How to Use Emma Jane Fairfax Fabric in Jane Austen-Inspired Quilts
Some fabrics tell a story before you cut into them, and this one carries a literary one. Emma Jane Fairfax, from Riley Blake Designs, is a 100% cotton fabric, 43"/44" wide, in the Emma collection. The Emma collection is part of Riley Blake Designs' collectible series honouring Jane Austen's six published works, and this is an official licensed product. The collection as a whole is described as great for quilting, apparel and home decor — three uses that suit a fabric made to be both displayed and lived with.
The name will be familiar to Austen readers: Jane Fairfax is one of the central figures in Emma, elegant, accomplished, and quietly central to the novel's plot. That connection makes this fabric a natural starting point for a book-inspired quilt, a gift for a reader, or a project built around the wider Emma collection.
What It Is Best For
Use this fabric where its collection story can be part of the finished piece. It works well as a feature fabric in classic patchwork quilts, where 43"/44" quilting cotton is the standard width most patterns are written for. It is also well suited to the other uses named for the collection: apparel, where a cotton with a literary theme can carry a dress, skirt, or blouse detail, and home decor, such as cushion fronts, table runners, and wall hangings for a reading corner.
Because it belongs to a collectible, themed series, it rewards projects that let it sit alongside its Emma coordinates rather than treating it as an isolated print. A quilt built from several Emma fabrics reads as a considered collection piece, not just a mix of unrelated yardage.
Cutting and Piecing
Start by pressing the fabric flat and looking at the print in good light before you cut. Decide whether you want any motif centred in your blocks. If the design has elements you want to feature, place a clear ruler or template over the chosen area, check what will fall inside your seam allowances, and cut one test block before cutting the full project.
For simpler patchwork, let the fabric work as yardage: cut squares, rectangles, or strips to the sizes your pattern calls for, keep seam allowances consistent, and press seams carefully as you piece. Lay out all your blocks before final sewing and check orientation across the top — a few minutes at this stage prevents a section ending up turned the wrong way in the finished quilt.
If you are mixing this fabric with other Emma prints, cut a sample unit from each combination first. Seeing one finished block tells you more about scale and contrast than holding two bolts side by side.
Colour Pairing and Project Ideas
Pull your companion colours directly from the fabric itself rather than matching from memory. Quiet solids and small-scale coordinates from the Emma collection will let this print stay the focus, while a plain border or sashing gives the eye a place to rest between patterned blocks. Repeating the fabric in a binding or final border is an easy way to tie the centre and edges together.
Try it in a framed-block or simple patchwork quilt for an Austen-loving reader, as the centre of a cushion for a reading chair, in a book tote or pouch, or as a table runner for a book-club gathering. Offcuts are ideal for zip pouches, book covers, and small gifts that carry the same literary theme without needing more yardage. For apparel, use it where the print can be seen flat — a skirt panel, a yoke, or a pocket detail will show it better than a heavily gathered section.
Care
Care follows the instructions given for this fabric: machine wash cold and tumble dry low. Washing project fabrics the way you plan to care for the finished quilt helps the top, batting, and backing age evenly together, and it is a sensible first step before cutting for apparel or home decor as well.
Shop the Emma Jane Fairfax 43"/44" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
