Riley Blake All Sports - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake All Sports Quilt Pattern – Free Downloadable PDF by The RBD Designers

The Riley Blake All Sports quilt pattern is a free downloadable PDF designed by The RBD Designers for Riley Blake Designs. It produces a cheerful, sports-themed lap quilt with a finished size of 56¼" x 56¼", making it an ideal project for sports fans of all ages. With a beginner difficulty rating, this pattern is accessible to newer quilters while still offering satisfying construction techniques that more experienced quilters will enjoy completing quickly.

About the Quilt Design

The All Sports quilt features three distinct block types arranged in a dynamic layout that showcases playful sports-themed fabrics from the Riley Blake All Sports fabric collection. The finished block size for the primary blocks is 9" x 9". The design combines pieced blocks with on-point setting elements to create visual movement and energy across the quilt top.

Block Types Included

• Sports Block – The focal block of the quilt, constructed using a square-in-square technique. A center square of either blue sneakers (C2511 Blue) or cream football (C2513 Cream) fabric is surrounded by successive rounds of half-square triangles cut from red dots (C2517 Red) and brown dots (C2517 Brown) fabrics. The pattern calls for 9 Sports Blocks in total.
• Ball Block – A traditional nine-patch-style block built using a unit-based construction method. Blue plaid (C2515 Blue) squares are sewn to the ends of whisper white (C100-02 Whisper White) rectangles to form Unit A, while whisper white rectangles are joined to opposite sides of a blue baseball (C2512 Blue) center square to form Unit B. The two Unit As are then sewn to the top and bottom of Unit B to complete each Ball Block. The pattern calls for 4 Ball Blocks.
• Setting Triangles – These triangles frame and connect the blocks within the layout. They are constructed by sewing blue dots (C2517 Blue) triangles to adjacent sides of a whisper white square, creating the on-point setting elements that give the quilt its cohesive, structured appearance.

Quilting Techniques Used

This pattern introduces and reinforces several core quilting skills that are foundational to the craft:

• Square-in-square construction – Used in the Sports Block, this technique involves sewing triangles to all four sides of a center square in successive rounds, creating a rotated inner square framed by contrasting fabric. It is an excellent way to practice precise triangle alignment and pressing.
• Half-square triangle (HST) cutting – Red dots squares are cut twice diagonally (quarter-square triangles) to yield four triangles per square, while brown dots squares are cut once diagonally (half-square triangles) to yield two triangles per square. Understanding the difference between these two cuts is a key beginner quilting skill.
• Unit-based block assembly – The Ball Block is pieced by constructing smaller sub-units (Unit A and Unit B) before joining them, a method that improves accuracy and simplifies the overall assembly process.
• Pressing techniques – The pattern emphasizes pressing after each seam, a standard quilting practice that ensures flat, accurate blocks and clean seam intersections.
• Accurate seam allowances – All measurements include a ¼" seam allowance, the standard for quilting. The pattern advises measuring through the center of the quilt before cutting border pieces, a best practice that accounts for any variation in piecing.
• Right sides together sewing – All pieces are sewn with right sides together unless otherwise stated, as is standard in quilt construction.

Fabric Requirements and Materials

This quilt is designed to showcase the Riley Blake All Sports fabric collection, with each fabric identified by its specific colorway and SKU. The fabrics required are:

• 1⅛ yards – Main (