Riley Blake Bow Wow - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Bow Wow Quilt Pattern – Free Downloadable PDF by Bella Blvd

The Riley Blake Bow Wow pattern is a free downloadable PDF quilt project designed by Bella Blvd and published by Riley Blake Designs. It produces a charming, dog-themed square quilt measuring 58" x 58", making it an ideal lap quilt, throw, or child's quilt. The design is rated intermediate difficulty, meaning it is best suited to quilters who already have a working knowledge of basic quilting techniques and terminology, including accurate cutting, strip piecing, and working with setting and corner triangles.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a single finished quilt top in a 58" x 58" square format. The quilt is built around a central block design called the Yellow Puppy Block, which finishes at 8½" x 8½". The overall aesthetic is playful and whimsical, drawing on puppy- and dog-themed prints from the Riley Blake Designs fabric collection associated with the Bella Blvd collaboration. The finished quilt is suitable for children's rooms, nurseries, or as a fun novelty throw for any dog lover.

Block Design – The Yellow Puppy Block

The focal point of this quilt is the Yellow Puppy Block, a pieced block that combines strip-pieced units with themed print squares and on-point setting elements. Each block is constructed from the following components:

• Unit A – Created by sewing together a 1½" green crosshatch strip, a 1½" cream stripes strip, and a 1½" cream bones strip. These three-strip sets are pressed and then crosscut into 3½" segments. Each block requires 4 Unit A segments, and the pattern calls for a total of 16 Unit A's across the quilt.
• Center Square – A 3½" x 3½" cream dogs print square serves as the center of each Yellow Puppy Block, showcasing the novelty dog-themed fabric.
• Setting Triangles – Cut from yellow crosshatch fabric, these triangles are set around the block to create an on-point or diagonal visual effect within the block layout.
• Corner Triangles – Also cut from yellow crosshatch fabric, four corner triangles complete each Yellow Puppy Block, finishing the block to its 8½" square size.

Assembly of each block involves referring to the quilt photo for correct fabric placement, then sewing together the 4 Unit A's, the center cream dogs square, the 4 Setting Triangles, and the 4 Corner Triangles in the correct orientation.

Techniques Used

This is a quilting project that draws on several classic and intermediate-level construction methods:

• Strip piecing – Multiple fabric strips are sewn together along their long edges, pressed, and then crosscut into uniform segments (Unit A's). This is an efficient and accurate method for creating repeated pieced units.
• On-point block setting – The use of Setting Triangles and Corner Triangles within the block construction gives the design a diagonal, on-point feel even within a straight-set quilt layout.
• Accurate seam allowances – All measurements in the pattern include a ¼" seam allowance, which is the standard for quilting. Maintaining consistent ¼" seams throughout is essential for blocks to finish at the correct size.
• Right-sides-together sewing – The pattern specifies sewing with right sides together unless otherwise stated, which is standard quilting practice.
• Pressing – Strip sets are pressed after sewing before being cut into segments, ensuring flat, accurate units.

Stitches and Sewing Specifics

• Straight stitch – All piecing in this quilt is done with a standard straight stitch on a sewing machine, as is typical for quilting projects.
• ¼" seam allowance is used consistently throughout all piecing steps.

Materials –