Are you looking for a bright and cheery Rocky Coast Quilt to start off your summer right? Check out this sample that my mom and her friend Kim made using Ruby Star Societies Stay Gold collection.
This pattern is fun to play with both solids and prints, and I think this is the perfect example of how you can incorporate prints into yours.
I’ve compiled a few tips on how to work prints into your Rocky Coast Quilt.
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Pair off your prints by color and patterns. If you have a bold dark print, try pairing it up with a slightly lighter more subtle print. I.e. Navy subtle print with a deep blue bold print.
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Combine your background tones (Color 1 + 2). This is an easy way to let your prints really shine through and have the pattern speak for itself.
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Pick a pop of color for the center and work your way outward. You can create all sorts of different effects with this pattern. The best way to play with this is to use the Quiltink app and start playing around with different colors, but also check out what other people have created for inspiration!
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Combine different textures and tones. One way to do this is to add in some earthy neutral tones to balance out your prints.
HRTs + Prints
If you’ve bought and read the pattern - you may have noticed that HRTs (Half Rectangle Triangles) are not interchangeable and it does in fact matter which way you cut/sew them. If you don’t separate your cut rectangles into left/right piles - you run the risk of only having one side of HRTs. This will make for a major waste of fabric, and a frustrating session with your seam ripper!
The most important thing you can do before beginning the HRT section is to read through all the directions before beginning.
How to use the 2-at-a-time HRTs method
There are two ways you can create HRTs. I walk you through the 1-at-a-time method in the Rocky Coast pattern, although, with the given measurements you can also use the 2-at-a-time method. I personally don’t feel that one is any faster or better than the other, and the reason why I chose to go with the 1-at-a-time method is because I feel it’s more straightforward. Since I mention it in the pattern - I thought I’d show you how to do this method in case you’re interested in giving it a try!
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You will still need to separate your cut RCTs (Rectangles) in two different piles - one pile for the left side, and one for the right.
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Next instead of cutting on the diagonal - you will instead draw a line using a pencil or temporary fabric marker. Using the same directions shown in the pattern.
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After all your lighter color fabrics have been marked on the diagonal - you will place your paired up RCTs catty cornered from each other, as shown below.
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Sew a ¼” seam allowance along both sides of the marked diagonal line.
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Using your rotary blade - cut along the marked diagonal so you are left with two HRTs.
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Press seams open and trim using the same trimming directions in the pattern.
If you’ve never made HRTs before - they definitely don’t need to be feared! Once you get the hang of them, and the directions correct, they’re actually pretty fun! I’m confident you’ll fall in love with them, just like I did!
