Desert Dunes Quilt Pattern

The Desert Dunes quilt pattern is HERE!

INSIDE THE PATTERN

Add Desert Dunes to the growing list of easy-to-follow and quick-to-piece XOXSEW patterns. New to quilting? No problem. Expect clear instructions and tons of diagrams, along with tips to ensure your points are nice and sharp. Hyperlinks to video tutorials are also included in the pattern, so you can confidently whip up a top in a breeze!

This pattern comes with three sizes and three design variations. Choose between the no sun, partial sun, or full sun design to make your very own majestic sand dunes.

Desert Dunes is suitable for confident beginners, but if you’ve never made a quilt before, the wall hanging/baby sizes may be more suitable for advanced beginners (smaller curves tend to be a smidge fussier to sew). Not to worry, though - the instructions will include additional tips to create smooth, curvy curves.

SAMPLES + FABRIC COLORS

One of the reasons why I love making fast patterns is because I know I’ll be testing them out myself a few times before it’s released. I made quite a few of these. Fun (for me) fact: I made my first two samples using the older draft of the pattern 🤦🏻‍♀️ To avoid confusion, it’s best not to show those errors to you. I will, however, show you the rest of the samples that used the final draft, so let’s get to the them! (Fabric information can be found under the finished quilt photos)

Low Volume Prints + No Sun Option

Ruby Star Society has some of my favorite low volume prints and I was excited to grab most of these babies from my stash. But when I pulled fabric for this sample, I wasn’t sure about it at first: will the two closest dunes remain distinct or will it lose the definitive line that separates them? Luckily, I was happy with the outcome!

Longarm: Trace Creek Quilting / Fabrics: Moda-Ruby Star Society prints (starry saddle, anagram and grid letters in caramel, starry goldenrod, moda saffron, sugar saddle, pixel cactus, spark metallic shell)

Monochromatic Solids + Full Sun Option

So, this one’s the PDF cover. It was originally throw-sized, but this was the one I had to remake and had only enough to make the baby size. On the bright side, it was easier to lug around in the wild. For a simple, minimal look, I faced the quilt and opted for simple straight line quilting, courtesy of the wizards at Trace Creek Quilting.

Fabrics: Moda Bella burgundy, kansas red, rhubarb, blush, rose water, bunny hill pink, eggshell, bubble gum

Multi-Color Wovens + Partial Sun Option

This one was pieced up after I realized I still need to showcase a partial sun option (no worries, we took it on an adventure where it got some extra vitamin D). Quilting cotton is my go-to, but I have a soft spot for wovens - especially these earthy-toned beauties from Fableism’s Sprout collection.

Quilted by Sterling Quilt Co / Fabrics (all Sprout wovens except the sky): autumnal, cider, sun glow, pink sand, marsala, wild rose, Moda Bella eggshell, chamomile 

Multi-Color Stash + Full Sun Option

I used a mix of fabrics for this one and though I don’t like to play favorites, this was the easiest of the bunch to take pictures of. For some reason, there are some quilts that are more fussy than others, but this baby just knows how to work the camera.

Fabrics: Sprout wovens midnight, mountain, ridge, stellar, and porcelain; Kent chambray maple glaze and terra cotta; Kona natural; Cotton Supreme morocco

BEHIND THE SCENES

It’s always been a fantasy of mine to walk along the sand dunes (maybe partly thanks to Boyz II Men). Thanks to our current no-fly policy, we’ve traveled to some California dunes these past few years, which of course, inspired me to sketch some dunes. Naturally, I had to make sure the design would be quick-to piece and suitable for all skill levels - hey, you know I’ve got your back. ;)

We had a grand time exploring the place, making sand angels, and sitting down for long periods to take it all in - besides, it was exhausting going up and down the sand hills! I love the crescentic elements of the dunes and the ripples created by wind gusts. Gentle curves, steep curves, deep curves…it was difficult to narrow the design but I stuck with three dunes. Limiting the dunes to three allowed me to play around with monochromatic color schemes that’s more manageable to keep track of while sewing.

From the design, you might notice that the sun should technically be positioned elsewhere (outside of the quilt frame, if we’re being accurate), but I couldn’t help keeping some sun options into this pattern. After all, we’re already working with curves. What’s another few curvy blocks, right?

Need more color inspiration? Check out the versions made by a wonderful group of talented makers! You can find them on a separate post here!

Ready to make your own Desert Dunes? Click here to purchase the pattern at my shop! Thanks for stopping by and I can’t wait to see what you make! xo