How to Sew with Emma The Dixons: A Blue Geometric Print for Jane Austen-Inspired Quilts
Some fabrics carry a story before you cut a single piece. Emma The Dixons, from Riley Blake Designs, is one of them. It is a 100% cotton fabric, 43"/44" wide and sold per yard, from the Emma collection — part of Riley Blake Designs' collectible series honoring Jane Austen's six published works. As an official licensed product, it is made for quilting, apparel, and home decor, and its blue geometric print gives classic literary charm a crisp, orderly look that is easy to sew with.
What This Fabric Is — and Why the Geometric Print Works
The Dixons is a geometric print in blue, which makes it a useful kind of fabric to have in a project. Geometric designs repeat in a regular, predictable way, so they read as texture and structure rather than as a large picture you have to work around. In a quilt, that means this print can support busier feature fabrics, frame blocks, and add rhythm between solids without stealing the spotlight. In apparel and home decor, the same regularity gives a neat, tailored finish that suits the Regency-inspired spirit of the Emma collection.
Because it is 100% cotton at standard 43"/44" quilting width, it handles the way quilters expect: it presses crisply, feeds smoothly under the presser foot, and holds a crease along a fold line, which helps when you are folding binding, hems, or sashing strips.
Cutting and Piecing Tips
Start by pressing the fabric flat and squaring up one long edge before you measure. For patchwork, cut strips with a rotary cutter and a long ruler, then sub-cut the strips into squares, rectangles, or triangles as your pattern requires. The repeating geometric design makes strip piecing especially efficient: sewn strips stay visually consistent even when pieces are turned, and small cutting variations are far less noticeable than they would be in a directional floral.
That said, decide before you cut whether you want the geometry running the same direction in every piece. For a formal, orderly quilt, keep the print oriented consistently. For a livelier effect, rotate alternate blocks a quarter turn — the repeat creates a subtle woven or tiled look. Use a consistent quarter-inch seam allowance throughout, press seams to one side or open according to your pattern, and check your first finished block against the pattern size before cutting the whole quilt.
Pairing Colors and Project Ideas
Blue is one of the easiest colors to build a palette around. Pair The Dixons with white and soft cream for a fresh, classic Austen-era feel, with pale yellow or blush for a gentle spring quilt, or with navy and gray when you want more contrast and depth. It also mixes naturally with other prints from the Emma collection, letting you combine several Austen-inspired fabrics in one project while this geometric keeps the group grounded.
For project ideas, try it as sashing, cornerstones, or an inner border in a sampler quilt; as the backing or binding for a small throw; or as half-square triangles paired with a solid, where the geometric pattern adds movement. Beyond quilts, it suits apparel such as a simple skirt or blouse, and home decor like cushion covers, table runners, and lined tote bags — all uses the Emma collection was made for.
Care
Care follows the instructions given for this fabric: machine wash cold and tumble dry low. Cold water helps protect the blue color, and low heat keeps the cotton comfortable and in good condition. If you plan to pre-wash, do it before cutting, so any first-wash change happens before your pieces are measured. Press after washing, and you are ready to sew.
If you love Jane Austen, classic blue-and-white sewing, or simply a versatile geometric cotton, Emma The Dixons is a thoughtful addition to your next quilt, garment, or home project.
Shop the Emma The Dixons 43"/44" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
