Some patterns take a long time to find their shape. Double Dream was not one of them.
I have always loved a double rainbow. The main arc gets all the attention, but it is the second, softer one behind it that makes people stop and pull out their phones. That is the moment this quilt is about: two arcs bending toward each other across a wide open background, the way a double rainbow turns up after the storm has already moved on.
If you have followed Slightly Biased Quilts for any length of time, you know rainbow progressions are kind of my thing. Color selection is the part of quilting I never get tired of, and this pattern is basically an excuse to play with a value ramp for as long as I like. So I am thrilled to finally share it with you.
Double Dream made its debut in The Quilt Pattern Magazine, and I am so grateful to them for giving it a home. If you caught it there, hello and welcome!
The version in the magazine was the original 24″ size. I loved sewing this one so much that I could not leave it alone, and I kept thinking about how those arcs would look stretched across a wall or a lap. So the full pattern now includes three sizes: 24″ x 24″, 48″ x 48″, and 72″ x 72″. The mini is a perfect afternoon project or baby gift. The 72″ is a proper throw with a whole lot of presence.
The curves are a trick
Here is the part I am most pleased about. Double Dream has no curved piecing. None. No templates either.
The entire top is rotary cut pieces and straight seams. The arcs come together purely through the way the pieces are cut and arranged, which is the kind of geometry problem I find deeply satisfying. All you need is an accurate quarter inch and a little patience with your pressing. If you can sew a rectangle to a rectangle, you can make this quilt.
I rate it intermediate, mostly because there are a lot of pieces to keep organized and the value placement matters. But there is nothing technically scary in here.
Two patterns in one cover
The thing that makes Double Dream fun for me is that the pattern includes two complete colorway versions, and they read as entirely different quilts.
The 6 Tone version uses six tones of a single color. Think six blues, or six pinks, or a soft run of neutrals. It is quiet and graphic, and it is the easiest way to make a rainbow quilt for a room that is not quite ready for the full rainbow.
The 30 Tone version is the full gradient rainbow you see in the photos: six colors, five tones each. Sew it as a smooth gradient from your solids collection, or go completely scrappy with five scraps per color and let your stash do the sorting. At the 24″ size, the pieces are 3″ x 14″ and smaller, so this is a very good home for the odds and ends you have been saving for something.
Each version has its own cutting charts and fabric requirements, so you are never doing math on the fly.
Get the pattern
Double Dream is available now in the shop.
If you make one, please tag me. I want to see every version of this, especially the ones in colors I would never have thought to try. And if you have been sitting on a Kona bundle waiting for the right project, I think it just found you.