A close-up of the Ohio Star Block with red, black, green, and white patterned fabric, including strawberry prints, gingham, polka dots, and floral motifs.

Riley Blake Designs Little Ladybug Ohio Star Exchange Fat Quarter Quilt

October 1, 2026

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We are in the final days of summer here in Minnesota, and what a great way to close out this beautiful weather than with an adorable ladybug Ohio Star Exchange quilt! These fabrics were generously gifted to me by Riley Blake Designs, and they're from a brand-new collection called Little Ladybug by Lori Whitlock. It is absolutely adorable — and totally out of my wheelhouse but such a great summer fabric line!

I have to admit, I really do enjoy stepping outside of my comfort zone when it comes to showing off the scrappy, fat-quarter-friendly version of my modern quilt patterns. I know my style isn't for everyone — it tends to be bold and in-your-face, especially with the bright colors I usually reach for. So it's always fun to step back, see what's out there in the quilting world, and try a completely different route than what I'm used to. If you're one of my longtime followers, you know exactly the color palette I typically gravitate toward, so a soft, storybook-sweet line like Little Ladybug was a genuinely fun challenge. Read on for this fat quarter version of the Ohio Star Exchange.

A close-up of a crinkled quilt showcasing Ohio Star Blocks made from fat quarter fabrics. Fabric design of red, black, green, and white triangles with various patterns including gingham, polka dots, and strawberry prints. Modern Textiles logo in lower right hand corner.

Lori Whitlock Little Ladybug Fabrics

As I mentioned earlier, these fabrics are from Little Ladybug by Lori Whitlock, with a few fat quarters of coordinating blenders mixed in that paired perfectly with the overall fabric line.

For the diamonds, I used an adorable pastel yellow print with strawberry vines, little strawberries, and ladybugs sprinkled throughout the design. It sets such a sweet tone for the whole quilt top.

For the quarter-square triangles, I decided to change things up. The pattern calls for fat quarters, so I wanted to have a little fun and mix both reds and blacks together for extra scrappiness. I really love the black fabric in this line — it has red flowers with small yellow accents and a touch of pale blue that I thought was fabulous. I paired that with a handful of the blenders and polka dots that came with the collection, along with some smaller floral prints, a red gingham, and a black gingham to round out the quarter-square triangles in the Ohio Star blocks. Mixing prints and scales like this is one of my favorite parts of designing a fat quarter quilt pattern — it keeps the eye moving and gives the whole top a collected, scrappy feel instead of looking too matchy.

A close-up of a quilt featuring Ohio Star Blocks using strawberry and ladybug prints in red, green, yellow, and white. MODERN TEXTILES brand label is visible in the bottom right corner.

I love a light baby blue, so I decided to use that for the centers of my Ohio Star blocks. It came in the same beautiful strawberry-and-vine floral I loved in the black, along with the small, dainty red floral print, and it just seemed like the perfect way to round out the quilt top's color story.

For the background, I just had to go with an adorable ladybug print on white. I know this might read as a little busier than my usual quilts, but I think it's absolutely adorable and really ties the whole design together. It's a fun way to pay homage to the summer months and send the season off with a proper ladybug tribute quilt.

If you've ever wondered how I choose fabric combinations for my quilt patterns, this project is a great example of my process: start with one "hero" print you love, then build diamonds, triangles, and background fabrics around it so every piece earns its place in the design. It's a method that works whether you're using six fabrics or sixty.

A quilt with colorful floral and geometric patchwork design is laid out on green grass. The blanket features a bright red reverse side with a Ginger Snap swirling pattern, and a corner is folded over to show the bright red quilt back fabric. Modern Textiles logo in lower right hand corner.

Riley Blake Designs Blossom Backing Fabric

Since the front of this quilt is so light and bright — with all that yellow, white, and baby blue — I really wanted to anchor the quilt back with something bolder. I decided to go with a red backing, which I know is a pretty bold choice, but I think it's the right one here, especially paired with the binding.

I'm using a black gingham binding from Riley Blake Designs, and the red backing is from the Blossom line. If you've read my recent posts, you already know that Blossom is probably one of my top two Riley Blake Designs basics, right up there with Sparkle.

I love how phenomenal the quilting looks against that red background. I used white thread so the quilting really pops and shows off all the texture against the bold backdrop. A darker, saturated backing like this is one of the best ways to make your longarm quilting design the star of the show, since every swirl and texture shadow shows up beautifully.

An Ohio Star Exchange quilt laid flat on green grass, featuring a repeating Ohio Star Block with Half Square Triangle patchwork pattern with red, black, light blue, yellow, printed fabrics. 'Modern Quiltiles' logo appears in the bottom right corner.

