Free pattern alert! This is Day Dreamers Quilt 1, a free panel quilt pattern that I designed for the Day Dreamers fabric collection by Kate Mawdsley for Henry Glass Fabrics. This quilt is loaded with cute cats! It measures 71″ x 81″ and the blocks finish at 10″.
[Edited: June 18, 2020]
This project is perfect for beginners as the blocks are very simple to make. On the other hand, veteran quilters will appreciate the whimsical, fast, and ‘catty’ quilt!
Use the stitch and flip method on the alternate blocks and super easy machine piecing on the blocks that feature the panel. The colorway of this fabric collection fits both boys and girls, so it is a very versatile line.
How to make a quilt with fabric panel
Quilting with panels can be intimidating if you are trying to design the project yourself. It has a lot to do with math unless you will just add straight borders around the panel – the easy peasy option. Here are three suggestions for you:
1. Find a panel you like then look for patterns that can accommodate its dimensions.
2. Find quilt blocks that have a large enough center square that will work with the panel blocks.
3. Use the squares in the panel as blocks by cutting them – when possible – in the dimensions of common quilt blocks: 6″, 8″, 10″ or 12″. Then, look for alternate blocks with similar measurements. From there, the quilt design will come together easily.
Trimming the cats from the panel is a cinch because there is enough room in between the squares. Here is a close up of some of the other fabrics I used:
Oh, Kate was having a lot of fun when she designed this fabric collection with paws, whiskers, mice, and all. I love the bright colors and they work well for boys or girls. As for me, I adored cats (had two for many years), even the handmade kind, and so, I also had a lot of fun designing this free panel quilt pattern.
It would be cool to come up with companion projects for this quilt to decorate the kids’ room such as pillows and wall art – you know, stretching the fabric over a canvas, stapling on the back and hanging on the wall for a quick and colorful room decor solution.
The Day Dreamers collection has already been released (I totally forgot to write about this project!) and you can find it at your favorite quilt store or online.
Don’t forget: for more free quilt patterns, with or without panels, check out the Free Patterns tab on this blog for many more downloadable freebies.
Download this free panel quilt pattern by going to the Henry Glass website. Toby, the dog, seems to know I am writing about cats as his nose won’t leave my desk. Let me go take him for a walk so I can redeem myself!
Have a fantastic day,
