Way back in 2014, I saw an advertisement for some outdoor furniture which had the cutest Japanese paper lanterns.  The color palette and layout was so pretty, I thought about it for weeks.  I ended up doodling this quilt design and made this blue and yellow version way back in 2014.   It was such a fun quilt to make and Zen Chic‘s Sphere fabrics were just perfect for it.  

I was asked a number of times about where I found the pattern, so I finally wrote one in 2018. We tend to like large quilts since everyone in my family is tall, so I wrote the pattern in two sizes.  The throw version is 56″ x 63″ and the larger quilt is 70″ x 84″.  

Since Sphere was no longer available, I decided to make a scrappy version so you could use any fabrics you like. I made this one in the larger size and my very patient husband held it while I took many, many photos!

One of my quilting buddies, Annie Cook, tested it and made one as a gift. It turned out super cute! She is a wonderful longarm quilter in the St. Louis area if you’re looking for someone! You can see her amazing work on Instagram @aecquilts.

And finally, I had gotten a bundle of Lavish by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery Fabrics and wanted to do a version where the lights in the lanterns were all different colors rather than just the yellow.  This fabric line is just gorgeous.

I quilted it with loops and stars.

And used this adorable lightening bug fabric to go along with it.

Here they are hanging in St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild quilt shows!

It the first one is now in it’s permanent home with the mom of one of my old friends, who was one of the many, many victims of Hurricane Harvey.

If you’d like to make one yourself, Paper Lanterns is a fun quilt to make and is beginner friendly. You can find it in my Etsy shop! #paperlanternsquilt

Thanks for stopping by!