On January 3rd, the Riley Blake Designs block challenge starts. I’m once again designing one of the blocks and will join the group in making the blocks as well. I will be sharing them on my Instragram and Facebook accounts, just like I did last year during the challenge. I will also share them with the RBD Block Challenge Facebook group.
For those of you who don’t know what it is, on Tuesdays starting January 3rd, Riley Blake Designs will share a block pattern that is designed by one of their fabric designers, along with the instructions on how to make block. This will happen again on the next two Tuesdays, followed by a catch up week (if needed). This will continue until all 16 blocks have been released and then the final quilt layout will be revealed. One change this year, is that the final layout is not a mystery, if you don’t want it to be!
Last year I had so many people join me in making the blocks, but then they couldn’t find enough background fabric to make their quilt like mine. So, for those that want to see the final layout and fabric requirements, you can go to the Riley Blake Designs blog (click here). This will contain all the details and the fabric requirements. Then, you can also click on this link if you want to see the final layout now!
And . . . If you want to see some of the layouts that I am thinking about using, I will have images below for you to see some of the mock-ups that I have made using my two latest fabric lines. Spoiler alert – PLEASE DO NOT scroll down very far if you don’t want to see the final quilt layout!
I’m making my first one with my Winter Wonder fabric line and the charcoal black dot as the background. I’m making mine much more scrappy than their version, just like I did last year. I’m also going to make a second one using my Gingham Cottage fabric line that is coming in February. The Winter Wonder fabrics are shown below.
Here is a shot of what those fabrics will look like on the background that I have chosen:
The image below shows some of the layouts that I have been playing with. The one in the TOP LEFT is the original layout that RBD has chosen to use and is the version that matches their fabric requirements for background and binding. The other layouts are ones that I am playing with by adding borders, additional blocks or changing the layout. The images are kind of small, but you can click on the image to make it bigger.
The other version that I plan to make uses my Gingham Cottage fabric line. This fabric is not out yet, but will be coming in February. I have a little early yardage, so I will be sharing those blocks too, even though the fabrics aren’t out yet. If you would like to make your blocks with this line, you can preorder them using the links below.
Here are a few digital mock-ups for you to see what the finished quilt will look like in those fabrics:
Since I am doing my version a little differently than what RBD has done, the fabric requirements will be a little different. They call for 2.5 yards of the background fabric, so that part will be the same. For the colored parts of each block, they call for roughly 1/4 yard of 9 different fabrics. A 10″ stacker would be enough fabric for most of the colored prints, except the couple longer pieces that you need a 10 1/2″ long strip for (like the spool and the tulip). The next bigger size cut would be a Fat Eighth pack. This will be more than what you need for of quite a few of the prints, but it will give you enough to play with on all of them – plus some leftovers for a coordinating runner or small project. Some of my versions also show different layouts, adding borders and accent prints, etc. I have not figured out the math on all of these, so just know that if you are going to change to one of the other layouts, you may need to have more fabric on hand. Here are some handy links if you choose to go with the options that I will be showing:
Winter Wonder Options:
Winter Wonder Fat Eighth Kit (includes 2.5 yards of the block dot and binding)
Winter Wonder fabrics (yardage)
Winter Wonder Fat Quarter Packs
Gingham Cottage Option:
Gingham Cottage Fat Eighth PREORDER
If you have any questions, just let me know. I look forward to sewing along with the group this year to make this fun quilt! It’s a great way to set a goal and get something done. It’s also really fun to see what everybody is sharing in the Facebook group. All the color combinations are inspiring and it’s a great way to see how different the same block and quilt can look done up in lots of different color ways.
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