Shades of Citrus 2.0 - the Cover quilt

We re-released the Shades of Citrus 2.0 quilt pattern last year, but with all the exciting things going on, we haven’t gotten around to sharing about this cover quilt until now! But this beauty deserves its day in the sun, don’t you think?

In fact, we haven’t even properly introduced the revamped 2.0 pattern. So let me tell you all about why I decided to update it, and keep reading to get all the details about the cover quilt.

The Original Shades of Citrus Pattern

Back in 2018, I designed the original Shades of Citrus pattern as an ombre quilt that played with the negative space of the traditional orange peel block. This was for a challenge with RJR fabrics and I had so much fun using their Cotton Supreme Solids to create this quilt. It was my first ever ombre quilt!

I still love the original pattern; it has that modern-traditional aesthetic that is my absolute favorite. In fact, one of my original Shades of Citrus samples was juried into QuiltCon 2019 in the Modern Traditionalism category. (such an honor!)

But Lo & Behold has come a long way, though, and I thought this classic design and older pattern deserved an update.

What’s new with Shades of Citrus 2.0:

So what changes did we make? While I kept the classic block intact, the new (and improved) Shades of Citrus pattern offers more options with a slightly more simple approach.

ACRYLIC TEMPLATES

This is my favorite change!

When we designed our acrylic template set, we wanted to make it as useful as possible for a variety of quilt patterns. So as we updated Shades of Citrus, it was only natural to make the pattern work with those acrylic templates. The best part of all is that the templates include some wiggle room, so once you sew your pieces, you can trim them down to the size that you need. 👏

If you’ve never used acrylic templates before, let me just say: They make cutting fabrics SO much quicker and easier! That alone makes the Shades of Citrus 2.0 quilt pattern a much quicker make than the older version.

The acrylic templates also work for our Retro Blossoms quilt pattern! We’re also rewriting another one of our favorite patterns to work with the templates too. Coming this summer! 🌞)

Now, to be clear, you don’t have to use the acrylic templates to make either of the patterns. The paper version of the pattern comes with paper templates, and the PDF version lets you print off your own templates. (I even have some tips for working with paper templates that can make your life easier.) So you’ve got lots of options.

And speaking of options . . . 

MORE QUILT SIZES

The original Shades of Citrus pattern only included 2 sizes: Baby and Throw. With the pattern re-vamp, I wanted to do way better (and bigger) than that. So we added five more sizes! The 2.0 version includes a whopping 7 sizes:

• Wall Hanging (24" x 36")
• Baby (36" square)
• Square Throw (60" square)
• Large Throw (60" x 72")
• Twin (72" x 84")
• Queen (96" square)
• King (108" square)
• And yes, you can still get that ombre effect with even the smallest sizes. 🎉

OTHER CHANGES

I also made a few other tweaks to the pattern, like switching the on-point blocks to a horizontal and vertical row construction. It still has a similar look, but it simplifies the design and makes it just a little easier than the original pattern. And it uses less blocks too!

We've gotten some questions about the skill level of Shades of Citrus and while there is some wiggle room with the piecing, it's classified as "Intermediate" due to all of the curves. If that feels intimidating, Curve College is opening for enrollment on April 26, 2025! Inside Curve College, we'll create Retro Blossoms, which includes a few different curves including the orange peel that is in Shades of Citrus. Needless to say, by the end, you’ll have the skills and confidence to conquer any quilt with curves, this pattern included!

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS

Here's a look at the new Shades of Citrus 2.0 fabric requirements:

Shades of Citrus 2.0 Cover Quilt

I knew that I wanted the new version of Shades of Citrus to have a slightly updated color palette as well. If you remember the cover quilt for the old version, you can tell that I wanted the new cover quilt to feel reminiscent of the first, but slightly different. So I decided to keep the teals, pinks and browns of the old cover quilt, but I added in a fun little twist with the Kona Pickle. 🥒  Even though there aren't any orange shades in the quilt, the bright colors give it a nice zesty, citrus-y feel!

One of the things I love about this quilt is that it's like a "paint-by-numbers" situation...but with fabric. The pattern includes a project planner so that you can label and keep all of your colors in order during the process. I definitely found that helpful for this quilt!

I made a Square Throw (one of the new sizes!) measuring 60” x 60”. I wanted it to be big enough to really show off the “flow” of colors across the quilt.

I used Robert Kaufman Kona Solids for the teals and browns:

• Everglade
• Jade Green
• Candy Green
• Ice Frappe
• Snow (for the orange peels)
• Moss
• Leather
• Pickle
• Celery

And I used Moda Bella Solids for the pinks:

• Berrylicious
• Magenta
• Petal Pink
• Sweet Pea
• Bunny Hill Pink

We have a kit for this exact quilt in the shop, found here. 

This quilt needed some bold quilting to go with the shapes and colors. I had this one longarm quilted by Sara of Stitch Lab Quilting. She used the XOXO pantograph by Leisha Farnsworth. I love how it adds a little twinkle to the orange peels...especially to the negative space in between. 

 

I decided to back the quilt with Evolve Key Lime by Suzy Quilts for Art Gallery Fabrics. You might recognize it from my Celtic Crossing - Evolve version. It was just one of many prints on that quilt, so I was happy to let it shine as the backing here. It really matches the zesty vibe of the top, doesn’t it?

For the binding, I kept things simple with Art Gallery Fabrics PURE Solids Magnetism. It frames the top while letting the bright ombre colors be the main focus of the quilt.

 

We brought this quilt with us on our cross-country road trip last year and got a few photos of it in Joshua Tree National Park. This was actually for my birthday...a memory that I'll carry with me forever!

Make your own Shades of Citrus Quilt

QUILT KITS

If you love the cover quilt as much as I do, we have kits so you can make your own! The Shades of Citrus 2.0 Cover Quilt Kit includes all 14 fabrics that you need to create your own ombre quilt top. We also have an optional backing/binding add-on. 

DESIGN YOUR OWN

If you’d rather pick your own fabrics, you can find Shades of Citrus on PreQuilt. We’ve also included it as one of our free quilt coloring pages. I’ve got plenty of tips for creating an ombre quilt. (Plus, you can see some of our other patterns that work great for ombres!)

Not that you have to use an ombre palette! You can audition colors to find that perfect combination–whether it’s your own ombre flow, a scrappy look, or even a classic two-color version.

We can’t wait to see your own twist on the Shades of Citrus pattern!

In case you missed it…

• Shades of Citrus 2.0 quilt pattern (PDF)
• Shades of Citrus 2.0 quilt pattern (printed)
• Shades of Citrus 2.0 quilt kits
• Acrylic Template set