That’s my second version of the Ribbon Box quilt — and it’s at the quilter’s as I write this! Having made two versions (so far), I have some very specific recommendations for those of you who are thinking of making your own version. Let me say this up front:  I think you should go for it! It’s a striking contemporary design featuring interwoven ribbons.

What sets Ribbon Box apart from other quilt patterns featuring ribbons is the trimmed ends, adding a touch of elegance. The simplicity of the design allows the eight fabrics used for the ribbons to stand out against the background fabric. Once you have the fabric strips cut and the ribbons arranged to your liking, sewing the pieces together goes pretty quickly. But as much as I like this design, I have some major issues with the fabric requirements as well as the way the fabrics are cut and sewn.

Before I lay out those issues, here’s some background information:  Ribbon Box is a free pattern from Cloud 9 Fabrics. It’s part of Cloud 9’s Super 8 Quilt Series:  quilt projects that use eight prints from a single line. This link takes you to the Cloud 9 website where you can see four versions of Ribbon Box featuring different lines of fabric by designers for Cloud 9. For each version you can enlarge the cover photo, view a pdf, and print the five-page pattern. The quilts finish at 45″ x 59″. (Note: I added 3″ all around on my two versions for a finished size of 51″ x 65″.)

So . . . here comes my first recommendation:  Don’t cut your fabrics yet! In fact, don’t even buy your fabrics until you’ve read this post.

Here’s why:  the pattern calls for each ribbon to be cut from a third of a yard of fabric. That’s a strip of fabric cut 12”by WOF (width of fabric, measured from selvage to selvage, giving you roughly 40″ of usable fabric after the selvages are removed). From each 12″-wide strip you cut at least one and in some cases two 5½”-wide strips which are then subcut into rectangles and squares.

I have three major problems with using ⅓-yard cuts. The first is that multiple strips cut from a single 12″-wide piece of fabric will not contain the same part of the design printed on the fabric. That won’t make much difference in a small random print but it will certainly make a difference in a large scale print. The three longest ribbons require a second 5½” strip cut.

The second problem is that cutting 5½” strips without considering the design on the fabric may leave you with a strip of fabric that doesn’t show the print to best advantage. Take another look at my quilt top at the top of this post. The first vertical ribbon was obviously fussycut from my main focus fabric. Ditto with the third horizontal print, in which the white floral garlands on a navy background are evenly balanced in the strip. That’s because I learned from making my first version that attention needs to be paid to what elements of the fabric design wind up in each 5½” strip (more on that below).

The third problem is that some prints look better cut on the lengthwise grain (parallel to the selvages) than on the crosswise grain (selvage to selvage). Obviously you need more than 12″ of fabric if you want to cut on the lengthwise grain. You also need more than 12″ if you want to match a particular element on a crosswise grain so that each segment of ribbon looks like it was cut from one continuous strip.

Let me show you some examples. In my first version, the Picnic Quilt, shown here . . .

. . . look at the first and fourth vertical ribbons. Notice how the watermelons and apples are positioned in the center of the ribbons? I did that deliberately because they are the boldest element in the fabric design and I wanted them to stand out. I needed multiple cuts from each of the fabrics to get the repeat design I wanted, especially because the prints are directional.

Now look at the second horizontal ribbon, a smaller floral print. You’ll see that three flowers in the print — orange, red, and green — are larger than the others. After cutting a strip at random and then seeing how off-balanced it looked on my design wall, I cut another one in which the red flower (the boldest) runs across the center of the ribbon. I also recut the smaller black print (third horizontal ribbon) so that the clusters of three flowers are balanced on both sides of the ribbon. Both of these fabrics were cut on the lengthwise grain because the images fit better inside a strip that would finish at 5 inches. How did I know that? I cut a 5½”-wide window in a piece of 8½” x 11″ paper so I could audition the fabrics:

These changes were much more pleasing to my eye.

Next look at the second vertical ribbon, made from a slightly uneven check. You really have to be careful with checks, plaids, and small geometric prints! I cut the fabrics for this ribbon on the lengthwise grain because it was easier to keep the plaid lines even. Finally, look at the fourth horizontal ribbon with the sliced apple print. I cut the fabric on the bias for this one because I didn’t like the effect of the print cut on the straight of grain. The bias cut gives added movement to the quilt and I found the effect fun and playful. (I starched the fabric before cutting strips to help stabilize the bias edges.)

Here’s a close-up of those two ribbons:

The reason I was able to make these changes in my fabric strips is that I started out with a yard of each ribbon fabric. I rarely buy less than a yard of any fabric, figuring that anything left over can go into another quilt or on a quilt back. That flexibility allowed me to choose the design elements in each print that I wanted to highlight.

Some of you may be thinking right about now that I have been vastly overthinking my approach to making these quilts. And you may be right. I can be quite obsessive-compulsive at times. On the other hand . . . When I am asked why I quilt, I invariably answer, “It’s all about the fabric.” I love beautiful fabrics and I love putting them into quilts that showcase their beauty. So while it is certainly much more economical to buy 12″ cuts of fabric for the ribbons in Ribbon Box, it may not give the best result.

In Part 2 I’ll share my piecing techniques, which resulted in eliminating 12 seams.

By the way, I finished binding the Picnic Quilt a couple of days ago. All that’s left is the label. Photos coming soon of the finished quilt!

