The Last Light quilt pattern is a free, beginner-friendly quilt pattern that includes two sizes – pillow and throw. It is a simple, yet pleasing design that offers quilters so many color palette options to compliment your home.
If you like this design and want a quilt that is a bit more difficult, these quilt patterns have similar characteristics. Click the images to see more.
Last Light Inspiration
I first designed this pattern for the Dusk edition of Making Magazine. The Dusk edition focused on warm colors and dark purples that are reminiscent of a cold, winter day. The idea of dusk and warm tones brought to mind the last light of the day in December in northern Minnesota. Days are short and dusk comes just after 4 on our shortest days. I have always embraced these short days and the time spent bundled indoors after a day in the cold. As the sun sets over the snowy woods and lakes in Minnesota, the sky becomes darker in subtle shades of blue, yellow, and purple.
The pillow design displays these cold and early winter sunsets. The purple lines throughout the pillow change from dark to light and are reflected back again in the design.
Sunset Throw Quilt
As much as I loved the warm hues of the pillow, I couldn’t help but wonder how this may look in a larger quilt with summer colors. As warm and cozy as dark purple feels in winter, the brighter pinks, yellows, and oranges of the summer sunset remind me of the long, exciting days of summer. The colors chosen for the throw quilt are soft, yet also bright and happy. They give me all the feels of sitting by a lake and watching the sky light up in an array of colors.
Sewing Tips
This quilt is perfect for beginners. It gives new quilters experience with sewing long strips, choosing a color palette, and quilting negative space. For experienced quilters, this will be a quick project, but a lovely addition to your home. I’ll leave you with just a few tips before you begin.
- Color and fabric choice make all the difference in this one. Because this design is simple, the fabrics really stand out. A perfect palette will make this a simple, yet stunning quilt. The design plays nicely with ombre colors. Choosing one color group for the lines and selecting fabrics from dark to light is a simple way to choose fabrics for this one. You can also use several different colors by selecting colors that go well together. I love to find inspiration from something I see in nature or a picture I have of outside. Selecting colors from a picture that has already drawn my attention results in a color palette pleasing to my eye. Even with a variety of colors instead of one color, it works well to arrange them in order from dark to light. In the throw quilt, even though the colors are all different, they are still slightly arranged in order from greatest saturation to least saturation. You will notice the top, reddish color is the most saturated with the last color, light pink, being much less saturated.
- Sewing long strips of fabric together can result in wavy, funky lines instead of perfectly straight lines. There are two ways to avoid this. First, instead of sewing straight from one long end to another, break it in half. Start in the middle of the strip and sew to the end. Next, flip the strips over and sew again from the middle to the other end. Starting in the middle decreases the chance of getting that funky wave. Next, when you press, make sure to just press flat. Do not push the iron out in an ironing motion or you will get some wave in your straight lines.
- Have fun! This is a quick and simple pattern with so many possibilities. Spend some time on Pinterest choosing your favorite palette or pull from your stash.
