Quilt No. 103
Orienteer Quilt Pattern
I had the immense pleasure of working with Rachel Erickson of Citrus + Mint Designs to create a quilt pattern for her new collection, “Sweetbriar” for Riley Blake Designs. Sweetbriar is a perfect late fall blend of burgundy, powder blue, cream, sage green and rose colors; with patterns including floral motifs, sweet butterfly patterns, apples, plaid, and mushrooms!
At the beginning of the design process, the fabric line was originally referred to as “Fall Together.” When I first read this, my mind instantly took me back to the first date I went on with my husband. Imagine the idyllic last days of summer in southwest Washington by Mt. St. Helens, a 200 foot bridge over a sparkling river surrounded by emerald green forests with a sign at the beginning of the bridge claiming to be the tallest bungee (as in bungee jumping) bridge in North America. I. Was. Terrified. I was determined to suck it up and be brave to impress my hunk of a date by jumping off said bridge. I definitely had fun falling in love with him; physically falling with only a bungee cord for safety…not so much.
If you look past the grainy- dated- photo pixels, you can see the sheer terror in my eyes moments before taking a 200 foot plunge off a “bridge.”
Orienteering is a sport using a map and a compass to find a way through various checkpoints across rough terrain to a final checkpoint. It can be a competitive sport, with the winner being the one with the lowest time elapsed from the starting to ending checkpoints. I was so intrigued (read: fixated for all my neurodivergent pals) by this adventure, that Mr. Cobabe took it upon himself to create his own course in the lushly vegetated Lewisville Park in Battle Ground, WA. At the final checkpoint, he popped the question (insert dreamy love filled sigh here).
Mr. Cobabe bending down on one knee to propose…cue the butterflies once again!
I said yes…obviously. Not only was he everything I could want in a partner, he also had an awesome last name. Since “falling together” was our first date, it only made sense to create a quilt pattern that commemorates the activity that turned the page on our relationship; the activity that took us from dating to engaged: orienteering.
I could get lost in an atlas, an old map, or the maps of complex worlds usually found at the beginning of fantasy novels. It’s like you are able to explore a new land without having to get up from the couch, preferrably under the coziest of quilts. The Orienteer Quilt Pattern is inspired by my interpretation of an orienteer map, as well as the culmination of all the maps I’ve ever imagined of make-believe lands.
The Orienteer Quilt Pattern is perfect for confident beginners who are looking to up their half-square triangle game. This pattern is made up of 36 bear paw units that come together with sashing, creating a total of nine large “map” blocks. This behemoth of a quilt finishes at 78” x 78” as a large throw blanket that can still fit in your domestic machine for quilting. There are two colorway options to choose from to give you the chance to whittle down your scrap stash, or use your favorite coordinating fabrics.
All quilt patterns created by Cobabe Co. take inspiration from children’s literature (aka kid lit). A quilt is not complete without a book! As you cuddle under your recently made quilt with the little ones in your life, you will make lasting memories as you read through fascinating stories and view the incredible artwork together in the books listed below. If you are planning on gifting this quilt, the books listed make great accompanying gifts and/or reads!
If you are looking for something to carry your maps and quilt in, check out my “Quatchel” tutorial! The convenient quilt + satchel solution that comes together quickly, just add an unbound quilt. If you sign up for my monthly Cobabe Co. Chronicle, then you’ll be able to get the pattern for free dollars- my favorite price! Check it out here.
If you’re curious about how Mr. Cobabe and I ended up after six moves, three kids, seven years, and countless highs and lows, I’m still madly in love! I feel particularly blessed that I found him given the circumstances of our meeting- I’ll save that story for another time
Look at these babies! My, how time has flown.
