Riley Blake Little Mermaid Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Little Mermaid Quilt – Pattern Summary

The Riley Blake Little Mermaid Quilt is a downloadable PDF quilting pattern from Riley Blake Designs that produces a cheerful, ocean-themed quilt with a finished size of 63¾" x 69". Featuring whimsical motifs including fish, seahorses, and narwhals, this design is rated intermediate difficulty, making it a rewarding project for quilters who are comfortable with standard quilting techniques and terminology but are ready to work with more complex fabric placement and piecing arrangements. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a single bed or lap-sized quilt measuring approximately 63¾" x 69". The finished quilt is ocean-themed and incorporates multiple pieced blocks featuring recognizable sea creature motifs. The design uses a combination of pre-cut strips and individually cut pieces to build a colorful, playful layout that would suit a child's bedroom or a nautical-inspired space. Riley Blake Designs notes that the quilt and block diagrams shown are virtual images, and the actual layout may differ depending on the fabrics used.

Key Fabric Requirements

The pattern is built around the Saltwater Rolie Polie (RP-4430-18) by Riley Blake Designs, which is a pre-cut roll of 2½"-wide fabric strips — commonly known in the quilting world as a Rolie Polie or jelly roll. These pre-cut strips are a hallmark of modern quilting and allow for efficient cutting and consistent strip widths throughout the project. Additional yardage is required for borders and other structural elements of the quilt.

• Saltwater Rolie Polie (RP-4430-18): The primary pre-cut fabric collection providing the themed prints used throughout the quilt blocks
• Blue Narwhal fabric: Cut into 6 strips measuring 6½" x WOF (width of fabric) specifically for Border 5, the outermost or a significant outer border of the quilt
• White seahorse fabric: Cut into specific rectangles including a 2½" x 7½", a 2½" x 7⅛", and a 2½" x 6¾" rectangle for use within the pieced blocks
• Blue fish fabric: Yields 8 squares at 2½" x 2½", plus rectangles of 2½" x 8", 2½" x 7½", and 2½" x 6¾"
• Pink fish fabric: Cut into 2 rectangles at 2½" x 8", 1 rectangle at 2½" x 7½", and 1 rectangle at 2½" x 7⅛"
• Yellow fish fabric: Provides 2 rectangles at 2½" x 8", 2 rectangles at 2½" x 7½", and 1 rectangle at 2½" x 6¾"

Techniques Used

This pattern requires a basic to intermediate knowledge of quilting technique and terminology, as stated by Riley Blake Designs. The construction relies on several foundational quilting methods that are standard in modern patchwork quilting.

• Strip piecing: Working with the 2½"-wide Rolie Polie pre-cut strips is central to the design, and quilters will cut these strips down into squares and rectangles of specific dimensions for block construction
• Precise rotary cutting: The pattern specifies exact measurements for each piece, requiring accurate cutting of squares and rectangles from both pre-cut strips and yardage
• Block piecing: Individual blocks are assembled from multiple cut pieces featuring the sea creature prints, requiring careful attention to fabric placement and orientation to achieve the themed motif effect
• Bordered quilt construction: The quilt includes multiple borders, with at least Border 5 explicitly referenced, indicating a multi-border design that frames the central pieced section in successive layers
• Right-sides-together sewing: All seams are sewn with right sides together as the standard