Riley Blake Happy Trails - Blue - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Happy Trails Quilt Pattern – Blue Colorway – Free Downloadable PDF

The Happy Trails pattern by The RBD Designers for Riley Blake Designs is a charming, beginner-friendly patchwork quilt pattern that finishes at a generous 58" x 58" — a versatile square size well suited for a lap quilt, throw, or large baby quilt. The design is available as a free downloadable PDF and is built around a classic on-point block setting that gives the quilt its lively, trail-like visual movement. The blue colorway draws on a rich collection of coordinating Riley Blake prints, creating a cohesive, heritage-inspired look reminiscent of cozy cabin textiles.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single square patchwork quilt measuring 58" x 58". The quilt is constructed from Trail Blocks set on point, framed with sashing, corner posts, and a three-border finishing system. The finished block size is 8½" x 8½", and the overall design achieves a scrappy, coordinated look by pulling from a wide palette of prints within the Riley Blake Happy Trails fabric collection.

Design Layout and Construction Overview

The quilt is assembled using an on-point block arrangement, a classic quilting layout in which square blocks are rotated 45 degrees and set diagonally across the quilt. This technique creates the dynamic, trail-like movement suggested by the pattern name. Setting triangles fill in the edges and corners to square up the quilt top.

• Trail Blocks are the primary design unit, each finishing at 8½" x 8½". They are constructed using 2½" squares and setting triangles cut from 4¼" squares that are each cut twice diagonally to yield four quarter-square triangles per square — a total of 128 setting triangles from the background fabric alone.
• Sashing is added between blocks using 2" x 9" rectangles cut from Blue Houndstooth (C637 Blue), giving the blocks clear visual separation.
• Corner posts — small 2" x 2" squares cut from Red Herringbone (C636 Red) — punctuate the sashing intersections, adding a traditional and polished detail.
• A three-border system frames the completed quilt top, progressing from a narrow inner border to a bold outer border for a structured, finished appearance.

Techniques Used

• On-point (diagonal) block setting — blocks are rotated and set at 45 degrees, with setting triangles used to fill the edges
• Quarter-square triangle cutting — 4¼" squares are cut twice diagonally to produce accurate setting triangles with the straight grain on the long edge
• Sashing and post construction — a traditional grid of sashing strips and corner posts organizes the blocks into a cohesive layout
• Strip-cut borders — borders are cut as strips across the width of fabric (WOF) and applied in sequence to frame the quilt top
• Scrappy piecing — a large variety of coordinating prints are used in small 2½" squares to create visual interest and a collected, heirloom feel
• Standard seam allowances — all measurements include a ¼" seam allowance, the quilting standard; the pattern notes that seam allowances may vary and recommends measuring through the center of the quilt before cutting border pieces
• Right-sides-together sewing — all piecing is done with right sides together unless otherwise noted

Stitches Used

• Straight stitch — used throughout for all piecing seams, sewn at a consistent ¼" seam allowance on a sewing machine

As with most quilting projects, finishing the quilt will also involve a quilting stitch (either by hand or machine) to join the quilt top, batting, and backing, though the specific quilting design is left to the maker's preference.

Fabrics and Materials

This pattern is designed specifically for the Riley Blake Happy Trails fabric collection, which features a coordinated range of classic textile-inspired prints