Riley Blake Designs has built its reputation on vibrant, family-friendly print collections with a distinctly American aesthetic. Founded in 2008, the Utah-based company quickly became a favorite among quilters who gravitate toward cheerful florals, geometric prints, and themed collections that range from holiday motifs to licensed characters.
Riley Blake's Confetti Cottons solid line coordinates directly with their print collections, offering around 100 carefully chosen colors. The fabric weight sits at approximately 4.2 oz per square yard — similar to Kona — with a smooth, tight weave that handles well during cutting and piecing. The brand is particularly popular for baby quilts, children's projects, and seasonal table runners.
What distinguishes Riley Blake in the market is their print quality and their relationship with their designer roster. Names like Lori Holt, Jill Finley, and Tasha Noel have dedicated followings, and their collections sell out fast. Riley Blake also pioneered the "sew-along" marketing model, releasing block patterns weekly with dedicated fabric bundles, creating community events around their collections.
Riley Blake's solid line with 100+ colors designed to coordinate with their print collections. Clean, consistent quality at a mid-range price point.
Lori Holt's signature low-volume prints and basics that have become staples for background fabrics in modern-traditional quilts.
Rotating holiday and seasonal print lines that drive significant demand among quilters who make gifts and home decor items.
Riley Blake is the fun brand. Their prints are what draw you in, and the Confetti Cottons solids keep you coordinated. Quality is solid if not exceptional — you are buying Riley Blake for the designs and the community, not because the cotton itself is markedly different from Kona. That said, consistency is good and the price is fair.
Print-driven quilters who love themed collections, designer sew-alongs, and projects with a cheerful, approachable aesthetic. Excellent for baby quilts and gifts.
Bella Solids from Moda Fabrics are the second most popular quilting solids line, and for good reason. With over 300 colors, the range rivals Kona and includes several shades that quilters swear have no equivalent in other brands — the Moda "Etchings Charcoal" and "Betty's Blue" are legendary on quilting social media.
Free Spirit Fabrics occupies a unique position in quilting: it is the designer-driven brand. While other companies have broad catalogs of basics, Free Spirit lives and breathes through its roster of celebrated designers — and none more famous than Tula Pink, whose bold, eclectic prints have generated a cult following that transcends traditional quilting demographics.
Windham Fabrics occupies a versatile middle ground in the quilting fabric market, offering both heritage reproduction prints and contemporary modern collections. Founded in 1987, the New Jersey-based company has built a diverse catalog that serves traditional quilters, modern makers, and everyone in between.
Test Riley Blake Designs color combinations in QuiltLab's free swatch editor before you buy.