Sundance Quilt; A Free Squash Blossom Quilt Pattern

Are you looking for a simple quilt pattern to start with? Then you may like this Sundance Quilt Tutorial. It’s a quick quilt to stitch up—it’s just one giant Squash Blossom Quilt Block!

I feel like I should subtitle this post, “And now for something completely different!” — The projects on the blog go pink, pink, pink, mint, gold, pink, pink, then RED and GRAY, LOL!! I definitely have a color scheme that I like to stick to, but I was excited for this project to work on something a little bit different.

Southwest Inspired Quilt Pattern

Last December (as in, three weeks ago), I was absolutely and completely stumped as to what to get my in-laws for Christmas. I’ve been stumped before, but I have always managed to find something for them.

This year, I started thinking about it in October and tried not to worry, assuming that something would come to me by December, but it didn’t. I’d been toying around with the idea of making them a quilt for a year or two, but I kept telling myself, “Don’t be crazy, Melissa, and try to make a quilt during December.”

I don’t always handle holiday stress well, *wink*. On about December 15th, I finally decided that I had no idea what to get them, so I should just make a quilt.

My inlaws have a home in Utah near Sundance.  They love to visit it as often as they have the opportunity. The inside of the house is decorated in a southwest style, with rich woods, deep reds, and many neutrals. 

We’ve stayed at the house before, and I always thought that the couch in the living room could be used as a quilt.

The last time we visited, my kids fought over the throw blanket all week, which drove me bananas! (They eventually pulled the quilt off a bed that wasn’t being used and parked it in the living room for the week; don’t tell my mother-in-law *wink*).

Since I was limited on time, I knew that if I made them a quilt, it needed to be a simple pattern. I also knew that their tastes were pretty sophisticated, so I thought that a quilt in all solid fabrics would be the best way to go.

I managed to stitch up this quilt and quilt it MYSELF on my home machine in a matter of days (I used a ruler to help keep my curves even). It was finished just in time to send it to Utah before Christmas (they were at the house for Christmas; we stayed in Kentucky).

About the Squash Blossom Quilt Block

After I finished the quilt, I took it outside and snapped a few photos. I initially thought I’d post a picture and say, “It’s just a big squash blossom quilt block.” You can figure out how to make it.  Then I remembered the last time I did that. Let’s just say I was answering a million questions via email for weeks.

This quilt is very simple. It is based on a squash blossom quilt block. It’s actually one giant quilt block with borders on the top and bottom to make it a bit longer.

Before I get to the tutorial, let me say I didn’t “invent” this, and I’m not claiming I did. I’ve seen many other giant squash blossom quilts floating around. 

I am writing a tutorial for the quilt the way I made it, in case you’d like to make one yourself.  You can easily find many variations online if you’d like a more detailed quilt pattern or one with a more extensive variety of blocks.

Okay, are you ready to start?

Squash Blossom Quilt Pattern

Sundance Quilt: A Free Squash Blossom Quilt Pattern

Melissa Mortenson

Are you looking for a simple quilt pattern to start? Then you may like this Sundance Quilt Tutorial. It’s a quick quilt to stitch up as it’s just one giant Squash Blossom Quilt Block!

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Equipment

• Basic Sewing Tools
• Sewing Machine (I recommend BERNINA or Bernette)
• Quilt Ruler
• Rotary Cutter

supplies

• 1 1/2 Yards Main fabric Riley Blake Confetti Cottons; Charcoal
• 2 yards Background fabric Riley Blake Confetti Cottons: Putty
• 3/4 yards Acent fabric Riley Blake Confetti Cottons: Cranberry
• 5/8 yard Binding fabric
• 5 yards backing fabric

Instructions

 

• Size: 58” x 74”

Cutting Directions

From Gray Fabric (Riley Blake Charcoal):

• 8 pieces 9 1/2” x 9 1/2”
• 8 pieces 10” x 10”
• 4 pieces 2 1/2” x 29 1/2”

From Ivory Solid Fabric (Riley Blake Putty):

• 12 pieces 9 1/2” x 9 1/2”
• 6 pieces 10” x 10”
• 4 pieces 1 1/2” x 29 1/2”
• 4 pieces 4 1/2” x 29 1/2”

From Red Fabric (Riley Blake Cranberry):

• 2 pieces 10” x 10”
• 4 pieces 2 1/2” x 29 1/2”

Construction

• All seams are 1/4″.
• If you’re not familiar with constructing a Half-Square Triangle, you can CLICK here for a detailed tutorial.

Step One:

• Using the six 10” x 10” squares of ivory fabric and six of the 10” x 10” squares of gray fabric, create 12 Ivory and Gray Half-Square Triangles (HSTs).
• Trim and square up to 9 1/2” x 9 1/2”
• Using two of the 10” x 10” squares of gray fabric and the two 10” x 10” squares of red fabric, create four Half-Square Triangles.
• Trim and square up to 9 1/2” x 9 1/2”

To Assemble the Quilt:

• Begin assembling the quilt by rows according to the diagram below.
  
• Lay out all of the blocks in row 1 and stitch them together.
• Repeat with rows 2-6.
• Press the seams of the odd rows to the left and the even rows to the right.
• Stitch row 1 to row 2, row 3 to row 3, etc.
• Press seams to one side.

To Create Top and Bottom Borders:

• Stitch two 4 1/2” x 29 1/2” ivory pieces together along the 4 1/2” sides. Press seams to one side.
• Repeat.
• Stitch two 1 1/2” x 29 1/2” ivory pieces together, right sides facing along 1 1/2” sides. Press seams to one side.
• Repeat.
• Stitch two 2 1/2” x 29 1/2” gray pieces together along the 2 1/2” sides. Press seams to one side.
• Repeat.
• Stitch two 2 1/2” x 29 1/2” red pieces together along the 2 1/2” sides. Press seams to one side.
• Repeat.
• Stitch one 4 1/2” ivory row to one 2 1/2” wide red row. Press. Be careful not to distort the seams as you press.
• Stitch the 1 1/2” ivory row to the red row. Press.
• Stitch the 2 1/2” gray row to the ivory row. Press.
• Stitch the top of the quilt. The wide ivory row will be on the bottom, and the gray row will be on the top.
• Repeat and stitch to the bottom of the quilt. This time, the ivory row will be on the top, and the gray row will be on the bottom. Refer to the photo of the finished quilt as needed.

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That’s it! Pretty simple, huh! If you leave the borders off this quilt, it’s the perfect size for a baby quilt.  Wouldn’t it be cute stitched up in blues or pinks?