Mountain Horizon 2.0 Quilt Pattern - The Glacier Bay Version
I’m excited to share another take on the Mountain Horizon 2.0 quilt pattern today. You may have caught glimpses of this colorway before, but today I’ll share all the details about this unique quilt…and the inspiration behind it!
The Mountain Horizon 2.0 quilt pattern
It’s been over seven years since I first released the Mountain Horizon quilt pattern…but earlier this year, I revisited it and released Mountain Horizon 2.0!
This new version features the same mountain design as the original pattern, but the construction techniques have been updated, the pattern includes more quilt sizes, and you now get handy extras like a quilt planner and quilting suggestions. And best of all, Mountain Horizon 2.0 works with our curved acrylic template set…which makes cutting those curves so much faster and easier! (The pattern still includes printed templates if you don’t have the acrylic set.)
I made two samples of the new pattern right off the bat: the Mountain Horizon 2.0 cover quilt (aka the Blue Ridge version) and the Cascade version. I love both of these quilts, which keep things pretty straightforward with golden suns and obvious mountains.
For my last two samples, I went in different directions, though…an ocean-inspired take with the Miami Sunset version and a completely non-traditional sun with this, the Glacier Bay version!
Mountain Horizon 2.0 - The Glacier Bay Version
I made the Glacier Bay sample in the throw size (51” x 68”), the same as the other three sample quilts. And like those quilts, this one was inspired by a beautiful place in nature…but for this one, I tried to make it feel like the place instead of just looking like it.
This quilt actually started with the idea of a non-traditional sun color, but I wasn’t sure what direction to take with the fabrics. I brainstormed mountainous spots I love, and I very quickly found the obvious answer: Glacier Bay in Alaska…also called the Land of the Midnight Sun!
It was the perfect fit, and the colors came easily from there.
FABRICS
Once I’d found my inspiration, I knew I wanted to make the sun units a very dark color, taking the “midnight sun” in a less literal direction (going for vibes over realism). I landed on Mediterraneo, an Art Gallery Fabrics PURE Solid I’ve used in several other quilts. It’s a gorgeous deep blue, and it made a great anchor for my color palette.
To come up with the other fabric colors, I thought about my memories of Glacier Bay. Those memories are saturated with blues and purples…including the striking blue of the water, which has an almost Caribbean tone in some places! With that in mind, it was simple to round out my fabrics.
I ended up using seven PURE Solids in all:
- Lavender Water (A)
- Mauvelous (B)
- Bewitched (C)
- Bougainvillea (D)
- Mediterraneo (E)
- Periwinkle (F)
- Atmospheric (G)
The colors (including one of my favorite AGF purples!) make this quilt feel just as magical as the place that inspired it. Sure, this quilt doesn’t look exactly like Glacier Bay to your average person (unlike the Blue Ridge version, which is a pretty clear homage)…but it feels like Glacier Bay to me.
I love that quilts like this one let me remember and pay tribute to my favorite places with some of my favorite colors. Sewing this was like bringing a memory to life, one stitch at a time.
If you hadn’t already guessed, I’m smitten with this colorway, so we’re offering Glacier Bay quilt kits in the shop!
QUILTING, BACKING, AND BINDING
I sent my Glacier Bay quilt top to Blue Ridge Quilt Co. for longarm quilting. The quilt top looks so different from my other Mountain Horizon sample quilts, so I wanted a special panto to make it even more unique.
Luckily, we found the perfect option with the Pendant panto by Sew Shabby Quilting! I love how the panto lines almost mimic the piecing of the quilt, like an echo through the Bay. It’s nothing like the quilting on my other samples, but it’s perfect for this version!
And speaking of echoes, I used Floral Universe Trinkets (from AGF’s Trinkets Fusion collection) for the backing. It features some of the colors of the quilt top (another echo!), and I love how the lush floral print contrasts with the simple geometric shapes of the quilt front.
For the quilt binding, I went with Legacy Stripe Fig (from AGF’s Legacy collection), a super fun scalloped stripe print. I love using stripes on my binding, and the scalloped shape adds an extra interest…and it goes so beautifully with the curves of the suns!
I could look at this quilt all day. The colors, quilting, and shapes all work together to make a complex but cohesive whole…and I just love it!
Make your own Mountain Horizon 2.0 quilt
After four samples, I’m taking a break from the Mountain Horizon 2.0 pattern for a little bit…but I still love this quilt pattern, and I’d love to see what you create with it!
I do recommend picking up our acrylic template set to make cutting easier. (Acrylic templates are a huge quality of life upgrade!) But even if you stick to the printed templates, you may want to review my guide to working with templates.
QUILT KITS
We’ve run out of stock for our Blue Ridge and Cascade quilt kits, but we still have two Mountain Horizon 2.0 kit options for you:
- Glacier Bay version (the quilt you just saw!)
- Miami Sunset version (my ocean-inspired colorway)
You can choose to add the same backing and binding fabric I used, or you can get just the fabric for the quilt top.
DESIGN YOUR OWN
If you don’t see the kit you want, you can always use one of our many fabric bundles to create your Mountain Horizon quilt! Or you can use your imagination to design a completely original colorway.
Either way, you can plan your quilt using the Mountain Horizon 2.0 coloring page on PreQuilt or our free printable quilt coloring pages.
This quilt was such a fun and beautiful journey for me, so I can’t wait to see your own take on the places that matter to you. Tag me @loandbeholdstitchery and #loandbeholdpatterns so I can see what you sew up!
Until then…happy quilting!
