If you love scrappy quilts, Friendship Star quilt blocks, and soft vintage-inspired designs, I think you’re going to love the Sweet Emily quilt!
The Sweet Emily quilt pattern combines Friendship Star blocks in a circular arrangement to create a beautiful, classic quilt design with a modern feel. With its simple piecing and pretty repeating star design, this is a wonderful project for beginning quilters! And anyone who loves working with a collection of coordinating fabrics!!
I originally designed this quilt as a graduation gift for my sweet niece, Emily. I wanted to create something special for her that felt timeless and personal — and the result was this soft blue and cream Friendship Star quilt.
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Get the Sweet Emily Quilt Pattern in the LAKEGIRLQUILTS Etsy Shop!
The Story Behind the Sweet Emily Quilt
I designed the Sweet Emily quilt for my niece Emily’s high school graduation gift.
For her quilt, I chose an ombré-inspired palette of calm blues paired with creamy low-volume fabrics. Using multiple shades of blue gives the quilt a beautiful sense of movement while keeping the overall look soft and serene.
But don’t feel like you need to make your Sweet Emily quilt in blue!
This scrappy quilt pattern would be beautiful in so many different color combinations. Try shades of pink, green, red, purple, or even a rainbow of your favorite fabrics.
You could also create a beautiful Christmas quilt using traditional holiday colors.
There really are no rules when it comes to choosing your fabrics. That’s one of my favorite things about quilting!
Sweet Emily Quilt Pattern
The Sweet Emily quilt features Friendship Star quilt blocks arranged in circles, creating a beautiful repeating design across the quilt.
The finished quilt measures approximately 62″ x 62″, making it a great throw-size quilt for a bed, sofa, chair, or cozy reading spot.
The pattern is designed with simple patchwork techniques, making it a great choice for a beginning quilter who is ready to tackle a larger quilt project.
The complete Sweet Emily quilt pattern includes the fabric requirements, cutting instructions, block construction, quilt assembly, and finishing directions you’ll need to make your own quilt.
Want to Make a Sweet Emily Quilt?
If you love the look of this quilt, you can find the complete Sweet Emily quilt pattern in the LAKEGIRLQUILTS shop.
Choosing Fabrics for Your Sweet Emily Quilt
One of my favorite things about this quilt is how beautifully it works with a scrappy fabric selection.
For the original quilt, I used several shades of blue rather than one single blue fabric. This creates an ombré effect and gives the stars plenty of visual interest.
When choosing fabrics, consider creating contrast between your star fabrics and background fabrics.
A collection of fabrics in different shades of the same color can create a soft, coordinated look, while a collection of contrasting colors can make the stars really stand out.
Try These Color Ideas
Blue & Cream
Create a soft, calming version like the original Sweet Emily quilt.
Pink & Cream
Perfect for a sweet baby quilt or a feminine throw.
Red & Cream
A classic combination that would make a beautiful patriotic or Christmas-inspired quilt.
Green & Cream
Try several shades of green for a fresh, garden-inspired look.
Rainbow
Use a different color family for each section of the quilt for a cheerful, colorful version.
The possibilities are endless!
Love Scrappy Quilts?
Sweet Emily is especially fun if you have a collection of fat quarters and scraps you’ve been saving for just the right project.
Rather than choosing one fabric and repeating it throughout the quilt, try gathering several fabrics that share a similar color family or value.
This is a great way to make a quilt that feels coordinated without looking overly matched.
If you’re new to choosing fabrics for a scrappy quilt, one of my favorite tips is to gather more fabrics than you think you’ll need. Lay them all out together and start moving them around until you find a combination you love.
The Friendship Star Quilt Block
The Friendship Star is one of those classic quilt blocks that every quilter should have in their toolbox!
It’s made with simple squares and half square triangle units, and the finished block creates a traditional star shape.
If you’d like to learn more about making Friendship Star blocks, you can also check out my Friendship Star Quilt Block tutorial.
Learning how to make half square triangles is another useful skill for this quilt and for many other quilt patterns.
If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly refresher, check out my tutorial for Easy Half Square Triangle Blocks!
And if you’d like to make several HST units at once, my Four-at-a-Time Half Square Triangle Method tutorial is another great technique to try.
More Quilt Patterns You’ll Love
If you like the look of Sweet Emily, you might also enjoy some of my other quilt patterns featuring simple piecing and classic quilt block designs.
The Friendship Wreath Quilt Pattern uses an adaptation of the Friendship Star block to create a beautiful wreath design. It is available in multiple sizes, including a pillow cover, baby quilt, and throw quilt.
For another quilt featuring a circular wreath design, check out my Evergreen Wreath Quilt. This 23″ x 23″ quilt makes a sweet wall hanging or table quilt.
Make Your Own Sweet Emily Quilt
Whether you choose soft blues like my original quilt or create your own colorful version, I hope the Sweet Emily quilt inspires you to pull out your favorite fabrics and start sewing.
This is such a fun quilt for playing with color, value, and scrappy fabrics — and I especially love that the classic Friendship Star design gives it a timeless feel.
Ready to make your own? SHOP THE SWEET EMILY QUILT PATTERN here!
I can’t wait to see what colors you choose!
Happy quilting!
~Bonnie
thank you so much