Nakatomi Quilt Pattern
Yippee-ki-yay! Click the photo below to grab the Nakatomi quilt pattern 🎉
Nakatomi debuted as a small quilt block, but much like the famous movie it was inspired by, it's back with a vengeance — this time, as a versatile quilt pattern!
The design was an answer to use up the printed fabrics that are piling up in my stash, so I was keen on making sure that it shows off your favorite prints, too. That’s why the fabric requirements for the gift box and the lid are written with directional fabrics in mind. (Don’t worry solids-lovers: if you want to stick with solids, it also includes diagrams on how to cut them. 😉)
INSIDE THE PATTERN
Color Options
The 4-color Classic look
The bundle-friendly Festive look
Layout + Quilt Sizes
With the confetti block added to the mix, there’s more to celebrate this time around!
Lap size is made up of 6 gift blocks and 3 confetti blocks
Throw/Bed size consists of 10 gift blocks and 6 confetti blocks
Two Block Sizes + Bonus Build Your Own Page!
With the confetti block added to the mix, there’s more to celebrate this time around. Rearrange the blocks or make your own layout! The bed size block is scaled up, which means there are actually two different block sizes in this pattern. This gives you full rein to play with the quilt size, such as choosing the bigger block size to make a baby quilt or the smaller block size to make a 108” x 108” king size. You’ll just need additional yardage if you do your own thing, since you’ll be making the blocks one-at-a-time.
SAMPLES, TESTER VERSIONS, KITS
Note: Fabric names are italicized and located under each finished photo.
Festive in Throw/Bed Size Layout
I’m so happy I finally got to use up these fabrics! In fact, I think one of the prints (not pictured here) dates back to when I first started quilting! This sample is a big hit at home, so it’s a keeper. I love how it provides some much-needed color in our living room.
This quilt went to the lovely peeps at Trace Creek Quilting. I chose the ananda fans pantograph to break up the boxiness of the blocks. It also reminds me of balloons, which seems fitting for this party-loving design. 🕺🏻
Fabrics: bella solids porcelain; RSS various prints from the heirloom fabric collection, dottie in gelato metallic, and final frontier in teal
Classic in Lap Size Layout
This one’s the 4-color option with the original lap size layout. It’s also my only holiday-themed Nakatomi quilt sample! I don’t have a lot of Christmas-themed fabrics in my stash, but I had enough of this gorgeous metallic print (possibly my favorite holiday print of all time). There’s just something about the gold mixed with the other colors that makes me want to curl up on the couch and watch holiday movies all day.
Quilted by: Sterling Quilt Co. Fabrics: rifle paper co poinsettia in evergreen metallic; RSS saltines in florida, moonrise in metallic peach blossom; C+S cleats in natural, rifle paper co festive stripe in evergreen metallic
Slumber Party in Modified Lap Layout
In this modified layout, you’ll notice 7 gift blocks and 2 confetti blocks. The big dotted fabric (not shown) was a last-minute gift block addition because I couldn’t resist showing off that fun print!
I tend to do a dark background sample whenever I make samples, but I knew from the jump that I wanted to use Alexia Marcelle Abegg’s crossweave solid in black. I just love a dark solid that has a bit of a brushed or gleam appearance. Like a moth to a flame (poor moth, let’s switch to a mosquito). Like a mosquito to a flame, I can’t help but gravitate my eyes to this quilt. The rest of the fabrics are a mix of prints and solids, all by Ruby Star Society (some from the Cotton + Steel era).
My kid, who’s not so easily impressed by things, gasped when I got the quilt back from Trace Creek Quilting (the panto is called city of fountains). I think this means we might have to keep this one, too.
Fabrics: RSS honey, warp + weft honey collection; pixel in peach, starry in saddle; C+S clovers in red
Totes Totes Totes
Here’s another thing I haven’t done in years: tote bags! I learned how to sew garments and accessories before quilting, so it felt really good to get back into this. I wanted to show you how this pattern is not just good for the winter holidays, so I grabbed a couple of Halloween prints from Hawthorne Supply Co. I had so much fun making the Halloween-themed tote, that I ended up making two more, with the help of my youngest. She was happy at how quickly these tote bags came together, so stay tuned for an instructional video and blog post on how to make your very own!
Fabrics: hawthorne supply co. big trick or treat in tan, gumdrop dots in dark night; c+s feel the void free style in inner peach
Fabrics: rss final frontier in natural, starry in blue ribbon, speckled white gold
Fabrics: Rifle paper co menagerie champagne in red metallic; RSS flurry spill, add it up in cream?; speckled creme brulee
Pink Jungle in Pillow Size
Let’s talk about this eye-catching background print for a second. Made of cotton/modal, it’s perfect for garments, but also for resting my head on it. Ugh, I wish you could feel it. I was tempted to make a Nakatomi dress with it because it has a lovely drape and it’s so silky smooth! I almost wish I had gotten a bolt. (Unfortunately, I think it’s out of print.)
I love to mix prints and solids, but I equally love to mix different substrates when making a quilt top. With this pillow, I used some leftover prints from recent samples. After some recent reorganizing, I came across a black zipper. It’s been so long since I’ve done a zippered pillow, so of course I had to make one. 🥰
Fabrics: cloud 9 pip and lo midnight garden; rss spark in peony pink; c+s cleats in natural
Back to School in BYO Runner
It was a treat to play with some Birch Fabrics to make this runner. These new basics released this summer (2024), and at first sight, made me think of back-to-school and Halloween simultaneously. I don’t know if that makes sense, but at least it’s perfect timing - ha! For this one, all of the bows are made with the 3-color block option, meaning the bows only use one kind of fabric.
These days, grid quilting is just about all I can do when I’m quilting by machine. (If you’re new here, my lower back doesn’t like basting or machine quilting). It’s an effective way to execute a quilted look without much effort.
Fabrics: charley harper basics vol.1
