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| Chocolate Sparkle Quilt |
A Cozy Classic: Falling in Love with the Chocolate Sparkle Quilt
What could be better than a quilt pattern that makes you think to throw out all your other work and go through the hoop of fabric just to cut? The moment I saw the amazing Chocolate Sparkle Quilt, that's exactly how I felt since I first saw it.
Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins of Piece O' Cake Designs for All People Quilt, have made a masterclass pattern with warm, rich neutrals to achieve stunning visual movement.
The Warm Neutrals have a Hidden Pop option.
If you've followed my quilting journey for a bit, you know that I can't help but be drawn to saturated colors. But neutral quilts that are created and refined tastefully are extremely comforting. The Chocolate Sparkle Quilt uses a heavy palette of rich chocolates, warm taupes, earthy browns and some soft tan. The subtle accents of muted golds and rich reds throughout the blocks, however, is what really makes the design "sparkle", and they are intentionally placed. It adds a warm, fall-like vibrancy to the entire project, creating a traditional, yet very timeless look.
Deceptively Simple Construction
The detailed and interwoven pattern may seem somewhat daunting at first glance, but the build is a clever one. This pattern has been created by Becky and Linda with simple, easy to understand units. It's done by two basic quilting methods:
- A strip of fabric is sewn together in the long direction first and then cut into units, known as Strip-Pieced Four-Patch Blocks. This saves a lot of time and will maintain your intersecting corners extremely sharp.
- Half-Square Triangles (HSTs): These blocks are diagonal pieced squares, and they are used to make the secondary blocks that help create that "twinkling" light effect in your quilt top.
There's a lot of piecing up in this project, so it's not quite a weekend sew, but the blocks are soothing and meditative to sew that it's still a great relaxer.
Pattern Specs at a Glance
- Finished Size: 66.5” x 75.5” (a generous throw size, ideal for snuggling up on the couch or wrapping around a favorite armchair).
- Fabric Friendly: An excellent stash-buster! You can just dive right in your neutral scrap bins or make a new pile of high fat quarters with low contrast.
- Skill Level: Suitable for students with some experience and confidence in piecing who wish to develop their ability to handle precise piecing.
Final Thought
You don't have to use bright neon colors to make a statement, as the Chocolate Sparkle Quilt shows. Through this use of a wide range of neutral low-contrast colors and allowing the geometry of simple four-patches and half-square triangles to do the work, Piece O' Cake Designs has provided the quilting community with a pattern that would seem to be a warm hug. It can be a way to declutter the neutral fabric drawers in your home or it's a wonderful way to enjoy some new, fall-colored yardage that provides warmth and elegance for years.
Full Pattern: Chocolate Sparkle Quilt Free PDF Pattern
