Retro Blossoms Quilt- The Grapemist Version

Written by Brittany Lloyd

I'm back with another Retro Blossoms Quilt to share! If you love this pattern, find it here in our shop!

Retro Blossoms is a modern take on pieced curves with a nod to the past. Something about it feels retro and classic yet also modern and timeless at the same time. This vintage floral inspired quilt has a mix and match style color palette and three different kinds of traditionally pieced curves: drunkard's path units, orange peels and half circles.

We're calling this the Grapemist version, but I like to think of it as a sister quilt to the Retro Blossoms Cover Quilt! It may be hard to believe, but simply swapping the background fabric of AGF Magnetism (in the cover quilt) with Kona Snow (in this version) changes the entire mood of this quilt! Adding Kona Grapemist to the border adds the perfect pop of color that really brings a playful yet calming feeling to the entire quilt. Otherwise, the colors are exact same, plus a few extra colors in the Grapemist version because it's the large throw.

Here's a look at the fabrics used in this quilt.

Quilt Top:

Orange Peels: Kona Gumdrop, Ballerina, Rose, Foxglove, Melon, Blush Pink, Primrose, Ice Peach, Petunia & Ethereal Pink
Background: Kona Snow
Accent: Kona Roasted Pecan, Yarrow, Gold, Straw & Mink
Cornerstones: Kona Wasabi
Border: Kona Grapemist

We have kits for this exact quilt in the shop!

We're also super excited to offer acrylic templates for this quilt! This pattern uses three different kinds of curves, so there are 6 total templates. The PDF and paper copy includes those templates, but if you'd like something a little more sturdy that you can use over and over again...definitely check out the acrylic! (Plus, you can also use the templates to make our Shades of Citrus 2.0 quilt pattern. Win-win! I used the paper templates to make the Cover Quilt, but used the acrylic templates to make this sample. Fun fact: It took me a little over 45 hours to piece this quilt top together & the acrylic templates definitely saved time at the cutting table! While the paper templates are perfectly acceptable, if you're making the crib size quilts or larger, I highly recommend investing in the acrylic templates. Don't let this amount of time to scare you...the end result is so worth it!

I made the Large Throw size of this pattern, so it measures 61" x 74". I decided to send it off to Sara of Stitch Lab Quilting for long-arm quilting. We ended up choosing the Retro Daisy pantograph by Karlee Porter. It's a little similar to her Daisy Daze pantograph that we used on the Cover Granny Patch quilt, and personally, I love these kinds of designs. It's playful and simple but not too repetitive, which I like!

For the binding, I matched the Cornerstone fabric (Kona Wasabi) and I love the frame that it gives for the entire quilt! Kona Wasabi feels so risky as a stand-alone fabric, but incorporated with this mix of pinks, it feels like it is right at home. The backing is an AGF print called "Remember" by Bonnie Christine from her Wild Forgotten collection.This print is such a great neutral backing when you want the quilt top to steal the show. We have kits that include backing and binding fabric in the shop as well!

Want to choose your own fabrics for Retro Blossoms? The design is on PreQuilt, which is a FREE digital coloring page platform. Click over to play around with different color combinations and plan your quilt. It's my idea of a good time! :)