I am currently working with  panels designed to be made into a table runner but I plan to turn the material into a crib or lap quilt. Panel Quilts allow my creative juices to flow. But I don’t make them often and have only turned one into a kit. Sometimes panel quilts can be difficult to work with.

 

School Quilt

Many years ago we had a quilt store in our little town. The owner was a neighbor who has since moved up the valley. I designed a quilt using a panel and coordinating fabrics from her store and she sold a few kits from the design. There were two panels of equal size. I turned it into a fancy four-patch. The two panels are on a diagonal. For the other two squares I used a rail fence design and yet another four patch based pattern of which I have forgotten the name. If someone recognizes it please let me know in the comment section. The rail fence fit the block size perfectly, really just a matter of division. But the four patch split a row at the top and bottom. I honestly can’t remember why the design is like that.

Sunflower Quilt

The easiest designs for panel quilts use the panel as the center block. Then you build the design out from there. I used this approach in the Sunflower Quilt. The center panel showcasing a sunflower arrangement has a row of three Ohio Stars on each side. To create interest, I tilted the stars. Solid yellow stripes separate the panel from the two side pieces and form a top and bottom border. The side borders are pieced squares turned on point. Hand quilting highlights the stars. The quilting of the panel is more free form.

The Love Quilt

Currently I am in the process of designing and making what I call the Love Quilt. I bought a kit at a discount. The panel pieces and the template for the table runner don’t match so I have decided to make a small quilt instead. Panel quilts often come in kits. I failed to check the package to verify the panels exactly. However, I am happy to make a small quilt.

The process starts by decided the size of the finished quilt. The backing I want to use is 45 inches wide and 63 inches long. So I need to make sure my quilt top will fit inside these measurements. Since I want borders on the quilt, I subtract six inches from both dimensions. This means a border of three inches all the way around. I must add seam allowances to all pieces, so I will actually cut strips three and one half inches wide for the border.

Designing Panel Quilts

Next is the creative part. The two panels that came in the kit were not the same size. Therefore, the quilt cannot be symmetrical like the School Quilt. Therefore, I think I will take an approach similar to the Sunflower Quilt and center the larger of the two panels. I call this the Love Panel. It is 20 ¾ by 14 ¾ and I will add an inner border to the top and bottom to reach a 24 ½ inch height.  On each side of the Love Panel will be two twelve inch blocks (not counting the seam allowances.) So the center of the quilt will measure 24 ½ by 38 ¾ including seam allowances. I do not know which block designs I will use yet.

The smaller panel, dubbed the Always Panel will have top and bottom borders as well as side borders.

The side borders will have die cut hearts. This bordered panel will be between two rectangular blocks of stripes.

For balance, an equal sized section will be below the Love Panel. The center of this piece will be an applique block utilizing more die cut hearts arranged in a flower pattern. This is based on a pattern in one of the many quilting books in my library. Again, the rectangular stripes will frame the center of the block.

Measuring Panel Quilts

I take an outside-in approach to the measurements. The finished size is determined first. Then I decide what type and how wide my borders will be. Then the math takes over. I add up the lengths and widths of the set pieces and make sure the measurements will fit within the allotted space. Inner borders help fill gaps. It is important to remember the seam allowances. They are an an essential part of the equation.

I am looking forward to completing the top. Once it is done I will work it into a follow-up post. Let me know if you have any questions! Panel Quilts take some work but are fun!