Cicada Market 2 Quilt

I love a good half square triangle quilt pattern. I know some people can't stand half square triangles and maybe I don't love all the trimming, but there are so many satisfying configurations to do with the blocks that I just love them.

Enter the Cicada Market Quilt Pattern series... These patterns use lots of half square triangles, but the end result is worth all that trimming. Just trust me on it.

You can find the Cicada Market 2 Quilt Pattern here.

I first wrote and made the Cicada Market Quilt Pattern. I made it in the middle of moving twice. I moved across India and you better believe all the pieces and fabrics went with me in my backpack. I did not trust the movers. Then, we went back to the United States for a 7 month visit (and again didn't trust the checked baggage so the blocks went in my carry on).

All this to say, that as much as I love the Cicada Market Quilt Pattern it's not a fast make. And quick quilt patterns are my jam.

Enter the Cicada Market 2...

The Cicada Market 2 is my beginner friendly version of the Cicada Market Quilt Pattern. It has all the same blocks except they are on a much larger scale. This means there are less blocks, and half square triangles to sew and the seams to press aren't so tiny.

It's also quicker to make. The throw version of the Cicada Market 2 is only 9 blocks! Choose the right fabrics and those 9 blocks can really pack a punch.

What's in a name?

First let's get to the big question. Why did I name the pattern Cicada Market? Well, the pattern is inspired by a market my family visited in Thailand.

Thailand is famous for it's night markets. We have little kids currently so we don't go visit them because we like sanity during the days light hours. But we did sneak in a trip to this market right when it opened one evening. It was such a fun special time.

The flowing fabric decorations, colors and vendors inspired this pattern.

You can see the first version I mocked up of the Cicada Market 2 Quilt Pattern below. Bright colors are used throughout the quilt and I love the life it brings to the quilt. I can't wait to make this version.

The Cicada Market 2 Quilt Pattern incorporates 5 different accent fabrics with a background fabric. All fabrics are meant to play off each other and hopefully draw a contrast (especially the first star, Fabric C).

See the fabric requirements below to better understand which fabrics go where in each block.

The quilt has two blocks which include different size elements. This adds visual interest and almost a sense of movement throughout the quilt.

The Cicada Market 2 includes 3 sizes:

• Throw 60 in. x 60 in.

• Large Throw 60 in. x 80 in.

• Full/Double 80 in. x 100 in.

The large throw could be considered a small twin. If you want to make a legit twin size I suggest making the large throw, then adding a 10 in. border on all sides.

You do need to have some basic quilting experience to complete this quilt.

However, if you are a beginner quilter don't be afraid of the half square triangles. This is a good pattern to perfect your 8 at a time half square triangles. I make a slightly oversized version in the pattern so you have some wiggle room when trimming if your sewing isn't perfect.

Ignore the black and white Stary Fabric above. It was just all part of the quilting chaos happening in my sewing area. But not part of this project. :)

Choosing Fabrics

When I chose fabrics for this version I wanted to choose fabrics with prints, but not too busy and not necessarily large scale prints.

Several of these fabrics are from a line called Pivot by Ruby Star Society.

Fabric A- Pivot Florida Zigga Zagga

Fabric B- Pivot Dark Turkquoise Zigga Zagga

Fabric C - Pivot Golden Hour Double Dots

Fabric D - Pivot Playful Burners

Fabric E - Picture Book Story Time Strawbery Toss (this fabric is hard to find)

 I used Ruby Star Society Fabric from their Stary Line.

You can tell I really like their fabrics. Part of the reason I do is because the fabrics all interact very well together. This makes it easy to mix and match with different lines.

Although the background fabric has a print, it's a subtle star and the colors mix well with the other fabrics.

I also wanted bold colors which would stand out from each other.

When making the four patch for this quilt I played around with how I wanted the fabrics to look. Because Fabrics A and B are both directional it took me a minute to decide if I wanted them to be perpendiculal, or if I wanted the lines to go all the same direction? But I settled on the lines being perpendicular as you can see above.

I really love the yellow fabric with the double dots. It is such a vibrant color and has just a tiny pattern to it.

On accident I cut my half square triangles for the strawberry fabric (Fabric E) an inch too big. Yikes! I had way too much waste. but it was nice because it gave me the wiggle room to adjust my trimming to include more strawberries than if I hadn't oversized them.

You can see below that these blocks turn out quite large. This one covers my sewing machine. And I use a pretty big machine.

 

Again, this throw version only uses 9 blocks which makes the whole process pretty fast for a quilt pattern focused on half square triangles.

When making a pattern which continues to build on itself I suggest making sure to press the seams well as you go about each row. Otherwise, as the block grows so will your frustration and possibly your seam issues.

I sent this quilt top to Knot and Thread Design to be quilted. I have been wanting to use the panto she chose for a while but was waiting for the right quilt. I guess Kait finally felt this was it.

The panto has a bit of everything in it and I think it looks really good with these large scale blocks. I can't remember the name so email her or better yet, send your quilt to her and ask for the design. :)

 

 

 
The binding and backing are also from the Pivot line. I just couldn't pass up on this bright yellow and the flowers! So beautiful! This fabric is called Pivot Golden Hour Wildflower.

If you have any questions about the quilt or pattern drop me an email. I would love for you to share your versions of the Cicada Market Quilt on Instagram. My handle is @thenomadicquilter.

If you don't have your copy yet, get your copy here or at the link below!

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