Introducing the Golightly quilt pattern! A versatile, three-in-one quilt pattern that’s a bit of a modern take on the classic Irish Chain quilt design, the pattern includes:

  • A gingham quilt measuring 70″ x 90″
  • A modern Irish Chain / lattice quilt measuring 70″ x 70″
  • A baby quilt measuring 40″ x 40″

The idea was to take one simple, beginner friendly block, and use it as the foundation for three totally different patterns. Nothing makes me happier than when someone tells me they plan to use a Patch and Dot pattern again and again, so I wanted this pattern (very much like the alphabet patterns) to be a real multi-purpose workhorse.

Golightly Three-in-One Quilt pattern

The inspiration

I want to say thank you to everyone for all the enthusiasm and encouragement as I worked on this pattern. If you haven’t been following along on Instagram, I shared some of the inspiration behind the Golightly design in the days leading up to the release. Of course the seed of the idea for this quilt came from the movie version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’ve always loved Holly’s bare bones apartment (who doesn’t?). There a little section of lattice screen between her kitchen and the bedroom. This tiny bit of the set became the jumping off point to make a pattern that was light and breezy.

Golightly Quilt "Holly" Version

As I sketched and sketched, trying to figure out the best way for this to come together as a quilt, the more keen I became on making a pattern that didn’t just look light and cheerful, but one that felt easy and breezy to sew. (An impulse definitely amplified by the circumstances of the past year – simplicity has become one of the main things I look for in a sewing project now!) Where I landed was this Irish chain style motif, based on one simple block that can be used to create three different versions: Holly, Lula Mae, and Holly Baby.

The palettes

The palette for the Holly version is inspired by Givenchy’s orange wool coat and pink party dress designed for Audrey Hepburn for the movie. Kona Orangeade and Camellia make up the lattice pattern, and the background is Shell.

 

Lula Mae is the gingham version and it’s all about Holly’s younger self (lover of horses, stealer of eggs). The gingham effect is created by using three shades of the same colour – in this case the Kona cotton solids Robin Egg, Jamaica, and Peacock (plus white).

Gingham Quilt in Kona Cotton Solid Blues

In the spirit of using up fabric I already have, I used some treasured pink Lizzy House yardage for the back of my Holly version.

Lizzy House fabric quilt back

Then for the Lula Mae backing, I tried out this super soft cotton 108″ wideback (a cherry blossom print in peach) from Rashida Coleman-Hale’s Whatnot collection, from Ruby Star Society and Moda fabrics. I was a little worried because of how delicate it is, but it’s sold specifically as a quilt backing and it worked out perfectly.

Rashida Coleman-Hale's Whatnot Peach Wideback

A few more pictures of the finished quilts, plus one scrappy version that I created as a prototype for the baby size (the finished baby quilt has a border):

Holly Golightly Quilt

Blue Gingham Quilt

Simple Quilt Blocks in Pink and Yellow

Scrappy Golightly Baby Quilt

Golightly Quilt detail

Quilting resources

Pattern: Golightly 3-in-1 Quilt Pattern

Long arm quilting: All of the beautiful quilting on these quilts is by Honey Bee Quilt Studio