Riley Blake Love is in the Air - Downloadable PDF
By Riley Blake
Riley Blake Love is in the Air Quilt Pattern – Downloadable PDF Summary
The Riley Blake Love is in the Air pattern is a free downloadable PDF quilt pattern designed by Riley Blake Designs. It produces a finished quilt measuring 58" x 68", making it a generous throw or lap quilt size. The pattern is rated advanced difficulty, making it best suited for quilters who are comfortable with precise piecing, multiple fabric selections, and complex block construction. All measurements include standard ¼" seam allowances, and all pieces are sewn with right sides together unless otherwise noted.
What Is Being Made
This pattern creates a quilted blanket or throw built around a central repeating design known as the Love Bird Star Block. Each finished block measures 10" x 10", and multiple blocks are assembled together with borders to achieve the full quilt dimensions. The overall design draws on a romantic, nature-inspired aesthetic featuring love birds, swirls, stripes, dots, leaves, and garden motifs — all sourced from the coordinating Riley Blake Love is in the Air fabric collection.
The Love Bird Star Block
The signature block of this quilt is the Love Bird Star Block, a structured, multi-unit block that combines several pieced units to form a star-style design. The block instructions reference three distinct units:
- Unit A
- Unit B
- Unit C
Each unit is constructed separately and then joined according to the Love Bird Star Block Diagram provided in the PDF. Quilters are directed to refer to the block diagram carefully for correct fabric placement within each unit. This type of multi-unit star block construction is a hallmark of advanced quilting, requiring accuracy in cutting, pressing, and joining to ensure points align cleanly across the finished quilt top.
Techniques Used
As an advanced quilting pattern, Love is in the Air employs several key quilting techniques:
- Precision piecing – maintaining exact ¼" seam allowances throughout to ensure blocks and borders align correctly
- Half-square triangle construction – referenced through the use of triangles cut from fabrics such as the white love bird mini dots, which are sewn into angled units within the star block
- Multi-unit block assembly – constructing Units A, B, and C independently before combining them into the complete 10" x 10" block
- Quilt top assembly – arranging finished blocks according to the quilt photo for correct fabric and color placement across the full quilt top
- Border application – the pattern includes a Border 3 treatment, with strips cut at 2½" x WOF (width of fabric) from the white love bird stripe fabric (C7092 White), indicating multiple border rounds are used to frame the quilt center
- Right-sides-together sewing – standard quilting construction method used throughout
Stitches and Sewing Methods
This is a quilting project worked entirely by machine sewing, as is standard for patchwork quilt construction. The primary stitch used throughout is a straight machine stitch sewn at a consistent ¼" seam allowance. Quilters familiar with chain piecing and pressing seams open or to the side will find those skills particularly useful when assembling the multiple units and blocks required for this design.
Materials – Fabric Requirements
This pattern is designed exclusively for use with fabrics from the Riley Blake Love is in the Air collection. The following fabrics are required, listed with their specific colorways and SKU references as provided in the pattern:
- 2¼ yards – Love Bird Main, C7090 Blue
- 3/8 yard – Love Bird Swirls, C7091 Blue
- 1 yard – Love Bird Stripe, C7092 White
- 1/8 yard – Love Bird Garden, C7093 Green
Specifications
| Brand: | Riley Blake |
| Pages: | 2 |
| Designer: | Riley Blake Designs |
| Craft: | Quilting |
| Format: | Downloadable PDF |
| Languages: | English |
| Number of Patterns: | 1 |
| Skill Level: | Advanced |