Kailia's Quilt Featuring Original Cotton and Steel

I have had a bundle of fat quarters in my fabric cabinet for a couple years now. It's the kind that I love so much I'm afraid to use. Well, I finally pulled them out and did a poll on Instagram to see if I should use them. Voters were very passionate about using the fabrics. Not only did 100% of people vote to use them, but I also received messages with a plea to use the bundle.

What was the bundle? It was an old school Cotton and Steel bundle from the original designers. I bought this years ago when I was first quilting to sew with another pattern. Then, I just never did. So there it sat gathering dust.

I am super glad I didn't use the bundle. Because now I got to use the fabrics on my own pattern, Kailia's Quilt, and it turned out so beautiful! The fabrics were still hard to cut into. Which begs the question, why do quilters buy fabrics to quilt with and then we are afraid to use our favorite ones?

Get a copy of Kailia's Quilt Pattern here.


I'm trying to get better at throwing caution to the wind and using the fabrics instead of letting them collect dust.

Kailia's Quilt Pattern

Kailia's Quilt is a modern quilt pattern geared toward the beginner quilter. This pattern is so versatile because you can use fat quarters, precuts or scraps. Any way you make it, the end result is a scrappy modern quilt.

Kailia's Quilt Pattern includes instructions for 3 sizes:

• Baby (36 in. x 40 in.)

• Throw (60 in. x 72 in.)

• Twin (72 in. x 92 in.)

It doesn't have a background fabric so you can easily go to your stash, grab some fat quarters and get sewing.



I love any quilt pattern which is easy to find fabric for and doesn't require a special trip to the quilt store.

As I said, the pattern is geared for the beginner quilter. If you haven't sewn half square triangles before I have a tutorial for you here.

In order to get the scrappy look of the quilt you need to sew 2 at a time half square triangles (HSTs). This isn't the fastest method for this many HSTs, however, sewing quilts with a specific look usually requires a specific method.

Using Precuts

Some fabric companies sell precuts of 1 1/2 inch strips and 5 inch x 5 inch square packs. These are the perfect fit for this quilt! In fact, I created this pattern to be precut friendly in case you didn't feel like doing all the cutting. You might even have these precuts lying in our stash waiting for a project that fits the measurements.

If you are beginning quilter precuts might be the way to go for this quilt, especially if cutting gives you anxiety.

Using Fat Quarters

As I said for this quilt I used a fat quarter bundle. This has been my favorite method of sewing this quilt so far. It does require cutting, but there is very little waste from each fat quarter. Also, if you use precuts or fat quarters there is some strip piecing for the striped blocks which will save time. 

Using Scraps

I have made this pattern using scraps. Let me tell you, it's not for the faint of heart. It's also not a quick make. It requires much more planning, digging through fabric bins, and cutting. I absolutely love how my scrappy version turned out, so to me it was worth the time and effort. However, if you are looking for a quick quilt to make, then making this one scrappy wouldn't be it.

Sewing the Kailia Quilt

I wasn't sure if I would love this quilt or if I would think it was too busy. Surprise! It is busy, but I still love it. My husband says he can't figure out where to look because there is so much going on. LOL!

When piecing the HSTs in the quilt I usually try to match the fabrics up with a contrasting fabric. With this scrappy of a quilt that isn't always possible and not always wanted. However, the goal is to not have two of the same fabrics touching. If two of the same fabrics touch it can mess up the look of the pattern a bit. 

This Kailia Quilt

This bundle of fabrics is an older fabric line by the original designers of Cotton and Steel Fabrics. It's called Seinna by Alexia Marcelle Abegg. I just love the bright colors and fun designs. The flower fabrics and the fabric with cacti and owls is just the cutest! In fact, originally I bought enough of the cactus fabric to the back the quilt. So that's what I did.



I think the bundle came with 24 fabrics. So I pulled out one and used the rest.

I happened to have a 1/2 yard of one of the fabrics from the line which was perfect for the binding.

Kailia's Quilt was easy to quilt with a straight stitch. I followed the striped blocks with vertical lines. Then, I turned the quilt and quilted evenly spaced lines horizontally across the quilt. I was able to use the guide on my walking foot and didn't need to mark my quilt. 





The Kailia Quilt Pattern has a lot of HSTs to trim. But the result is so worth the effort. I like to put on a movie and trim away.

This quilt turned out so cute. I'm glad I listened to my Insta friends and cut up my beautiful bundle of fabric. This fabric made the softest quilt. For now I've put it up because it's so pretty I don't want to use it. But don't worry, I won't let it gather dust.

If you want to see another version of Kailia's Quilt you can find it here. For this one I used another fat quarter bundle, but this bundle had mostly solid fabrics.

Make sure to get a copy of the pattern. I would love to see your version of Kailia's Quilt Pattern. Share with me on Instagram, #thenomadicquilter @thenomadicquilter.