Riley Blake Two By Two - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Two By Two Quilt Pattern by Carina Gardner – Free Downloadable PDF

The Riley Blake Two By Two is a charming intermediate-level quilt pattern designed by Carina Gardner and available as a free downloadable PDF. The finished quilt measures a generous 50½" x 55", making it an ideal lap quilt or children's throw. It is constructed from 4½" x 4½" finished blocks arranged in a classic grid layout of 10 rows of 9 blocks, producing a lively, pattern-rich surface that showcases a wide variety of coordinating prints.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a patchwork quilt featuring a repeating two-by-two block structure. The design plays on the visual contrast between a clean white solid background and a rich assortment of printed fabrics from the Riley Blake Designs fabric collection. The result is a colorful, graphic quilt that highlights the variety of prints available in a single coordinated fabric bundle, making it a popular choice for showcasing precut fabric collections.

Materials Required

Fabric

• 1 Little Ark 10-inch Stacker (SKU: 10-3830-18) – a precut bundle of 10" squares featuring prints such as gray stripe, aqua rain, orange dot, aqua chevron, blue friends, orange friends, green rain, aqua dot, gray dot, aqua friends, blue stripe, multi stripe, blue rain, blue chevron, green chevron, blue main, multi main, and aqua main
• 1 yard aqua main (C3830 Aqua) – used for Border 1
• 1 yard clean white solid (C100-01 Clean White) – used for background squares throughout the quilt center
• 5/8 yard fabric for binding
• 3¼ yards fabric for backing

Tools and Notions

• Rotary cutter, quilting ruler, and self-healing cutting mat for accurate cutting
• Sewing machine capable of a consistent ¼" seam allowance
• Iron and pressing surface for seam pressing
• General quilting supplies including pins or clips and thread

Techniques Used

This pattern is rated intermediate, meaning it is best suited for quilters who already have a foundational understanding of quilting terminology and basic construction methods. No advanced piecing techniques such as curved seams or paper piecing are required, but accuracy in cutting and consistent seam allowances are essential for the blocks to align properly across the quilt top.

• Precut fabric cutting: The 10-inch Stacker squares are sub-cut into 5" x 5" squares, with varying quantities cut from each print depending on its role in the overall layout. This efficient use of precuts minimizes waste and simplifies the cutting process.
• Strip cutting: The clean white solid and aqua main fabrics are cut into 5" x WOF (width of fabric) strips, which are then sub-cut into individual squares or used as border strips.
• Block layout and row assembly: Blocks are arranged by referring to the quilt photo and diagram for placement, then sewn together into rows before the rows are joined to complete the quilt center. Careful attention to block placement ensures the variety of prints is distributed evenly across the finished quilt.
• Borders: A single border round (Border 1) is added using aqua main fabric. The pattern instructs quilters to measure through the center of the quilt before cutting border strips, a best practice in quilting that accounts for any variation in seam allowances and ensures the finished quilt lies flat. Side borders are sewn first at 45½", followed by top and bottom borders at 51". Border strips are sewn end to end if additional length is needed.
• Binding: Standard quilt binding is applied using the dedicated binding fabric to finish the raw edges of the quilt.

Stitches and Sewing Details

• All piecing is done with a standard