Almond Blossom Quilt Tutorial and Inspiration: Sewing Curves with Confetti Cotton Solids!
Hi everyone! Mary from Ember Craft Company here, and I’m so excited to share my latest quilt pattern – the Almond Blossom Quilt!
My cover quilt for the pattern was inspired by the gorgeous almond orchards in the Central Valley of California where I grew up. Every February, the almond trees bloom for about 3 weeks and it is a sight to behold! I initially designed this block as a way to demonstrate different ways to sew curves at the Riley Blake Designs booth at QuiltCon this past February and it’s so satisfying to finally have this pattern out in the world!
Find this pattern in my Etsy shop HERE – use code BLOSSOM20 to get 20% off my entire shop to celebrate through the month of November!
I know sewing curves can be intimidating for many quilters. I’ve put together a full-length tutorial on my YouTube channel that walks you through the entire process to sew the curves in this block – from printing the templates correctly, cutting your fabric, different methods of basting the pieces, and finally sewing and piecing these big blossom blocks. This is useful not only for this pattern but sewing curves in general – you can find it on my channel HERE.
I was really excited to go through the big catalog of Confetti Cotton Solids to pick the fabrics for this quilt – you can find a complete listing of them HERE – and settled on Riley White for the Petals, Butterscotch for the flower centers and binding, Mediterranean for the background, Pebble for the sashing, and Sugar Pink for the fun pops at the cornerstones and backing. The pattern also includes a Mix & Match version that requires 1/3 yards for each flower – see requirements table below!
The cover quilt was quilted by Donna Larson of Featherbed Quilting – you can see more of her work HERE. We partnered with The Quilting Mill to use their Raindrop Ripples panto for this quilt (find it HERE). I love how the circles mimic the flower centers and curves on the petals. It is also symbolic of the complicated relationship rainwater has with almonds – rain is the lifeblood of agriculture while at the same time, a poorly-timed deluge can destroy an entire crop. The texture this panto gives the quilt is amazing and I’ll definitely have to find another reason to use this one.
I’m so excited to see what you will do with this pattern – are you ready to tackle sewing curves? Let me know in the comments!
As always, thanks so much for following along with me here! Now, I’m always up to some kind of sewing shenanigans, make sure to follow me on all the socials to see what I’m up to next!
Happy Sewing!
Mary Burroughs-Mayer – Ember Craft Company
4 Comments
Linda
Wow!! The Almond Blossoms caught my attention. So nice to see it with dark background. There is so much white background on so many patterns. I have never done curves but the pieces appear large so, it may be easier to do. I think I will give it a try. I also love your earthy colorway. Can you share those colors too? I am starting to make more quilts with solids too. I always starch the solids before I start.
Just Beautiful!! Great Job!! I am so glad to find you!
Linda
Mary Burroughs-Mayer
Hi Linda, Thanks so much for your kind words! These are definitely on the easier side of curved piecing. I’ve included a free tutorial in the pattern to help with those! Head over to my instagram for a list of the earthier colors!
Denise Gomez
I have completed a curved quilt before and it turned out beautiful. It’s not that difficult folks, so give it a try. I live in the Central Valley and love to tour the blossom trail. The blossoms. The springs are just gorgeous.
Mary Burroughs-Mayer
Hi Denise, I agree on the curves! It’s such a fun skill to have! Yay for a fellow Central Valley quilter! The blossoms melt my heart every year!