Introducing the Mary Golden Quilt
Marigolds bloom throughout my garden, filling it with cheerful orange and yellow hues. Over the years, this familiar flower has become one of my favorite signs of summer, finding its way into charming bouquets and my natural dye pots.
The name Mary Golden, a little play on words, was inspired by my young neighbor, who proudly knocked on my door after school holding a single bloom. With complete confidence and the sweetest excitement, he announced that he had brought me a "Mary Golden." That cherished moment has stayed with me ever since.
Mary Golden grew from that memory and my love for the familiar flowers that return to my garden each summer. The oversized blocks are inspired by marigold blooms, turning one small and cherished moment into a garden of flowers made from fabric.
With approachable construction, Mary Golden is a modern quilt pattern designed to spark creativity, feel playful, and be satisfying to sew. Whether you're drawn to a carefully curated palette or love the charm of a scrappier quilt, the pattern gives you room to create your own Mary Golden garden.
About the Pattern
The Mary Golden Quilt pattern includes instructions for two quilt versions.
The Limited Palette Version creates a softer, more heirloom-inspired look by working with a smaller palette of fabrics, creating a beautiful sense of rhythm and cohesion throughout the quilt.
The Mix & Match Version embraces a scrappier mix of fabrics, designed to use a fat quarter bundle, creating a quilt full of movement, personality, and folk-inspired charm.
The Limited Palette Version includes five sizes:
- Mini: 16" × 16"
- Runner: 14" × 62"
- Baby: 38" × 38"
- Lap: 56" × 62"
- Throw: 62" × 70"
The Mix & Match Version includes instructions for the Lap and Throw sizes.
→ View the Mary Golden Quilt Pattern
Sewing Mary Golden
One of the things I enjoyed most while making Mary Golden was settling into the rhythm of sewing the blocks. The pattern is constructed with traditional piecing and stitch-and-flip corners (also called snowball corners), and once I started chain piecing those units, everything seemed to flow.
To help make the process even smoother, I included several extra resources in the pattern, including background cutting diagrams for the Lap and Throw sizes (for 42" wide fabric), printable cutting labels to keep pieces organized, and a coloring page for planning your own fabric combinations.
They're little details, but I hope they make the sewing experience just a bit more enjoyable.
Three Ways to Make the Mary Golden Quilt
One of my favorite parts of designing Mary Golden was seeing how dramatically the quilt changed with different fabric choices. I ended up making three very different samples, and even though they're all the same pattern, each one has its own personality.
The Cover Quilt
The Throw Size cover quilt brought Mary Golden to life for me.
It's made from a combination of beautiful yarn-dyed woven fabrics from Fableism Supply Co. and Art Gallery Fabrics. I wanted the quilt to have a soft, heirloom feel where the texture of the fabrics became just as important as the color.
For quilting, I chose the Bloomlet pantograph by The Longarm League, stitched with Aurifil 40 wt 3-ply thread in Crème Brûlée (4150). The gentle floral design adds movement while allowing the oversized blocks to remain the focus.
If you'd like to recreate this quilt, I've put together curated kits that include everything you need.
Lucky Loom Mix & Match
After finishing the cover quilt, I couldn't stop wondering what Mary Golden would look like with a completely different personality.
The Mix & Match version was born.
This version uses a scrappy mix of fat quarters to create a more playful look. The extra variety gives the quilt a whimsical feel, just like my wildflower garden.
I created this quilt using Lucky Loom by Fableism Supply Co. The woven textures and playful patterns give this version so much warmth and personality. Together, the fabrics create a conversation as your eyes wander across the quilt, each one adding its own voice while still feeling beautifully coordinated.
To complement the playful mix of fabrics, I quilted this version with the Thread Garden pantograph from The Longarm League, using Aurifil 40 wt 3-ply thread in Crème Brûlée (4150).
One of my favorite details on this quilt is the bias binding. I love the way the stripes wrap around the edge on the diagonal, almost like a candy cane or barber pole. It adds a playful, whimsical finish that felt like the perfect complement to this version of Mary Golden.
If you've been wanting to try bias binding, I've shared my entire process in a step-by-step tutorial. And if you're making this quilt from one of my Lucky Loom kits, I even included enough binding fabric so you can make bias binding, too.
I've created curated Lucky Loom quilt kits with several backing options available.
→ Shop the Lucky Loom Mix & Match Quilt Kits
Garden Variety Limited Palette
Once I saw how much personality a change of fabrics could bring to the pattern, I knew I wanted to make one more.
I chose the Garden Variety wovens collection by Anna Maria Textiles because I wanted to explore a different side of the Limited Palette version. With brighter colors and more pattern than the cover quilt, this version has an entirely new personality. It feels like the perfect in-between, the softness and cohesion of the cover quilt paired with a little of the whimsy and playfulness of the Lucky Loom Mix & Match version.
As I'm writing this post, this quilt is still waiting for its final quilting, so I'll come back and update this page once it's finished.
I've created quilt kits for this version with multiple backing options so you can choose your favorite combination.
→ Shop the Garden Variety Quilt Kits
Beyond the Quilt
The Mini Mary Golden quilt top, unfinished, is 16½" square, which is exactly the right size for my quilted tote tutorial, making it a fun way to turn one of the Mary Golden blocks into a useful project. You could also use the Mini size to make a quilted pillow. Both are fun ways to bring a little more Mary Golden into your everyday life.
I've shared tutorials for both.
Mary Golden Resources
Whether you're ready to make your own Mary Golden quilt or are simply gathering inspiration, here are all the resources in one place.
→ Mary Golden Quilt PDF Pattern
→ Throw Size Limited Palette Cover Quilt Kit
→ Lap Size Mix & Match Lucky Loom Quilt Kit
→ Lap Size Limited Palette Garden Variety Quilt Kit
Whether you recreate one of these quilts or pull from your own stash to sew something entirely different, I hope Mary Golden inspires you to play with color, enjoy the process, and make a quilt that tells its own story.
I'd love to see your Mary Golden Quilt. Be sure to tag me on Instagram @remivailstudio or use #MaryGoldenQuilt so I can see your beautiful work.
Happy sewing!
xo,
Tamara