Riley Blake Pretty Posies - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Pretty Posies Quilt Pattern by Carina Gardner – Free Downloadable PDF

The Riley Blake Pretty Posies pattern, designed by Carina Gardner and available as a free downloadable PDF, guides quilters through the creation of a stunning 76" x 91" throw quilt built from bold, floral-inspired patchwork blocks. This is a beginner-friendly quilting project that introduces foundational techniques in a manageable, rewarding format, making it an excellent choice for those who are new to quilting or looking to build confidence with classic block construction.

About the Pretty Posies Quilt Design

The finished quilt measures 76 inches wide by 91 inches long, making it a generous lap or throw size suitable for everyday use or display. The design is built around a repeating 15" x 15" Posy Block, each of which features a unique combination of fabrics drawn from the coordinating Riley Blake fabric collection. The overall effect is a lively, garden-inspired quilt full of color and movement, with posie-like arrangements of half square triangles radiating from a central solid square.

Because each block uses a different combination of prints, the quilt has an organic, scrappy quality even within a structured layout. Quilters are encouraged to refer to the quilt photo for placement guidance, as the variation between blocks is intentional and central to the design's charm.

Fabrics and Materials Required

This pattern is designed specifically around the Riley Blake Designs Pretty Posies fabric collection. The required materials include:

• 1 Posy Garden Fat Quarter Bundle (FQ-5420-18) – an 18-piece assortment of coordinating prints that forms the colorful foundation of each Posy Block
• 1¾ yards of Navy Main (C5420 Navy) – used for the outer border
• ¾ yard of Cream Floral (C5422 Cream) – used for the inner border
• 3⅛ yards of Cloud Solid (C120 Cloud) – a neutral solid used extensively throughout the blocks as the background element in half square triangles and setting squares
• ¾ yard of binding fabric
• 5½ yards of backing fabric

The fat quarter bundle includes an assortment of prints across multiple colorways, including cream main, navy main, pink main, aqua scallop, navy scallop, pink scallop, cream floral, navy floral, and purple floral. Each print contributes a specific number of squares to the overall block construction, giving the quilt its signature multicolored, garden-fresh palette.

Techniques Used

The Pretty Posies quilt is built primarily around one essential quilting technique: the Half Square Triangle (HST). This is one of the most fundamental and versatile units in quilting, and mastering it opens the door to a wide range of quilt designs. The pattern uses a classic two-at-a-time HST method:

• A diagonal line is drawn on the wrong side of a Cloud Solid 4" square
• The marked square is placed right sides together with an assorted print 4" square
• The pair is sewn with a ¼" seam on each side of the drawn line
• The unit is then cut along the drawn line to yield 2 Half Square Triangles
• Each HST is pressed and squared up to 3½" for accuracy

The pattern calls for a total of 326 Half Square Triangles, with 6 set aside as extras. This efficient construction method keeps the process moving quickly and is well-suited to beginner quilters learning to work with diagonal seams and pressing techniques.

In addition to HST construction, the pattern incorporates strip cutting, square cutting from strips, and bordered quilt assembly. Borders are added in two stages: a Cream Floral inner border cut from 2½" x WOF strips, and a Navy Main outer border cut from 6½" x WOF strips. The pattern notes that seam allowances vary and recommends measuring through the center of the quilt before cutting border pieces — a