Hi, friends!
Adam at High Country Quilts has three collections for us to explore. Let's turn those beautiful fabrics into a project you'll love.
Three collections. So many possibilities.
01 / Tilda — Village Life
Small-town charm. Beautiful quilt stories.
What makes it special: Village scenes and vintage-inspired florals bring a storybook feel to your sewing.
How I'd use it: I'd let a village print shine in larger pieces, then pair it with little florals for a cozy throw or a charming wall hanging.
Try this: Keep the houses upright. Plan your cuts before you slice into a scenic print — a directional print cut sideways is the one mistake you can't press out.
Start small: A pillow is a lovely way to explore the collection before choosing a larger quilt.
Check each listing in the High Country Quilts collection for current availability and pre-order details.
02 / Riley Blake Designs — Love You to the Moon
Soft flannel for a little extra cozy.
What makes it special: Sweet moons, stars, and gentle colors give this flannel collection a warm, playful feel.
How I'd use it: I'd start with the panel for a reading quilt, then add coordinating borders that let the center do the talking.
Try this: Check the pattern's preparation directions before cutting. Flannel can shrink, so plan ahead and handle it gently. (If you've ever had a quilt come out of the wash lopsided, Here's Why Your Quilt Shrank Unevenly explains what happened.)
Choose your project: Think lap quilts and keepsake gifts. This fabric is not intended for children's sleepwear.
Browse the rest of the line in our Riley Blake Designs collection, and get to know the brand in Know Your Riley Blake.
03 / Riley Blake Designs — Hand-Dyes Batiks
Let color do the work.
What makes them special: Mottled color adds movement without a busy printed motif.
How I'd use them: I'd choose light, medium, and dark values for a star quilt, a table runner, or bold geometric blocks.
Try this: Lay your fabrics together and take a black-and-white photo. The value differences help your blocks stand out.
Start with a pairing: Pink Lemonade + Honey. Add contrast from the collection to build your palette.
One more thing before you cut a batik: they behave a little differently from regular quilting cotton. Before You Cut Your Batik covers it.
Why the black-and-white photo trick works
Color is distracting. Two fabrics can look completely different in hue — a pink and a gold, say — and still be nearly the same value, meaning the same lightness. When you sew two same-value fabrics next to each other, the seam between them visually disappears and your star points melt into the background. A black-and-white photo strips the hue away and shows you only value, so you can tell at a glance whether your "light, medium, dark" really are three steps apart. If two of them look the same in grayscale, swap one out before you cut.
Before your first cut
- Choose the pattern.
- Check yardage and selling units — Stop Guessing Your Quilt Yardage has the math.
- Plan for print direction.
- Save the care instructions.
And if you're still deciding whether a fabric is right for the job, That Fabric Is Pretty, But Will It Actually Work? is the gut check.
Black Friday deals should be a whole season, not just four days. No rush at Linda's. Choose what inspires you. Create at your pace.
Happy quilting,
From Corey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is High Country Quilts?
High Country Quilts is a cotton fabric supplier that Linda's partners with to bring quilting fabric lines — including Tilda, Riley Blake Designs, and Riley Blake Hand-Dyes batiks — to lindas.com. Products ship from High Country Quilts, so check each listing for current availability and pre-order details.
Does flannel shrink, and should I pre-wash it before quilting?
Yes, cotton flannel typically shrinks more than standard quilting cotton, and it can shrink unevenly. Check your pattern's preparation directions first; many flannel patterns recommend pre-washing and drying the fabric before cutting so the finished quilt doesn't distort. Handle flannel gently, since it stretches and frays more easily than quilting cotton.
How do I pick batik fabrics that will contrast in a quilt?
Choose by value, not just color. Lay the fabrics side by side and take a black-and-white photo with your phone. If two fabrics look the same in grayscale, they'll blur together in the quilt. Aim for a clear light, medium, and dark so your blocks and star points stand out.
How do I cut a directional or scenic print like Tilda Village Life?
Decide which way is "up" before cutting, and keep every piece oriented the same way. Fussy-cut the scenes you want to feature in larger pieces, and plan your layout so the houses stay upright in the finished quilt. Starting with a pillow lets you practice on a small scale first.
Can I use Riley Blake flannel for children's pajamas?
No. The Love You to the Moon flannel is a quilting and craft flannel; it is not intended for children's sleepwear, which has separate flammability requirements. Use it for lap quilts, reading quilts, and keepsake gifts instead.
