Riley Blake Whisper Wings - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Whisper Wings Quilt Pattern – Downloadable PDF by Zoe Pearn Designs

The Whisper Wings pattern by Zoe Pearn Designs is a free downloadable PDF quilting pattern produced in partnership with Riley Blake Designs. It is rated as a beginner-friendly project and results in a finished quilt measuring 64 inches by 76 inches, making it an ideal size for a throw or lap blanket. The design is built around a charming Butterfly Block, each finishing at 10 inches by 10 inches, which are then arranged with sashing and borders into the complete quilt top.

What Is Being Made

Whisper Wings is a patchwork quilt in the blankets and throws category. The finished piece showcases a repeating butterfly motif constructed from carefully pieced fabric blocks. Each butterfly block is assembled using a combination of assorted print fabrics and solid or tonal whites, giving the quilt a soft, airy aesthetic that lives up to its name. The blocks are joined with sashing strips and framed with a border to complete the design.

Design and Block Construction

The heart of this quilt is the Butterfly Block, and the pattern notes that each block is a different combination of fabrics, encouraging variety across the quilt top. The butterfly wings are created using a classic stitch-and-flip (also called the snowball corner or folded corner) technique, where a square is placed on a corner of a rectangle with right sides together, sewn diagonally across the square, then trimmed and pressed to create an angled seam that forms the wing shape.

This technique is a staple of beginner quilting because it requires no specialty rulers or templates — just careful marking and accurate sewing. A line is drawn from corner to corner on the wrong side of the small squares before sewing, ensuring a precise diagonal seam every time.

Techniques Used

• Stitch-and-flip (folded corner) piecing – used to create the angled butterfly wing shapes within each block
• Strip cutting and sub-cutting – strips are cut width-of-fabric (WOF) and then sub-cut into specific rectangles and squares for efficient, accurate cutting
• Sashing construction – horizontal and vertical sashing strips are sewn between blocks to frame each butterfly and add structure to the layout
• Border application – a Border 1 is added around the assembled quilt center using strips sewn together and trimmed to length
• Pressing techniques – seams are pressed after each stitch-and-flip step to keep blocks flat and accurate
• Quilt assembly and layout – blocks are arranged with reference to the quilt photo for intentional fabric placement across the design

Stitches and Sewing Methods

• Straight stitch – the primary stitch used throughout all piecing, sashing, and border assembly
• Diagonal straight stitch – sewn corner to corner on small squares for the stitch-and-flip butterfly wing technique
• All seams are sewn with a ¼-inch seam allowance, which is the standard for quilting and essential for accurate block sizing
• All pieces are sewn with right sides together unless otherwise stated in the pattern

Cutting Requirements and Piecing Details

The pattern provides thorough cutting instructions organized by fabric. Key cuts include:

• Snow white shade (C200-03 Snow White): cut into 3-inch squares for stitch-and-flip corners, 4⅜-inch squares, 1¾-inch squares, and 1-inch rectangles in two lengths
• White main (C4620 White): cut into 2½-inch by 10½-inch sashing rectangles and 2½-inch WOF strips for Border 1
• Assorted print fabrics: sourced from the Summer Song 2 Fat Quarter Stack (FQ-4620-21), used for the butterfly wing and body sections of each block
• Sashing strips are sewn together