Community Project Tour + FREE Quilt Pattern!

I love nothing more than a crisp fall day... I am so happy it is October! Aside from the weather and so many family birthdays and other special occasions in my life that take place in October, I also get to finally share with you my project using the new Community line by Citrus & Mint Designs for Riley Blake!

Community is a beautiful line filled with warm, rich tones and the absolute cutest illustrations! It was inspired by Rachel's desire to travel, talk with neighbors, and have a sense of community again during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can view the Storyboard here and read Rachel's statement.

I love the message this fabric line sends and it inspired me to create a scrappy "picnic" style quilt which I'm going to share with you for FREE!

Flat lay photos courtesy Riley Blake Designs

FREE Community Picnic Quilt

I really love scrappy quilts that have a nice mix of basics and prints. I use this formula in nearly all of my quilts. The great thing abut it is if you don't want to use a full fabric line, you can pull from your stash also and still have a beautifully coordinated quilt!

Riley Blake Designs storyboards include the matching basics, which I find VERY helpful! Its the simplest and quickest way to find the perfect basic for the designer line you love so you can order coordinates.

Above are the prints and basics I pulled for my quilt. I did end up leaving some out just due to personal preference (I didn't want it to be too blue...). Below I'm going to list the exact matching RBD basics I chose to go along with the Community line for my finished quilt:

• Bee Cross Stitch in Alpine
• Blossom in Wisteria
• Kisses in Honey
• Pin Drop in Salmon (binding)
• Blossom in Bleached Denim (top, borders, and backing)

The Details:

Finished size: 64" x 73"

This quilt comes together extremely fast! It's all strips and straight line piecing so it's even suitable for a beginner. It is comprised of 3" and 3 ½" strips - so it's perfect for a stash buster, using fat quarters, quarter yards, etc. 

I've also included exactly how many strips of each size to cut if you're going totally scrappy and pulling from bins or leftover pieces of fabric as well as a blank coloring sheet for pre-planning.

Click to download the pattern.

This quilt was long arm quilted by my friend Megan McCord and photographed by me. I love the little details in the prints - especially the houses and park scenes.

I chose this beautiful coral - pink Pin Drop (in Salmon) basic from Riley Blake to bind the quilt with. I really wanted to pull that shade from the quilt top, which there is little of, and make it pop. Im happy with everything about it and it was so fast and easy I wouldn't hesitate to make another one!

How perfect is Riley Blake Blossom Basics in Bleached Denim as a border and backing?!? Its the best ultra-light blue.

Don't forget to download the free pattern! If you make a #communitypicnicquilt I'd love to see it. Please tag me on social media @amistabaker.