Allow me to introduce the next TBS pattern, the Echo Lake Quilt!
This block-based design is all about exploring the world of colour and prints while having plenty of creative fun! Perfect for confident beginners and seasoned quilters alike, Echo Lake utilizes super-speedy strip piecing to streamline the process.
You can find the PDF pattern here and the paper pattern here!
Echo Lake is the natural companion, or as I like to call it… best friend to the Paint Lake Quilt! These BFFs use the same number of fabrics, but Echo Lake brings its own distinct vibe and unique construction.
Think ripples on the water, echoes bouncing off the trees, a rhythm that feels both familiar and fresh. The design plays with repeating lines and blocks, mimicking nature’s quiet patterns, the way sound and light reflect and shift across the lake’s surface.
Echo Lake is a nod to its namesake, a hidden gem in Whiteshell Provincial Park here in Manitoba. If Paint Lake was your first love, Echo Lake is the one that keeps drawing you back.
Both patterns are available in the shop individually, as well as a set of two with a special bundle price!
With its distinctive rectangular blocks, Echo Lake is a versatile pattern, perfect for confident beginners and seasoned quilters alike!
Lately, I’ve been really into quilts that don’t have an obvious “background” colour. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good background (you can see that all over my work!), but there’s something exciting about stepping outside the norm.
Echo Lake is exactly that, everything feels like it’s part of the design, with no single colour fading into the background. It creates this cool, all-over effect where the shapes and colours take centre-stage.
This pattern includes beginner-friendly instructions for five sizes ranging from Baby to King size:
- Baby - 37” x 48”
- Throw - 56” x 72”
- Twin - 74” x 96”
- Queen - 93” x 96”
- Bed - 111” x 108”
Here are the Echo Lake fabric requirements:
Echo Lake Cover Quilt
This pattern is all about having fun with colour, so I went for some unexpected pairings for this quilt. What I’ve been affectionately calling “crunchy colours”! They’re bold, a little outside the box, and just the right amount of unexpected! Think earthy tones mixed with something punchy and bright, creating contrast that feels fresh but still balanced.
It’s all about finding that perfect mix where each fabric holds its own but also plays nicely with the others. The result? A colour story that feels dynamic and a little adventurous! I love how they pop without feeling too loud, and the whole thing has this fun, unexpected energy that I’m really into.
Here are the Kona Cotton colours I used:
- Paprika
- Violet
- Sienna
- Foxglove
- Ivy
- Parfait
- Regal
- Kelly
- Teal Blue
- Ice Peach
- Amber
- Natural
- Olive
- Spruce
- Daffodil
- Rose
- Sage
- Dusty Peach
See the quilt top dance in the wild here.
I chose Sprout in Soft Black from Meadow Star by Alexia Marcelle Abegg for Ruby Star Society for the backing and Kona Paprika for the binding.
I wanted to try something new with the quilting to add some visual movement while keeping things linear and geometric. I chose a diagonal, almost chevron-like design and alternated the spacing between the quilting lines. I love how the varying spacing mirrors the different line widths in the blocks. Plus, the design really draws your eye up and down the quilt, adding that extra layer of rhythm and flow without overpowering the quilt.
Paint Lake BFF
I’ve been wanting to create a “best friend” to our ever-popular Paint Lake Quilt for a while now. Since both patterns use 18 different fabrics, I knew from the start that I had to make an Echo Lake quilt in the same fabrics as the Paint Lake Cover Quilt.
And honestly? It turned out even better than I imagined!
You can read more about the Paint Lake Quilt and how it came to be here!
The Kona Cotton colours I used are:
- Navy
- Cadet
- Dresden Blue
- Deep Rose
- Raisin
- Sienna
- Cantaloupe
- Terracotta
- Ice Peach
- Curry
- Caramel
- Mustard
- Old Green
- Hunter Green
- Green Tea
- Spruce
- Teal Blue
- Sage
See how the blocks come together here!
I chose Checkerboard in Oyster from Achroma by Ruby Star Society for the backing and Kona Cotton Cadet for the binding. I used 12wt Aurifil thread in Muslin to finish this quilt with some big-stitch binding.
I typically use 28wt Aurifil Thread for hand quilting, but this time I went with 12wt to give it some extra POP! I wanted the quilting to have a lot of texture and dimension, and really make a statement on the quilt.
One of my favourite hand-quilting projects was my Canadian Wilderness inspired Crystal Creek quilt, so I decided to take the same approach! Using a hera marker, I freehand drew an s-shape curve through the centre of the quilt. I quilted the first line directly on this marked line, followed by echoing lines spaced approximately 1.25” apart or two finger widths apart (an easy way to double-check your spacing as you go)!
Desert Flower
I picked the colours for this quilt before I had a name for them, but I kept calling them “the desert flower ones” and it just kind of stuck! The palette is made up of earthy browns and olive greens, warm golden tones, and desaturated reds and purples—giving it that rugged, natural desert vibe. It all came together so perfectly, I couldn’t imagine calling it anything else!
Here are the Kona Cottons I went with:
- Raisin
- Plum
- Foxglove
- Sienna
- Salmon
- Lt Parfait
- Peach
- Ice Peach
- Lingerie
- Leather
- Caramel
- Curry
- Ivy
- Olive
- Mustard
- Cappuccino
- Earth
- Biscuit
I chose Meadow in Lilac from Martha by Andrea Patton for Figo Fabrics for the backing and used Kona Leather for the binding. I tacked down the binding with a blanket stitch using 12wt Aurifil thread to create this beautiful finish.
I’ve been admiring all the beautiful wavy, organic quilting I’ve seen on social media, and finally decided to give it a try myself. I love the natural, soft feel it brings to a quilt.
As I was quilting, I definitely got in my head about some "imperfections," but once I stepped back to take a look at the whole quilt, I realized I love how it turned out. The little imperfections are just like nature… imperfect, but beautiful, and honestly, not even noticeable in the grand scheme of things. It definitely adds to the charm!
I used 50wt Aurifil thread in Muslin and I love how organic it feels, plus it added so much delightful texture!
See this quilt come to life in under a minute here!
Citrus Sunset
You know me, I couldn’t resist making an Echo Lake Quilt just a little bit different! Instead of using 18 fabrics like the original, I chose nine and redistributed the colours, repeating them across the blocks. I love how this one turned out, but the fabric requirements are a obviously a bit different for this version compared to the pattern.
Check out this blog post for all of the details!
Echo Lake Fabric Bundles
For those of you who are ready to make your own Echo Lake Quilt, we’ve made things easy for you! There are curated bundles in the shop for all the quilts in this post, plus easy-peasy binding add-ons in both Kona Cotton and Essex Linen!
If you make your own Echo Lake Quilt, I’d love to see it! It makes my day when I can check out your TBS quilts! Make sure to use the hashtags #echolakequilt and #blanketstatementpatterns… you might even get featured on our social media or in our newsletter!
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!