Riley Blake Serendipity - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Serendipity Quilt Pattern by Jina Barney – Free Downloadable PDF

The Serendipity pattern, designed by Jina Barney and published by Riley Blake Designs, is a free downloadable PDF project sheet for an intermediate-level quilter. The finished quilt measures 56½" x 67¾" and is built around a classic on-point, diagonal setting that gives the design its flowing, serendipitous character. The pattern draws from the Andrea Victoria 2 Collection by Riley Blake, combining rich fuchsia tones with a cool gray damask and crisp white solid for a striking, feminine palette.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a full-sized lap or throw quilt featuring two primary block types — a Chain Block and a Center Block — arranged on the diagonal with setting triangles and corner triangles to complete the quilt center. The diagonal layout creates the illusion of interlocking chains across the surface of the quilt, a timeless design effect that elevates an otherwise straightforward block construction into something visually dynamic.

Block Construction

Chain Block

The Chain Block finishes at 8" x 8" and is constructed by combining Four-Patch Units with plain squares of clean white solid. Specifically, two Four-Patch Units and two 4½" x 4½" clean white solid squares are sewn together to form each Chain Block. A total of 18 Chain Blocks are required for the quilt. The Four-Patch Units themselves are made from 2½"-wide strips cut from the clean white solid and fuchsia wish fabrics, strip-pieced and sub-cut in the traditional manner.

Center Block

The Center Block is cut from the fuchsia main fabric (C3550 Fuchsia) as 8½" x 8½" squares, yielding a finished size of 8" x 8" — matching the Chain Block for seamless diagonal row assembly. Four of these Center Blocks are required.

Setting Triangles and Corner Triangles

Because the blocks are set on the diagonal, Setting Triangles and Corner Triangles are needed to fill in the edges and corners of the quilt center. The pattern notes that these triangles are intentionally cut larger than needed, allowing the quilter to square up the quilt center accurately while still maintaining a ¼" seam allowance on all sides. This is a common and helpful technique in on-point quilt construction that prevents bias-edge distortion.

Quilt Center Assembly

The Chain Blocks, Center Blocks, and Setting Triangles are arranged by referring to the quilt photo for correct placement. Rows are then sewn together on the diagonal, and Corner Triangles are added last to complete the rectangular quilt center. This diagonal row-by-row assembly method is a hallmark of on-point quilt construction and requires careful attention to block orientation and row sequencing.

Techniques Used

• Strip piecing for efficient Four-Patch Unit construction
• Four-Patch block assembly using alternating light and fuchsia strips
• On-point / diagonal setting for the overall quilt layout
• Setting and corner triangle construction with intentional oversizing for squaring up
• Diagonal row assembly of the quilt center
• Layering, batting, and binding to finish the quilt

Stitches and Sewing Details

• All seam allowances are ¼" throughout, with the exception of border pieces, which require measuring through the quilt center before cutting
• All pieces are sewn with right sides together unless otherwise stated
• Standard straight-stitch machine quilting construction is used throughout

Fabric Requirements and Materials

The pattern calls for fabrics from the Andrea Victoria 2 Collection by Riley Blake Designs, with the following specific requirements:

• ¼