Riley Blake Around The Stars - Downloadable PDF

Around the Stars Quilt Pattern by Jina Barney for Riley Blake Designs

About This Free Downloadable Quilt Pattern

Around the Stars is a beginner-friendly quilt pattern designed by Jina Barney for Riley Blake Designs, available as a free downloadable PDF. The finished quilt measures a generous 68½" x 78½", making it a substantial lap or bed quilt suitable for everyday use. Despite its striking star-studded appearance, the construction relies on straightforward techniques that are well within reach of newer quilters.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single large patchwork quilt built around a repeating Snowball block set at a finished size of 8" x 8". Thirty Snowball blocks are arranged in a structured grid and separated by a coordinating sashing-and-posts layout, giving the quilt its characteristic framed, medallion-like rhythm. The overall design creates the illusion of interlocking stars across the quilt surface, a classic optical effect achieved through careful fabric placement rather than complex piecing.

Techniques Used

• Snowball block construction: Smaller squares are placed on the corners of larger squares, sewn on a drawn diagonal line, then trimmed and pressed to create rounded corner effects. This is one of the most beginner-accessible techniques in quilting.
• Sashing and posts assembly: Horizontal sashing strips are joined with small square posts to create structured rows (labeled Row A) that separate the block rows (labeled Row B), a classic grid-setting technique that adds visual definition without complex piecing.
• Straight-set row assembly: Rows A and B are alternated and sewn together to complete the quilt center, following a straightforward linear layout.
• Corner-to-corner diagonal stitching: A line is drawn from corner to corner on the wrong side of small squares before sewing, a reliable method for creating accurate angled seams without specialty rulers.
• Pressing and trimming: Excess seam allowance is trimmed after sewing the diagonal seams, and pieces are pressed for flat, accurate results.

Stitches and Construction Details

• All piecing is done with a standard ¼" seam allowance, the quilting industry standard for precise patchwork.
• All seams are sewn with right sides together unless otherwise noted.
• Seam allowances on border pieces may vary, and the pattern advises measuring through the quilt center before cutting borders — a best practice that ensures a flat, square finished quilt.

Fabrics and Materials

The pattern is specifically designed around Riley Blake Designs fabric collections, using a coordinated range of prints identified by their style numbers. The fabric requirements call for a rich variety of prints and colorways:

• Main stars fabric (C7120) in Orange (1½ yards) and Blue (¼ yard) — the primary star print anchoring the design
• Paisley (C7121) in Orange and Cream (¼ yard each)
• Bullseye star (C7122) in Blue and Orange (¼ yard each)
• Large polka dot (C7123) in Blue (¼ yard) and Orange (1¼ yards)
• Mini dot (C7124) in Blue and Orange (¼ yard each)
• Mini star (C7125) in Blue (¼ yard) and Orange (1 yard)
• Cheery circle (C7126) in Brown (½ yard) and Blue (1⅜ yards) — used prominently for sashing and posts
• Stripe (C7127) in Orange and Blue (¼ yard each)
• Binding: ⅝ yard
• Backing: 5 yards

The warm orange and blue palette, punctuated by cream, brown, and coordinating prints, gives Around the Stars a lively, cheerful character. The variety of small-scale prints — dots, mini stars, paisleys, and stripes — adds visual texture without competing with the overall star pattern.