Advent Calendar for quilters and you get a fun, memorable quilt out of it too!

This block finishes at 12" or 18" square.

  NOTE: The instructions below are for the 12″ finished block, with changes for the 18″ finished block in parentheses. Stitch and Flip Flying Geese Gather the 4 dark green 2½” x 4½”rectangles (4 dark green 3 1/2” x 6 1/2”rectangles) and the 8 white 2½” squares (8 white 3½” squares).  Lay one 2½” square (3½” square) RST on one 2½” x 4½”rectangle (3½” x 6½”rectangle).  Draw a line from corner to corner on the white square and sew on that line.  Trim 1/4" from the sewn line.  Press open.  Repeat these steps on the other side of the 2½” x 4½”rectangle (3½” x 6½”rectangle). Repeat with white rectangles to make a total of 8 flying geese:

• 4 Dark Green Center Flying Geese, 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" (3 1/2" x 6 1/2")
• 4 White Center Flying Geese, 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" (3 1/2" x 6 1/2")

Half Square Triangles (HSTs) Gather the 2 red 3” squares (2 red 4” squares ) and the 2 white 3” squares (2 white4” squares ).  Lay a red square on top of a white square, right sides together.  Draw a line from corner to corner and sew 1/4" away from the center line on each side of it.  Cut on the center line.  Press open.  Trim each HST to 2½” square (3½” square).  Repeat with the remaining square you gathered so that you have 4 HST total. Repeat with remaining squares to make a total of 20 HSTs:

• 4 Red/White HSTs, 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" (3 1/2" x 3 1/2")
• 8 Pink/White HSTs, 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" (3 1/2" x 3 1/2")
• 4 Light Green/White HSTs, 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" (3 1/2" x 3 1/2")
• 4 Pink/Dark Green HSTs, 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" (3 1/2" x 3 1/2")

Assemble the block Gather the pieces you just made- the 8 flying geese and 20 HSTs- and lay them out as shown below.  You can sew this block together how you'd like to.  I prefer to sew mine together as a nine patch.  To do that, sew the 4 squares in each corner together and the flying geese units together, shown below. Sew the block together in rows. Sew the rows together. This block finishes at 12" or 18" square. Thanks for following along with me today!  I hope you enjoyed this block and continue to enjoy all of our Countdown to Christmas block patterns!  Come, follow me, and see what I'm up to on Instagram @jessicadayon. Jessica Dayon {blog: Jessica Dayon Blog} {instagram: @jessicadayon}