10 Amazing Ice Cream Soda Quilts to Inspire You

Jodi “stumbled across the Ice Cream Soda quilt design while playing with different paper shapes, moving them around on [her] dining table to learn how they tiled together.” When she began making blocks for her very first Ice Cream Soda quilt, she would start with three fabrics she liked, and very often the block would come out much different from how she thought, despite being a quilter for a number of years. 

So, she started to tune in to color, contrast, and scale, learning as she went, to discover how to make blocks she loved. In the end, there are blocks in her quilt that remind her of where she started, and blocks that show how much she learned. It's ok if your quilt is simply for your learning and for your joy. 

Emily Langton married fussy cutting with Anna Maria Horner for the most spectacular fussy cutting extravaganza! Every single block is like a work of art, carefully curated and stitched to shine all on its own or to add to the stunning chorus of blocks all together. Carefully opting not to feature low volume fabrics apart from the joining pieces truly gives each block a chance to stand on its own, while playing a vital role in the overall look of the quilt. 

If fussy cutting is your thing, make sure to take a scroll through Emily's Instagram feed. You're sure to find plenty of inspiration!

Who said quilting was old fashioned? No one could say that by the look of Joy Martin's amazing quilts! Fairly new to EPP, but a long time machine quilter, Joy has channeled her bold, high contrast style into a bed sized Ice Cream Soda quilt with over twice as many blocks as the original small block version! 

She's using a gargantuan fabric pull to only use fabrics once per block, and throwing in some amazing fussy cuts along the way. It just goes to show that no matter your quilty style, Ice Cream Soda quilt will make it shine.

Are you someone who just loves all the colors? So is Jackie Gillies, known for her gorgeous rainbow quilts. She's making a second fussy cut version from the larger blocks currently, but her very first foray with Ice Cream Soda quilt featured the original smaller block. Aren't her monochromatic blocks lovely laid out in an ombre style rainbow? So many possibilities! 

“Sometimes you need to make a quilt in three colours,” according to Jodi. “Instead of making lots of decisions for each block, spending time pondering fabric options, cutting and basting (only to have some not turn out like you hoped), and learning from the experience, you need to just make one block over and over again.” And, that's exactly what she did for this large block version of Ice Cream Soda Quilt. 

She chose one color for the center stars, a contrasting color for the kites, and a second coordinating color for the crowns. The result is a gorgeous simplicity that, according to Jodi, “gives me the space to keep making, keep my hands busy while my mind either wanders, or focuses on something else entirely.” 

Even though Ice Cream Soda quilt is an English paper pieced quilt, it doesn't have to hold lots of design decisions to be meaningful or to suit the season of life you're in.

Rachel Hauser of Stitched in Color took over four years to make her Ice Cream Soda quilt. As she works primarily in the machine and long arm quilt world, this was a project that allowed her to take her time. It followed her as she moved from one place to another, made a home in that new place, and welcomed new people into her life. 

Her quilt is a brilliant testament to the fact that quilts can be savored, put away, pulled back out again, and enjoyed for years to come. As you make your Ice Cream Soda quilt, it's ok if it takes longer than you anticpated. It will tell a story all its own in the end. 

Ice Cream Soda quilt was my very first attempt at a large scale English paper pieced (EPP) quilt. I joined the original quilt club in 2017 with all of the excitement of a complete novice. 

I jumped in head first, only knowing that I wanted a gentle, subdued palette. I made block after block, tried fussy cutting, and enjoyed the process of making each block a tiny little quilt of its own.

But, when the shiny newness of the club wore off, and I couldn't keep up with the schedule I put it down feeling like a failure. It was only when I realized that I could just keep stitching one seam at a time that I made progress. 

It's now my most prized quilt, and I'm so proud of how it turned out. While my style of quilting has shifted some since then, it's a diary of quilted entries spanning over three years. 

As you make your own Ice Cream Soda quilt, don't forget that it's your quilt, and your journey, and no one else's. Just keep stitching.

While we hold that you can never have too many quilts, or even WIPs, around here, sometimes a seasonal quilt is the perfect “excuse” to dive into a new project!

Kate started her Christmas themed Ice Cream Soda quilt in 2017, and has been working on it a little bit at a time over the years. How special to have a quilt that holds so many memories once it's done! And, such a great reminder that quilts can suit any season you're in.

Have you ever made a medallion style quilt? Some quilts are patterned to be medallion style, but with a bit of strategic planning you can make any quilt a medallion style layout. 

Medallion style quilts simply feature a central focal point with rounds radiating out from that center. In this version, Andrea had a clever play with color and block placement to create a striking medallion layout.

And, if you read her caption in this post, you'll realize that she wasn't convinced of her original layout, but in the end she fell in love with it again. She sums it up perfectly, “Sometimes things just need time to be right, I guess.”

Do you struggle with getting an even spread of color across your quilt? In this version by Jodi, she started with a fabric bundle, added some colors from her stash, and then, instead of making full blocks, she used each print to make all of the center stars for the whole quilt. Next, she basted kites from each print and paired those with a coordinating center star. Finally, she basted crowns from each print, and distributed those across all of the blocks. 

The end result is an even spread of color across your blocks and shapes. It's a great option for making sure you land on the “vibe” you hope for in your quilt.