I’m a happy quiltmaker — delighted with the beautiful quilting that Karlee of SewInspired2Day did on my Picnic Quilt and ever so pleased with the quilt motif I chose, a contemporary design by Urban Elementz called Ginger Snap. I was looking for something with circles and loops to soften all of the diagonal and horizontal seams in the quilt top. Not only does Ginger Snap fit that bill, it is also somewhat reminiscent of the whorls in the background fabric:

To top it off, Ginger Snap is a playful, happy design perfectly in keeping with the cheerful fabrics in the quilt. I had Karlee use the same design on Going Places, the car quilt I made for my twin last year. Here’s a close-up of the quilting on that one:

But back to the Picnic Quilt. Here’s a look at the entire top:

And here you can see the simple pieced back:

While it was under construction my plan was to bind the quilt in the red and white gingham check used in the top horizontal ribbon. The fabric design is printed on the diagonal so I wouldn’t need to cut my strips on the bias. Once I saw the completed top, though, I knew the quilt needed to be framed with the bolder red print:

For those of you who have seen my posts about the Ribbon Box quilt and have downloaded the free pattern from Cloud 9 Fabrics, let me remind you that I am working on a post with some specific recommendations regarding quilt construction — but I am adding recommendations about fabric amounts because I think that the 1/3 yard noted for the ribbon fabrics may not be enough. It really depends on the designs on the fabrics. All will be revealed. Thank you for your patience!

Friends, I am popping in to report a quilt top finish! This is my second version of the free pattern Ribbon Box by Cloud 9 Fabrics:

The first three vertical strips are from the “Party Dress” line Mo Bedell designed years ago  for Blue Hill Fabrics. I’ve been hoarding the fabric, especially the print in the first strip, for years. Now that I see how good it looks in this quilt top I’m glad I took the plunge to use some of it. (Happily, I still have a bit left.)

If you followed along with my first version, the Picnic Quilt, you may remember I added three inches all around the quilt to increase the finished size. This second version will also finish at 51″ x 65″.

Speaking of the Picnic Quilt, I will be picking it up tomorrow from the quilter. Pictures to come soon!

The top I made using the free pattern Ribbon Box from Cloud 9 Fabrics is finished!  Before I show it to you, take a look at the top before I corrected a mistake:

(Pay no attention to the feline photobomber in the lower right corner.)

What’s the mistake, you ask? This: I sewed one of the pieces upside down. Compare the two versions and see if you can spot my booboo:

(Hint: look in the lower left section.)

It may not be obvious at first glance but I saw it immediately after taking the top photo. The mistake occurs at the bottom of the first vertical ribbon, the black print with all of the fruits on it. If you look at the watermelon wedges, which to me are the ones that immediately draw the eye, you’ll see that the wedge in the bottom section is upside down compared to the wedges in the rest of the ribbon. It’s a directional print so it’s important that the print be oriented the same way so the ribbon appears to be woven from a single piece. (In the fourth vertical ribbon featuring the same print on an aqua background, I deliberately oriented the print in the opposite way; you can tell by looking at those watermelon wedges.)

It was a simple matter to unsew four seams in order to turn the rectangle of fabric around and resew the seams. It’s possible very few people would have noticed it but it would have driven me crazy if I hadn’t fixed it.

Another thing I did (which almost did drive me crazy) was match the seams in a couple of sections of ribbon so as not to interrupt the design. Here’s the fourth vertical ribbon with one matched seam . . .

. . . and the first vertical seam with two matched seams:

Can you spot the seams? They should be almost invisible.

In my previous post I mentioned making changes to the way the quilt is constructed. It has to do with sewing the quilt together in sections rather than in strictly horizontal rows. It enabled me to eliminate 12 seams! I’ll tell you all about it in my next post along with some important considerations regarding fabric choices, cutting instructions, and arranging the ribbons. If I ever make the pattern again — and I just might! — I will surely be keeping these considerations in mind.

Remember those “picnic quilt” fabrics I showed you a couple of weeks ago? Here’s a reminder:

You can read the post about my fabric selections here if you wish to revisit it.

My plan was to make a test block of the pattern I had in mind. I usually do this to confirm that my vision for a quilt is sound and that the fabrics work well with the pattern design. Turns out making a test block was impossible — because the quilt design is not made of blocks.

I’ll show you what I mean. This was the pattern that inspired my purchase of fabrics:

It’s a free pattern from Cloud 9 Fabrics called Ribbon Box. I saw it recently on a website advertising a new line of fabric for Cloud 9 called “Hidden Thicket” by Leah Duncan. Eight prints from the line were showcased in the design featuring four vertical and four horizontal “ribbons” weaving in and out. It’s on the small side for a lap quilt or throw, finishing at 45″ x 59″.

Over the last few years I’ve seen several quilt patterns with interweaving ribbons but none of them grabbed me like this one did. A bit more research revealed an earlier version, also a free pattern from Cloud 9 Fabrics, dating to 2014 and a subsequent version dating to 2017. Designed by Michelle Engel Bencsko, the first quilt featured 12 different prints — six vertical and six horizontal ribbons — and the second one featured six prints used twice, both quilts finishing at 55″ x 63″. This is the 2017 version:

I much prefer the most recent version and decided to make it — with one significant change. I’m making my quilt larger by adding 3″ to every side of the quilt. My version will finish at 51″ x 65″ — still a bit small on the throw/lap quilt side but it will certainly suffice.

Since making a test block was not doable, I had to commit to forging ahead with the entire quilt. Friends, I took the plunge. Here’s a little over half of it:

That black floral  fabric at the bottom of the picture (the third horizontal ribbon) was an afterthought. I played around with the eight fabrics you saw in the first photo and determined that I needed another dark print to achieve the balance I was seeking in value and scale. This one is a companion print from the “Fruit Loop” line by BasicGrey for Moda. I found all of these fabrics at Montavilla Sewing Center in Lake Oswego OR, where I teach.

I can’t wait to show you the rest of the quilt. I’m almost done with it but garden duty is pulling me away. When I return with the finished quilt top, I’ll tell you about a major change I made in the way the quilt is constructed. I think you’ll be interested in the whys and wherefores!