Ginger Snap Longarm Quilting Design

After the quilt top came together, I realized it had A LOT going on with the fabrics I'd selected. I decided to rein it in with the design and go with one of my (and a lot of my clients') favorite go-to quilting designs. Ginger Snap is the perfect design — it adds a lot of texture, and the simple circle and loop shapes are easy to stitch out while still looking pleasing and classic on almost any quilt top. This design isn't adding more to the top; it's acting more as a supporting character with subtle texture. It really shines on the backing fabric, where the white thread contrasts beautifully against the bold red.

A close-up of the quilt featuring a festive summery fabric design in red, green, black, and white patterns including gingham, polka dots, floral prints, and strawberries, styled with a central swirl. 'Modern Textiles' logo in lower right hand corner.

Quilt Patterns and Modern Quilt Design

This Ohio Star Exchange block is a great example of the kind of modern quilt patterns I love designing and sharing. I design patterns for modern quilters who want quick-to-finish makes using six fabrics or fewer, and the Ohio Star is such a versatile block for that approach — you can go bold and graphic with a tight, high-contrast palette, or soft and scrappy like this ladybug version. Either way, it's a fantastic fat quarter quilt pattern for using up favorite prints from a collection you love without needing yardage.

If you enjoy following along with projects like this one, I'd love for you to check out my full catalog of modern quilt patterns. Many of them are designed with the same philosophy: approachable piecing, a manageable fabric list, and a finished quilt that still makes a big impact. Whether you're a confident beginner or a longtime quilter looking for your next fat quarter quilt pattern, there's likely something in the shop that will fit your next project.

A close-up of the Ohio Star Block with red, black, green, and white patterned fabric, including strawberry prints, gingham, polka dots, and floral motifs. 'Modern Textiles Design' logo is visible in the bottom right corner.

Longarm Quilting Services

If you love the quilting you see on projects like this one, I would be more than thrilled to help you finish your own quilt top. I offer professional longarm quilting services and binding services, along with a wide selection of edge-to-edge pantograph designs and 90-inch Minky backs for quilting clients.

For those of you who don't live nearby, I also offer mail-in longarm quilting services, so you can ship your quilt top to me, and I'll take care of the quilting and binding and send it right back to you, ready to snuggle under. It's one of the questions I get asked most often — "do you offer longarm quilting services for hire if I'm not local?" — and the answer is yes! Mail-in clients are a big part of what I do, and I love getting to work on quilt tops from all over.

My usual turnaround time is less than two weeks, so if you've got a top that's been sitting in the closet waiting to become an actual quilt, now's a great time to send it my way. Feel free to click the link here to learn more about my longarm quilting services and how the whole process works, from shipping instructions to backing and batting options.

I know shipping a quilt top off to someone you've never met in person can feel like a big leap of faith, so I try to make the mail-in process as simple and transparent as possible. From the moment your package arrives, I'll keep you updated on where your quilt is in the queue, walk you through backing and batting choices if you haven't picked those out yet, and send photos once quilting is complete so you can see it before it ships back home. Whether you're local here in central Minnesota and want to drop your top off in person, or you're mailing it in from across the country, the goal is always the same: get you a beautifully finished quilt without the stress of running it through your own home machine.

A close-up of the Ohio Star Exchange quilt fabric panel with a Ohio Star Block design featuring red, white, green, and black fabrics, plus a bright red quilt back with swirling quilting. A yellow Modern Textiles label is visible in the lower right corner.

Stay in the Loop

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Stay tuned, and make sure you follow along for the next quilt I work through, which is going to feature a brand-new pattern release, so you'll definitely want to be there for it. When you sign up for my email newsletter, you'll also get a free download of my Lucille Tote pattern — a fun little zipper tote bag — completely free, just for joining.

Thanks so much for reading along, and I'll see you back here soon with the finished quilting on this one!

A close-up of a colorful quilt featuring Ohio Star Blocks and Half Square Triangle blocks using red strawberries on yellow backgrounds, red and black quarter square triangle blocks, and white fabric with small ladybugs. 'MODERN TEXTILES' logo is visible in the bottom right corner. A quilt pattern cover titled "OHIO STAR EXCHANGE" from Modern Textiles, Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt Pattern, 5 Sizes included; A close-up of a crinkled quilt showcasing Ohio Star Blocks made from fat quarter fabrics. Fabric design of red, black, green, and white triangles with various patterns including gingham, polka dots, and strawberry prints. A quilt pattern cover titled "OHIO STAR EXCHANGE" from Modern Textiles, Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt Pattern, 5 Sizes included; A close-up of a colorful quilt featuring Ohio Star Blocks and Half Square Triangle blocks using red strawberries on yellow backgrounds, red and black quarter square triangle blocks, and white fabric with small ladybugs A quilt pattern cover titled "OHIO STAR EXCHANGE" from Modern Textiles, Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt Pattern, 5 Sizes included; showing Ohio Star Exchange quilt laid flat on green grass, featuring a repeating Ohio Star Block with Half Square Triangle patchwork pattern with red, black, light blue, yellow, printed fabrics.