Playtime 30’s – Quilt Top + Pillow using Hex N More Ruler

Lets travel back in time for a moment, to reminisce and pay homage to the past with the Playtime 30’s collection by Lindsay Wilkes of The Cottage Mama.

Hey there, it’s Kelly Renay here! I am thrilled to be sharing a sophisticated pillow and quilt set, featuring the adorable Playtime 30’s collection. The Playtime 30’s collection includes any array of soft pinks, minty greens, and sky blues, featuring delicate playful prints. 

When selecting which Playtime 30’s fabrics I wanted to work with, I couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic. The sweet little prints from the collection are so darling, it was hard to select. But I ended up narrowing my selection to eight prints that feature tiny flowers from the blue and green color-ways. 

While planing out what I wanted to make, I couldn’t help but think about the elegant era of the 1930s. Art Deco and Streamline Moderne were some of the first things that came to mind. Architecture and designs from this era featured curves, sleek lines, and bold geometric patterns. 

One shape kept coming to mind over and over again. The classic hexagonal pattern! Best known from the bold black and white bathroom floor tiles.

Thinking about that classic hexagon shape, a light bulb went off, and I remembered that I few years back I had purchased the Hex N More ruler by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts. That poor ruler had been collecting dust, so I dusted it off and started brainstorming a quilt concept.

With the Hex N More ruler you can cut 4 different shapes from 4 different sizes; hexagons, 60 degree triangles, half hexagons, and jewels. Plus the cool feature is all the shapes work together.

After looking at the ruler for a moment, I decided on using the half hexagons at the 4 1/2” size.

From there I figured I needed to cut 3, 1 1/2” and 2 1/2” strips each by width of fabric, from the 14 fabrics I was using. In addition to the 8 Playtime 30’s fabrics, I added in 5 coordinating Confetti Cotton solids and the 1/4″ black and white stripe.

Then, I cut the 1 1/2” and 2 1/2” strips in half along the width of fabric side. In order to mix and match before sewing together the strip units.

I mixed and match 21 sets of 4 – 1 1/2” strips and 42 sets of 2 – 2 1/2” strips. Then, sewed those strip sets right sides together with a scant 1/4” seam allowance. 

After the strip units were sewn, I cut the half hexagons out by using the Hex N More ruler. I was able to get 2 half hexagons per unit, plus a 60 degree triangle. Which provides 126 half hexagon units.

For the background fabric, I used the Confetti Cotton solid in Cloud, and cut 30 – 4 1/2” strips by width of fabric. And again cut the half hexagons from those strips to get 120 half hexagon pieces. 

Once all the half hexagons were cut, I began sorting the amount I needed to sew per column for 20 columns. I needed 6 – background pieces, 4 – 2 strip units, and 2 – 4 strip units, for a total of 12 half hexagons per column. 

The end result made an approximately 80 x 80” quilt top, that pays homage to the past while adding in a pop of modern charm with the solids. 

But, of course I couldn’t just stop there! Remember, I had cut some 60 degree triangles from those strip units? I didn’t want those little cute pieces go to waste. So I explored a layout and figured out an amount that I needed in order to make a 24 x 24” pillow.

I might love the pillow design more than the quilt! Or maybe it’s the quilting on the pillow that’s making it shine! 

Anywho, who else wants to add a touch of nostalgia to their home with the Playtime 30’s collection? We can’t wait to see what you make! Please share your projects with hashtags: #RileyBlakeDesigns #iLoveRileyBlake #Playtime30s

Until next time! Won’t you follow me over on Instagram @byKellyRenay and join my newsletter for all the latest news and offers, click here to signup.