Did you know? Riding Mountain was actually one of my first designs!
Check out the Riding Mountain PDF and Paper Pattern here.
It all started back in 2017. I was just about to launch The Blanket Statement as an official business and I was trying to decide on branding elements such as logos, shapes and colours with my graphic designer husband, Chris. We came up with a few cool looking block shapes (below), which also became some of the first images ever shared on my Instagram account!
The last one is a simplified Riding Mountain block shape!
After releasing a few quilt patterns with more intricate designs, like Spruce Woods and Birds Hill, I wanted to release a more beginner friendly design! The Riding Mountain pattern is a great introduction to half square triangles and adding borders, while still being a fast make.
So, why the name “Riding Mountain”? If you are new to my patterns, you might not know that I name all of my designs after towns and places here in Manitoba!
Riding Mountain is a National Park in Manitoba located 267 km north of Brandon. It’s home to windswept grasslands and deep forests. It also has peaks and valleys that are pretty much the closest thing to mountains that you can find in Manitoba! It’s an absolutely beautiful place and my family has enjoyed camping there on multiple occasions.
“Riding Mountain" was a fitting name because I think the design looks like you are standing on top of a mountain or a pyramid and looking down below from an aerial view. I also think the square ring looks like a trail going around a mountain!
In September of 2019, I officially released the Riding Mountain Quilt Pattern! The first version I made was the cover quilt. I used Kona Cotton in:
The backing is Alma, Market Floral in Peach by Alexia Marcelle Abegg for Ruby Star Society.
Next up, I made another version of Riding Mountain in...you guessed it...GREEN! I used Kona Cotton in:
The backing is a cotton gingham that I found on the bargain wall of my local quilt shop, but Doeskin by Elizabeth Hartman from Kitchen Window Wovens is a similar option!
I then hand quilted this grey version using mostly fabrics from Cotton & Flax, one of my favourite designers! For the front, I used a mix of fabrics from Cotton & Flax's Arroyo and Balboa collections and Sprinkles from Figo Fabrics.
I used the Lucky Charms Fingers Crossed from Figo Fabrics for the backing!
Riding Mountain was my first (and so far only) pattern to include a pillow size! However, many of my patterns include a wall hanging size that can easily be adapted to a pillow size.
I made two Riding Mountain pillows using Add It Up by Alexia Marcelle Abegg for Ruby Star Society - she’s another one of my favourite designers!
For one, I used Wine Time, Cactus, Peach and Metallic Copper. The backing is an up-cycled flannel plaid sheet!
For the blue pillow, I used Blue Slate, Navy, Bone and Khaki. The backing is Wandering With Bear from The Open Road Collection by Bonnie Christine.
The amazing pattern testers I was able to work with are who really made the Riding Mountain launch so fun! Check out their incredible versions:
From Sarah @sarahsew_sew
From Claire @madejustsew
From Keyana @collectivequilts
From Laura @finleyfabric
From Nicki @wovenandwooly
From Jennifer @penelopehandmade
From Mykayla @mykayla.sygulla
From Sarai @sarai_hobbies
If you haven’t already, you can grab the Riding Mountain pattern here!
Check out the hashtags #ridingmountainquilt and #blanketstatementpatterns to see more gorgeous and creative versions of the Riding Mountain Quilt!
Have questions about this pattern or any other ones in the shop? Please reach out to hello@theblanketstatement.ca and we’ll help you out!