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| Kite Flight Quilt |
Soaring into Color: An Introduction to Kite Flight Quilt by Janice Zeller Ryan.
So if you have ever looked at the 1.5″ strip rolls (or “skinny strips” as they are affectionately called) and thought to yourself, “how could I use these thin ribbon-like slices of meat to make something interesting?” you are in for a treat. The Kite Flight Quilt is a colorful quilt made by Janice Zeller Ryan from Better Off Thread that was published as a free pattern by Robert Kaufman Fabrics. The Kite Flight Quilt is a colorful quilt design made by Better Off Thread's Janice Zeller Ryan, published by Robert Kaufman Fabrics as a free pattern.
From the patterns you'll find in this book, you can add excitement to a basic strip set or create something completely new—something that can be as simple as stretching out new talents or as complex as playing with the diamonds.
Pattern Overview & Technical Snapshot
The Kite Flight Quilt will finish at 38” x 50” which is an ideal lap quilt, wall hanging, or baby quilt size. This pattern is considered a Confident Beginner level, and is a great challenge for quilters who already know how to assemble blocks and are looking to include angled piecing and bias edges.
Key Materials & Fabric Requirements
The Kite Flight design is one aspect that really makes it appealing because it makes use of specialty precuts with minimal fabric waste. The numbers of items needed to make the top of the quilt as given in the pattern are:
- Print/Color Fabric: 1 Kona Classic Skinny Strips roll (1.5" strips)
- Sides: 1 Kona White Skinny Strips (1.5" strips)
- Backing Fabric: 1 ½ yards
- Binding Fabric: ½ yard (cut into 5 strips 2 ½”/WOF for double folded binding)
- Batting: 45" x 60" (Crib Sized Batting)
- Specialty Tools: Heavy duty template plastic (5.5” x 5.5” or larger) or a 45 degree triangle ruler and painter's tape for alignment.
What is special about the construction?
The real ‘magic' of Kite Flight is the ingenious strip-piecing process. Instead of sewing each individual triangle, you begin by sewing 13 sets of five triangles – the background is two pieces, and the color is split into three pieces, light, medium and dark.
When the strip sets are pressed open, you cut the triangular units from the strip sets from a 45° template or ruler. Seamed in combination, these angled pieces create optical illusion blocks that transition from dark to light in color—over a clean white background lattice.
Working with a bias edge does need a little extra care as the cutting is done along diagonal angles:
- Pin Generously: Bias edges will not stretch or distort when block assembly is done if pinning is done at every seam intersection.
- Conservative Cutting: Following the rules of the strip sets, cut close to your selvedges so that you maximize every inch of your strip sets.
- Pressing seams open will help to keep bulky intersections flat, helping points to nest together well when quilt is set on point.
Final Thought
The Kite Flight Quilt is a fantastic quilt lesson on how cleverly arranging the value placement of quilt fabrics from light to dark can add a delightful dimensional quality to flat 2D strips. Those who've been intimidated by bias edges or on-point designs will find Janice Zeller Ryan's clear template system and strip-pieced approach approachable, rewarding and fun. Get your favorite skinny strip bundle, draw a 45° line on your ruler and get ready to see your colors soar!
Full Pattern: Kite Flight Quilt Free PDF Pattern
