Rainbow Over Head quilt + pattern

it's a Color Mentor quilt pattern!

Feb 14, 2025

Hello, hello and happy Friday! Today is a big day, because I have a finished quilt and a finished pattern to share. YAY! It’s pattern release day =).

But first, a few glimpses of my week…

Check out this moment on my design wall. Isn’t it surprising how much patchwork “shrinks” when sewn together? I snapped this photo when only the right side was (mostly) assembled. What a transformation!

Second, my longarm hard at work. I do love this beast, even if she does cost a pretty penny to house. (psst, European quilters - send me your quilts!)

And this delightful quilt corner, trimmed and ready for binding! I attach my bindings with a walking foot, then wrap them around the edge and finish with a zigzag stitch (tutorial here). Doing everything by machine makes for a fast and sturdy finish. That zigzag is my signature, I suppose.

a Finished Quilt

Hurrah, for another Rainbow Over Head! This sweet-sized quilt would be perfect for that baby or toddler in your life OR to hang up on a wall where you sew. She’s 41” square and 100% made with love and light.

Good vibes are flowing!

I quilted this piece with a spirograph pattern that beautifully emphasizes the circular rainbow arrangement of the plusses and sets flowers in all four corners.

It’s backed with soft, 100% organic cotton jersey from Cloud 9. The jersey has a bit of stretch, like your favorite tee-shirt, making it extra cuddly for little ones.

But all those little plusses, with their pure, happy colors - those are undoubtedly the star of the show!

Rainbow Over Head is listed today in my Handmades shop. I was really, really tempted to hang her in my sewing room, over my ironing board, but I already have a color wheel quilt in that spot. Instead, I hope to send her off to someone whose life needs a bolt of color.

a New Pattern

Would you rather sew your own rainbow? As we say in Dutch, “Dat kan!” (that can). Today I am sending forth rainbows into the world via my brand new Rainbow Over Head pattern!

Do you love sewing scrap quilts? Me too! This one is a celebration of color and scrappy patchwork. My first Rainbow Over Head quilt was a rainbow scrap quilt, with each plus featuring a contrasting color center. The background fabric creates a stormy, high-contrast sky for this shimmering rainbow.

Today’s version of this quilt utilized scraps for the background, transforming the rainbows into an array of solids. If your fabrics stash is short on rainbow hues, you can buy a collection of 19 solids and sew your rainbow this way (creating rainbow scraps for the future, I’d like to point out). The pattern details the brand names for two perfect solid arrays: Ruby + Bee Solids (see baby quilt above) or Art Gallery Solids (see mockup below).

I’ll be sewing scrappy pluses again for my next Rainbow Over Head quilt! This time, I’m opting for a moody mauve background called Sugar Plum by Art Gallery. I’m digging the spring vibe. It’s sweet, but not cloying, and feels like just the thing to brighten up my March!

Isn’t it intriguing how these rainbows look on different backgrounds? Above is Art Gallery Fresh Water, mocked up in the baby size version. You could do almost any color solid with scrappy plusses or a scrappy background featuring one color, combined with solid plusses. Choices, choices!

Rainbows - they’re endlessly charming, right? This layout sparkles with colorful energy and it’s so much fun to sew in scrappy plusses! The pattern was for me love at first sight and I have a feeling you’re feeling the same way.

On Wednesday I’ll talk more about the sew-along and gear up for a kick-off giveaway. You can get started now by reading through the first few pages of the pattern, and contemplating your fabric choices. As always, I’m eager to see what you sew!