My latest quilt pattern, Ribbons, is currently featured in Modern Monthly as the June 2020 Quilt of the Month! Modern Monthly is a quarterly digital digest published by the Modern Quilt Guild, and while the pattern has been available since this issue was released in April, I’m excited to tell you more about it now that June is here. MQG members can download the pattern free from the Modern Monthly website.
This design was inspired by a tile floor I saw several years ago at a local Mexican restaurant. I quickly realized I could mimic the swirly ribbon-like pattern with simple drunkard’s path blocks, but at the time I hadn’t done much curved piecing and my sketches lingered on my computer for quite a while. After stumbling into making several quilts in succession earlier this year that all featured curves (like Indigo Radial and my MQG swap mini), I knew it was time to bring this design to life as well.
The construction is surprisingly simple, and with smart color placement you can create these cheerful, curling ribbons. The 6” drunkard’s path blocks are beginner-friendly and a great way to gain experience with curved piecing. I don’t use pins in a lot of my piecing, but with curves I always pin liberally or use a washable glue stick — it really makes a difference. (Also, Jen Carlton-Bailly’s recent “Sew All the Curves” MQG webinar is a great resource as well! You’ll need to be an MQG member to watch it.)
The color palette for this edition of Modern Monthly was one of my all-time favorites — blues and greens! Hooray! The fabrics used in this sample are Moda Bella Solids in Citrine, Spearmint, Dark Teal, and Royal.
I was on a deadline to get this quilt finished. The fabric arrived in mid-January and it needed to be in the MQG’s hands by the first week of February. I finished just in time! For the quilting, I chose long diagonal lines that switch direction for each ribbon. The direction of the quilting lines subtly echoes the swirl of the ribbons, and really helped maintain a soft sense of movement across the quilt.
The details:
- Quilt measures 54″ x 66″.
- Fabrics are Moda Bella Solids in Citrine, Spearmint, Dark Teal, and Royal.
- Backing and binding are Moda Bella Solids Royal.
- Machine quilted with a walking foot. I used Wonderfil Invisifil (#IF138 soft gold) on the top and Aurifil 50 wt (#2784 dark navy) in the bobbin.
Love the quilt! And those colors are perfect for the mid-century mod feel. Beautiful!
Thanks Marcy!
Your quilts are so fantastic! It has been cool to see how far you’ve come with them artistically!
Thanks Misti!
I really love this design, Sarah. The color palette is perfect for highlighting the twisting of the ribbon.
The color palette was such a fortunate coincidence! The MQG dictated it (as you know) but it happens to be one of my favorite palettes. Can’t go wrong with blues and greens.
Such an intriguing design! And I love how your fabric choices and quilting enhance the swirling effect.
Thanks Debbie! I was so tickled to see that such a simple quilting motif could still create movement.