How to Use a Flower Toss Print in Autumn Quilts and Home Decor
A flower toss print does something a stripe or a plaid cannot: it spreads small blooms evenly across the whole surface, so every cut — large or small — still looks floral. The Awe of Autumn Flower Toss Pine, designed by Sandy Gervais for Riley Blake Designs, features scattered flowers on a deep pine ground, giving you an autumn floral that reads rich and seasonal rather than bright and springy. It is an easy print to live with, and an even easier one to sew with.
What This Fabric Is
This is a 100% cotton quilting fabric, 43"/44" wide, sold by the yard. It is part of The Awe of Autumn collection by Sandy Gervais for Riley Blake Designs, and the product notes describe the collection as great for quilting, apparel and home decor. The print is a toss design: scattered flowers spread across the fabric in varied directions rather than lined up in rows, so the surface has gentle movement and no single motif dominates. The Pine colorway gives the flowers a deep green backdrop, which makes this fabric useful wherever an autumn project needs a darker, grounding print instead of another light background.
What It Is Best For
Reach for this flower toss when a project needs pattern, color and coverage all at once. In quilts it works well for large simple blocks, alternate squares, borders and backing, where the tossed flowers can show across a bigger area. Because the motifs are scattered and relatively small, even narrow cuts — sashing, binding strips and patchwork pieces — still read as floral, so it also suits table runners, placemats, pillow covers and tote bags. The product notes include apparel and home decor as well, so simple seasonal sewing beyond the quilt top is a natural fit. It is also a good blender-style choice inside a collection quilt, adding texture and a deep color note between bolder feature prints.
Cutting and Piecing Tips
Press the fabric before cutting and look at how the flowers are distributed. A toss print is forgiving at the seams because no bloom has to match across a join, but direction still deserves a quick decision: letting the flowers fall in different directions keeps the natural tossed effect, while cutting borders and long strips in one consistent direction gives a calmer, more orderly look. Cut on the straight of grain with a rotary cutter, mat and ruler, and keep a consistent 1/4-inch seam allowance. If you are fussy cutting, center a small cluster of flowers in feature squares to make the most of the design; for patchwork, do not worry — random cuts still read beautifully with a scatter print like this.
Color Pairing Ideas
Start within The Awe of Autumn collection itself, where the coordinating prints were designed to sit beside this one — the leaf, pumpkin and plaid prints from the same collection are natural partners. The deep pine ground pairs well with warm autumn companions such as cream, gold, rust and warm brown, which lift the flowers without fighting them. Use lighter fabrics next to it for contrast in blocks and sashing, and reserve the pine print for the parts of the project where you want depth. If a quilt feels too dark overall, break the pine up with cream or light neutral resting spaces and let this print anchor the border or binding.
Care
The care instructions for this fabric are simple: machine wash cold and tumble dry low. Washing before you sew is a personal choice with quilting cottons, but if you pre-wash, use the same cold, gentle approach, and give the fabric a good press before cutting so your measurements stay accurate.
Shop the The Awe of Autumn Flower Toss Pine 43"/44" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
