These are blocks 12 and 14 in the Riley Blake Challenge 2026 sew-along. In this sew-along, we get a new block every week, so it will be wrapping up pretty quickly compared to some of the other BOMs I am participating in.
The block on the right is a block I substituted for the actual block 12 that was offered. I did not care for that block and felt that it did not fit in with the others at all. Click on the link and take a look at the block 12 for this year and see what I mean.
These blocks are free on the Riley Blake website, along with additional free block patterns from previous Challenges going back to 2021. So, if one doesn’t care for a particular block offering, it is a simple matter to swap out a different block from a previous year.
I find these Riley Blake Challenge blocks to be more intermediate in their skill level, rather than the overly simplistic blocks offered in some other sew-alongs. The easy blocks are fantastic for new sewers, but if you have more experience under your belt, the more challenging blocks are great. They call it a “Challenge” for a reason!
Only two more blocks to make and this sew-along will be completed. I am not sure what the setting will be at this point, but I am very happy with the blocks. I am using an ancient line of fabric by Lella Boutique (Vanessa Goertzen who designs for Moda) called Farmer’s Daughter. I was a bit short of fabric for the sew-along, but found that several Basic Grey Grunge fabrics filled in perfectly. They are solids, but with a visual texture that provides a lot more interest than a true solid would. I found a coral, black, and green that coordinated perfectly with the fabric collection.
If you haven’t tried “Grunge” fabrics in your quilts, I highly recommend them.
By the way, many Moda fabric designers will note on their personal websites Moda solids or “reads as solid” fabrics that will coordinate with their various fabric lines. I find that so helpful. Here is a link to Vanessa’s website so you can see what I mean.
Hope your week is going splendidly.
6 Responses
Love seeing all your progress and you’re tempting me to jump in to a stitch a long! Long time grunge fan. Still shattered about the lost quilt. Are you tempted to make another one? A great Fourth of July project for this year. So many good red, white, and blue collections this year. Keep up the good work! Xox
I only recently discovered the block challenges on the Riley Blake site, they are such good patterns! I agree with the one you swapped out, I would have too!
Grunge is so versatile. The subtle texturing makes a solid look special. Your challenge blocks look great together–keep up the good work!
whoa. that block 12 link is really out of left field?! I like your block soooo much better.
I adore block 12, but I agree that it doesn’t match at all with this quiltalong. I’m actually thinking of making use of her mountain design (and making multiple blocks) for something else I’m working on. It would work really well for this other quilt project!
Good for you, for finding a use for it! It would be perfect for a table topper in a mountain cabin.