Riley Blake Lots of Dots - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Lots of Dots – Free Downloadable Quilt Pattern by Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet

The Riley Blake Lots of Dots pattern, designed by Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet, is a charming and beginner-friendly quilt pattern that results in a finished 60" x 60" square quilt. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this design is a refreshed take on an original Lori Holt classic, making it an excellent choice for quilters who are just starting out or who want a fun, approachable project with impressive visual results. The quilt's signature feature is its playful arrangement of appliquéd fabric circles set against a clean background, giving it a lively, polished look that suits a wide range of home décor styles.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a lap-sized quilt measuring 60 inches by 60 inches, making it ideal as a throw blanket, a decorative bed topper for a child's room, or a cozy accent piece for a sofa or armchair. The design centers on nine-patch blocks featuring large, perfectly rounded appliquéd circles cut from a variety of printed fabrics. These circles are framed by a stop border and a wider outer border, giving the finished quilt a structured, well-composed appearance. The overall aesthetic is cheerful and graphic, leaning into the playful "dots" theme through the circular appliqué elements and the coordinating Riley Blake Designs dot and print fabrics.

Techniques Used

The Lots of Dots quilt combines traditional quilting construction with a specific interfacing-based circle appliqué technique that makes achieving smooth, perfectly shaped circles accessible even for beginners. Key techniques include:

• Nine-patch block construction – a foundational quilting technique in which nine equal squares are sewn together in a three-by-three grid to form a larger block unit.
• Circle appliqué using sew-in interfacing – rather than relying on raw-edge or fusible appliqué, this method uses P45 Pellon lightweight sew-in interfacing pinned to the right side of a marked block. The circle outline is stitched directly onto the marked line, then trimmed with an approximate 1/4" seam allowance around the stitching.
• Turning slit method – a small 4–5" slit is carefully cut into the interfacing only using a seam ripper or small pointed embroidery scissors, allowing the circle unit to be turned right side out without damaging the fabric.
• Pressing and shaping – once turned, the circle edges are smoothed and pressed flat to create a crisp, professional finish before being applied to the quilt top.
• Backstitching at start and stop points – the pattern specifically instructs quilters to backstitch when beginning and ending the circle stitching line, ensuring the seam is secure before trimming and turning.
• Border construction – a narrow stop border and a wider outer border are added to frame the central block arrangement and bring the quilt to its finished 60" x 60" dimensions.
• Binding – the quilt is finished with a traditional binding applied around the outer edges.

Stitches and Sewing Methods

As a quilting project, the construction is done entirely by machine sewing rather than hand stitching. The primary stitch types referenced in the pattern include:

• Straight stitch – used for all block assembly, border attachment, and the critical circle appliqué stitching line sewn directly onto the marked circle outline.
• Backstitch – specifically called out at the beginning and end of each circle stitching pass to lock the seam securely before trimming.

The use of circle rulers is recommended to mark the circle shapes accurately onto the nine-patch blocks before stitching, ensuring consistent sizing and smooth curves throughout the quilt top.

Materials and Fabric

The pattern is designed around Riley Blake Designs fabrics and specifies the following supply list:

• 35–40 ten-inch squares of ass