This stunning quilt pattern includes 7 sizes and uses jelly rolls or fat quarters for the small squares, along with preprinted panel squares or yardage of a focus print, or even pieced blocks! The pattern includes instructions on upsizing the squares, so it will work for a wider range of panel squares.
The Playful Panels quilt pattern is available in the Busy Hands Quilts shop.
There are a few Playful Panels quilt kits in these fabrics listed in the shop.
Preprinted Panel Squares for the Win!
As a quilt pattern designer, I am constantly looking at upcoming fabric collections to see what works in my existing patterns, as well as patterns that exist only in my head or on my computer. There are a lot of fabric collections that include a preprinted panel that includes squares, especially in White Owl Textiles and Clothworks collections, and I saw the need for a pattern to pair with these collections, and thus, Playful Panels was designed!
Playful Panels is written specifically for panel squares measuring 8.5" to 10.5", with 10.5" the goal size for the squares. Squares smaller than 10.5" are upsized with sashing to 10.5" so they fit into the blocks and the quilt top. A preprinted panel usually has some leeway for trimming around the squares, so if your panel has 11" squares, you may be able to trim them down to 10.5", remembering that the outside 1/4" will be taken up with the seam allowance on all four sides.
Playful Panels Quilt Pattern Features
Here is a list of features in the pattern. Each point is highlighted and described in further detail below in this blog post.
- Includes 7 sizes - Small Throw, Medium Throw, Large Throw, Twin, Square Queen, Rectangle Queen, and King
- Use preprinted panels or a focus fabric for the block centers
- Includes instructions to add sashing to preprinted squares that are between 8½" and 10½" to upsize them to 10½"
- 2½" strip or Fat Quarter friendly (for the small squares)
- Includes strip piecing
- Skill Level: Confident Beginner
Fall is here, the leaves are beginning to turn orange and fall, the wind gently blows across the pond. The corn and soybean fields surrounding our home are being harvested this week!
Oh, Those Sweet Floral Fabrics!
This amazing collection is perfect for the Playful Panels quilt pattern. It's called Garden Fresh by Sue Zipkin for Clothworks. The preprinted panel includes 8 squares of beautiful flowers in a variety of vases. The squares are the perfect size for this pattern, without being upsized to fit.
I used a FQ bundle and cut strips for the strip pieced sections. The background is Confetti Cotton Cloud by Riley Blake Designs, which is a little bit lighter than the background of the preprinted panel squares. I didn't want to go any darker/yellower with the background solid because some of the prints in the collection have white in their background, not off white or cream, so I did a happy compromise of Cloud, versus bright white or ivory.
I was tempted to leave out the mottled prints that read as solid in blue, teal, and peach in the collection, but I am glad included them because they add a sparkle to the quilt that wouldn't be there without them. I left out the bright green one as it seemed too different than the rest of the fabrics to include it.
The Garden Fresh fabric collection is very hard to find and virtually sold out. You will find a similar newer collection, Fleur De Rose, by the same designer, Sue Zipkin, right here on Etsy. Unfortunately, this collection doesn't have preprinted panel squares.
The backing and binding are a print from a similar newer collection by Sue Zipkin called Fleur de Rose, available right here.
All the Quilt Sizes - Seven in All!
Playful Panels includes three Throw sizes - Small, Medium, and Large - so it's easy for you to make the Throw size quilt you're after without doing any math. I am very happy that this pattern worked for the Twin size, as well as a Square Queen, Rectangular Queen, and King. The finished quilt measurements are as follows:
- Small Throw 50" x 50"
- Medium Throw 50" x 70"
- Large Throw 70" x 70" (a great size for snuggling on the couch!)
- Twin 70" x 90"
- Square Queen 94" x 94"
- Rectangle Queen 94" x 114"
- King 110" x 110"
Options for Block Centers
Preprinted Panel Squares
Playful Panels is written to accommodate preprinted panel squares measuring 8.5" up to 10.5" square, using sashing to upsize the smaller squares. Additional sashing yardage is included as an option in the Sashing row of the Quilt Stats chart. If your squares are already at 10.5", you won't need the extra sashing to upsize them, so you'd use the first value in the Sashing row.
A Focus Fabric
Also included is the option of using yardage for the block centers instead of a preprinted panel squares. This would typically be a large focus print with lots of detail. You would follow the Yardage option under the Panel Squares row.
Pieced Blocks
Another option for the block centers is placing a pieced quilt block there. Pieced quilt block instructions are NOT included in the pattern. However, finding 10.5" square quilt blocks isn't too hard. Maybe at some point I will design some for you. :)
Precut Friendly for the Small Squares
The small squares in the quilt top are made with either jelly roll strips or fat quarters, and both options are included in the Fabric Requirement chart. The use of Fat Quarters is limited to the Bed size quilts, and FQs are not an option for the Throw size quilts. This is to ensure that there is enough variety of prints in each Throw quilt size. Having a sufficient variety of prints helps ensure that the same print isn't placed next to itself in the blocks and border. Plus, it ends up looking like a happy scrappy quilt with lots of prints!
Strip Piecing for the Win!
You know how much I love strip piecing which speeds up the process and results in more accurate piecing (for me anyway!) The strips of small squares in the Playful Panels pattern are strip pieced, and you won't be sewing together individual squares! I've figured out all of the math for how many strips are in the strip sets and how to piece the cut segments to create the block and border designs.
Perfect for Confident Beginner Quilters
This pattern is rated Confident Beginner which means you have made a few quilts, you know how to read and follow a quilt pattern, you know how to cut fabric with a rotary cutter, you know how to press seams, and you've gotten good at an accurate 1/4" seam allowance (this is the key to becoming a proficient quilter!)
Longarm Machine Quilting
This quilt was professionally quilted with the Flower Spray digital design on my Handi Quilter Amara with ProStitcher in Superior Omni Natural White thread.
The Playful Panels quilt pattern is available in the Busy Hands Quilts shop.
Quilt Stats
- Pattern: Playful Panels
- Main Fabric: Garden Fresh by Sue Zipkin for Clothworks
- Background Fabric: Confetti Cotton Cloud by Riley Blake Designs
- Backing and Binding: A lavender print from a similar newer collection by Sue Zipkin called Fleur de Rose, available right here.
- Size: Large Throw 70" x 70"
- Batting: Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 cotton/poly
- Quilting: Flower Spray digital design
- Thread: Pieced with Superior So Fine in Natural White, quilted with Superior Omni Natural White
- Pieced on: Juki TL2010q
- Quilted on: Handi Quilter Amara with Pro-Stitcher
- Pieced and Quilted by: Myra Barnes of Busy Hands Quilts
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