Confetti Cotton Solids from Riley Blake

Riley Blake's Own Solids, Cut by the Yard

Confetti Cottons are Riley Blake's solid line: 100% quilting cotton, about 44 inches wide, in a color range that runs from quiet neutrals to colors that could wake the neighbors.

The practical reason to choose them over another brand's solids is coordination. Riley Blake developed these against their own print collections, so if the prints in your quilt are Riley Blake, the solid beside them was matched by the same people to the same standards. That is the whole point of a house solids line.

They also work perfectly well on their own. A quilt made entirely of solids is a different animal — quieter, more graphic, and far more about shape and value than print quilts ever are.

The Color Names Are Charming and Not Always Helpful

Ducky, Songbird, Wasabi, Piglet Pink, Mermaid Tail, Teddy Bear, Cozy, Suede. Lovely names. Not one tells you what the fabric actually looks like, which is a problem when you are shopping on a screen.

Some rough translations: the browns and neutrals run Ash, Pebble, Moonstone, Sesame, Wheat, Suede, Palomino, Espresso and Brownie. The reds are a genuine spread — Barn Red, Tractor Red, Cherry Tart, Crimson, Merlot, Tomato and Cayenne are not interchangeable. The greens go Honeydew, Pistachio, Wasabi, Parsley, Avocado, Olive, Leaf, Treetop, Woodland and Riley Green. And a few carry the house name: Riley Green, Riley Aqua and Riley Fuchsia are Riley Blake's own signature shades.

If a name is not telling you enough, ask. A Quilt Fairy can look at the bolt in daylight and describe it against something you already own, which beats any photograph.

Solids Show Everything

This is the honest part. A busy print forgives a seam that wandered, a point that got cut off, a press that went sideways. A solid does none of that. Every intersection is visible, and every scant quarter inch that was not quite scant shows up in the finished top.

That is also exactly why quilters choose them. On a solid, your quilting is the design — feathers, ruler work, dense fills and pebbling all read clearly instead of disappearing into a print. If you want the quilting itself to be what people notice, this is the fabric that lets it happen.

Two practical notes. Press carefully, because creases show more on a flat color. And the deep saturated reds are worth prewashing, or at least testing with a color catcher, before they go anywhere near a light background.

Backgrounds, Binding and Blenders

The muted end of this range earns its keep quietly. Ash, Pebble, Moonstone, Wheat and Sesame all work as backgrounds, giving a quilt somewhere restful to sit without the starkness of a bright white.

Solids also make the cleanest binding there is. A solid binding frames a scrappy quilt the way a mat frames a print, and it is far easier to cut and join accurately than a directional one.

Shop Confetti Cotton Solids at Quilted Joy

Quilted Joy is a destination quilt shop and skill-building studio in Louisville, Kentucky, serving quilters in our shop and across the country.

Our Quilt Fairies are good at exactly the problem this page creates: you have a print in hand, or a photo of one, and you need to know which of fifty-nine solids will sit beside it without arguing. Tell us what you are matching and we will compare it in daylight rather than guess from a screen.

If you are still deciding which solids line to commit to, our Painter's Palette solids and Bella solids precuts are worth a look alongside these, and all of our solid fabrics are in one place. For the fabrics these are meant to sit beside, browse all of our quilt fabric.

Frequently Asked Questions About Confetti Cotton Solids

What are Confetti Cottons?

Confetti Cotton is Riley Blake Designs' line of solid quilting fabric — 100% cotton in a single flat color rather than a printed design. The line was built to coordinate with Riley Blake's print collections, so the colors were matched against those prints rather than chosen in isolation.

How wide is Confetti Cotton fabric?

About 44 inches, the standard width for quilting cotton, and it is cut here by the yard to whatever length you need.

Will Confetti Cotton solids match my Riley Blake prints?

Better than another brand's solids will, because they were developed alongside those prints. That said, "coordinates with" is not "identical to" — dye lots and finishes vary, and a solid that looks like a perfect match on screen can read off in person. If you are matching something specific, bring it in or send us a photo and we will compare it against the bolt.

Can I mix Confetti Cottons with Bella or Painter's Palette solids in one quilt?

You can, and it usually works. Different solid lines vary a little in weight, hand and sheen, so two solids of the same color from different brands can sit slightly differently in a finished quilt.

If the quilt is mostly solids, it is worth staying within one line. If the solids are supporting prints, nobody will notice.

Do solid fabrics show mistakes more than prints?

Yes, noticeably. There is no print to distract the eye from a seam that drifted or a point that got trimmed. Cut accurately, hold a consistent quarter inch, and press rather than iron. The flip side is that solids show good work just as clearly, which is why so many show quilts are made from them.

Should I prewash Confetti Cotton solids?

For most colors it is optional. For the deep reds — Barn Red, Tractor Red, Cherry Tart, Crimson, Merlot, Tomato, Cayenne — it is worth doing, or at least testing a scrap, before you put them against a light background. Saturated reds carry the most dye and are the most likely to release some of it.

Are these good for quilt backgrounds?

The neutrals are. Ash, Pebble, Moonstone, Wheat and Sesame read as calm backgrounds and are softer to live with than a bright white. Choose the one whose warmth matches your palette — a cool grey behind warm prints will fight them.

What is the difference between Barn Red and Tractor Red?

Barn Red is the deeper, slightly browner red — the color of an actual weathered barn. Tractor Red is brighter and cleaner, closer to a true primary. Beside each other the difference is obvious; on a screen, individually, it is not.

This is true of most of the near neighbors in this line, which is why we would rather compare them for you than have you order twice.

How much fabric do I need for binding?

Roughly a half yard covers binding for a throw, and about three quarters of a yard for a bed quilt, cutting two and a half inch strips. Check your pattern — binding width is a matter of preference and it changes the math.

Can Quilted Joy help me choose a color?

Yes, and with fifty-nine of them it is a fair thing to ask for help with. Tell a Quilt Fairy what the solid needs to sit beside — a print, a finished top, a room — and we will narrow it down to two or three rather than leaving you scrolling.