Some quilts announce themselves from right across the room, and this free Rainbow Union pattern is one of them. Rows of chevrons climb the top in three moods, a warm run of reds, oranges and yellows, a cool run of greens, blues and purples, and a run of greys and deep charcoals that steadies everything around it. It finishes at 54" x 86", which makes a long, comforting lap quilt or a generous throw for the end of a bed.
Here is why this one is worth making:
- The blocks are built in sections. Each one comes together in five numbered sections, so you sew 1A to 1B, add 1C, finish that section and carry on. Sections one and two join, three and four join, those two halves meet, section five goes on last, and four triangles close the corners. Every seam has somewhere obvious to go, which is why a block with this many pieces stays calm.
- Three stacks keep twenty nine fabrics in order. Everything is cut first and sorted into a warm pile, a cool pile and a grey pile, and each grouping makes eight blocks, laid out as two rows of four. Most of the colours are quarter yard cuts, so this is a quilt that rewards a well stocked shelf, and the sorting is what stops the cutting table from becoming a puzzle.
- Make one block before you make the rest. The pattern says so outright and I would listen, because sewing a single complete block teaches you where the pieces sit, and then you can chain the remaining seven of that colour in one contented run. Do watch the grey blocks, where four are mirror images of the other four, so lay those out fully before a single seam goes in.
You will need around 8-3/4 yards in total across the twenty nine fabrics, mostly quarter yard cuts of the colours with a little more of the greys, plus 5-1/4 yards for the backing. The templates are printed full size in the last pages of the pattern, with a scale box so you can check your printer before you start cutting.
You can download the full pattern here, with the cutting list, the block diagrams and the quilt assembly layout: Download the free Rainbow Union pattern (PDF)
If you make one, I would love to know how you group your colours. Will you keep the three runs as they are, or build your own moods out of what is already on your shelf? Tell us in the comments below, we always love seeing what you create.
