My kids will testify that I squealed and jumped all around for an hour after I opened this package from my friend Cindy (garment seamstress extraordinaire). She made short sleeve button up shirts for my boys with Riptide fabric! This was the one project I envisioned when illustrating the fabric--these prints just had to be made into little surfer shirts! 

I've always wanted to make an ocean waves quilt and the arrival of Riptide seemed like the perfect opportunity! Riley Blake Designs is hosting a block challenge this spring where each week they release a new *free* block tutorial. At the end you will have a beautiful mystery quilt! This week I'm demonstrating how to make a traditional ocean waves block. Find the PDF pattern HERE on their blog and a video tutorial HERE on my instagram IGTV. 

I loved the block so much that I had to make a scrappy version using all the Riptide fabric prints! 

Introducing the Shorebreak Quilt Pattern! One month ago I told my husband that I was swearing off writing quilt patterns. They are so much work! But then I woke up one night with this quilt top layout image in my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I’m always looking for patterns that have a modern aesthetic and are easy to sew. I also love showing off ALL the prints in a collection. I can’t bear to leave one out! This pattern takes care of all that. I designed it to mimic the ocean tide and shark fins and complement the Riptide fabric collection coming out any day now (whenever the COVID decides to stop messing with cargo shipments).

There are two sizes--baby (40"x50") and throw (60"x72") and two layout options--with or without the shark fins. Find it for sale in my shop through this Friday, February 5th, 2021. 

The Riptide fabric collection is almost here! It should ship to stores any day now. Today I wanted to highlight the panel in the collection. This panel has 4 projects for you to do all on one yard of fabric! With instructions and everything! I designed the projects with kids in mind; I sewed the pillows with my son and he loved it! There are four plushie/pillow projects: a sting ray, two sharks, and a shark tooth pillow (with an optional tooth fairy pocket). I even cut out the great white shark to appliqué to the back of my Shorebreak quilt pattern that I'm releasing next week. The possibilities are endless!

Time has been moving so slow during 2020! Thankfully August is finally here so we can find a little spot of happiness with the New Dawn fabric collection and TWO new quilt patterns to go with it. The first is the Rose Terrace quilt pattern. I hate cutting up pretty fabric into small pieces, so I created a quilt that shows off all the art! This fat quarter friendly pattern is a quick sew and good for skilled beginners.

Rose Terrace Quilt Pattern PDF Download

Rose Terrace Quilt Pattern Booklet

​All patterns in my shop are 15% through Sunday August 9th. Use code NEWDAWN15 at checkout.

I've made two versions of this quilt pattern so far. The first Rose Terrace quilt pictured is made using New Dawn fabric by me through Riley Blake Designs. It is a smaller size because it was made quickly for Quilt Market. The pattern includes directions on which fabric to use to make this exact version with New Dawn fabric. The fabric is shipping to stores in the next few weeks and some stores will have the fabric and pattern available as a kit. The fabulous custom quilting was done by Chelsea of Cuddle Up Quilts. 

The second version I made was purely selfish. I've wanted a "citrus and mint" themed quilt for a long time so I've been hoarding orange fabric for that purpose. I absolutely love how this quilt turned out.  You'll have to check out pictures on instagram to see the back. It's so cute! I went with a scrappy binding for the edge since I didn't have enough of one fabric to make it all the way around. The orange peel quilting was done by Farm Fresh Stitches. 

Tag me in all the quilts that you make using this pattern! I can't wait to see! Tune in later this week to see the fun versions made by my quilt testers.

Lucky ducks! You get not only one, but TWO quilt patterns released today. The second pattern is Strawberry Fields, an idea that came to me when drawing the cute strawberry print for the New Dawn fabric collection. I wanted that print, but in a quilt! The Strawberry Fields quilt is 48"x48" and available as a PDF download or a printed booklet in the shop. This quilt pattern includes a regular and scrappy version, or you can mix it up with a little of both. It's fat quarter friendly, a beginning pattern, and a quick sew--all my favorite quilts are these things. 

Strawberry Fields Quilt Pattern PDF Download

​Strawberry Fields Quilt Pattern Booklet

All patterns in my shop are 15% through Sunday August 9th. Use code NEWDAWN15 at checkout.

I made two versions of the Strawberry Fields quilt, one scrappy and one regular, and both versions are included in the pattern. I even specify which fabrics to use from New Dawn to make the version above. The regular version uses all New Dawn fabric. Some stores will be selling kits with this pattern and the New Dawn fabric. My scrappy version is made with pinks and greens from my past fabric collections, but scraps from New Dawn would work equally as well.

Welcome to Riley Blake Design's virtual Quilt Market! Let me introduce New Dawn, my latest fabric collection shipping in August 2020. This collection features 24 prints and two new quilt patterns, designed by yours truly (see more details on those below).  New Dawn is a collection dedicated to my mom. Not only is she an excellent seamstress, but she is a magnificent gardener (a skill I did not inherit). Growing up we had a beautiful garden. I particularly loved the roses and little strawberries that grew outside my room. If you look closely, you can find our garden friends in the fabric prints--including Wolfie, the fuzzy spider who claimed one of the planters as his own. He was actually cute for a spider and would come out to visit while you watered the plants. Whether you have a green thumb like my mom, or a black thumb like me--these roses will always bloom. 

Click HERE to see all the prints and preorder.

As a young mom, I prefer simpler, modern, easy quilts that show off lots of the fabric. I buy fabric because of the art in the print--I hate cutting it up so small that you can't see all the beauty! That's not a problem with this quilt pattern. I plan on sewing more versions of this quilt with other fabric I've been hoarding because I don't want to cut it up small. Shops can preorder the pattern HERE.

I'm also a super indecisive quilter. I love ALL the fabrics and must use ALL the fabrics in a quilt. This pattern helps with that addiction. The regular version shows off many prints in each of the berries, or the scrappy version allows for even more prints to be used. This is another simple, easy beginner quilt pattern. Shops can preorder the pattern HERE.

I can't wait to see what you all create with New Dawn!

I've actually uploaded a few new clip art sets to the store! There's a desert clip art set using illustrations from a rejected fabric line, jungle clip art from my Under the Canopy fabric line, Florida clip art from my Florida embroidery, and some pets. Perfect for all those DIY coronavirus projects ;). Find them in my shop, Etsy, or Creative Market or just click on the photo.

It's week two of the Riley Blake Designs Block of the Week Challenge. Each week they are highlighting a traditional block and challenging everyone to make one. This week we are focusing on the log cabin block. There are many variations of this block and infinite ways you can arrange the blocks and colors within the blocks to make quilts that look completely different! It's such a versatile block. Traditional log cabin blocks have light colors on one side and darker colors on the other surrounding a center square. The color of the center square has meaning like yellow for "visitor's welcome" and red for the "home hearth." Below I included directions for making one version of a log cabin block in 12.5"x12.5" and 6.5"x6.5" finished sizes. Click on the pictures below to download the pattern for free. Remember to tag #RBDblockchallenge and @citrusandmintdesigns so I can see what you make!

*Fabric used is Under the Canopy and Blossom available through Riley Blake Designs