Sunshine

Use your favorite fat quarters to piece a quilt featuring cheerful folk-art-inspired birds and flowers. Mirror-image blocks combine to make shining suns across the top of the quilt.

QUILT SIZES

Sunshine includes instructions for making two different quilt sizes featuring 16" x 23" blocks.

The 64" x 69" Large Quilts, each made with 12 blocks.
The 36" x 42" Small Quilt is made with two blocks.

ABOUT THE PATTERN

This is a patchwork-pieced pattern. The blocks are made entirely of rotary-cut squares and rectangles, and everything is sewn together using conventional patchwork techniques. No templates or paper piecing!

The pattern includes a diagram and chart showing all of the pieces needed to make each block. You can use this as a reference while making the pattern projects, or as a guide for making individual blocks and scrappy projects.

Sunshine blocks have fewer small pieces than many of my other patterns. The pattern will walk you through the process of sewing each block with both diagrams and written instructions for each step.

Among my patterns, Sunshine is rated Skill Level 2 (of 5). You can read more about skill levels here.

ABOUT THE FABRIC

Large Sunshine quilts are made with 24 fat quarters. One fat quarter is used to make each block background, and one set of 3 fat quarters (light, medium, and dark value) is used to make the colorful details for 3 blocks. You will also need a fabric for making the birds, and a dark solid detail fabric for their eyes.

The main sample on this page shows a quilt made with my Elizabeth's Favorites Bella Solids fabrics. A guide for making this version with Moda's Bella Solids can be downloaded below.

The gallery below shows a second sample that I made using Starry and Add It Up prints by Alexia Marcelle Abegg for Ruby Star Society.

Sunshine is a great project for using your favorite colorful fat quarters!

ABOUT THE QUILTING

The main sample, made with Bella Solids, was pieced by McKenzie Hale and quilted by Marci Warren using Julie Hirt's 60's Mod Butterfly edge-to-edge design.

The quilt featuring Alexia Marcelle Abegg's Ruby Star Society prints was quilted by Emily Hoppe of So Sunny Quilts using Julie Hirt's Lollipop Garden.

THE SMALL PRINT

Sunshine pattern © 2022 by Elizabeth Hartman. This pattern may not be used to make items for sale in any quantity or venue. No part of this pattern may be reproduced or distributed without the express written consent of the author.