Windham Fabrics Elixir - Downloadable PDF

Elixir Quilt Pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Windham Fabrics – Free Downloadable PDF

The Elixir quilt pattern, designed by Natalie Crabtree and published by Windham Fabrics, is a striking bed-sized quilt top measuring 66½" x 86½". This is a free downloadable PDF pattern that showcases an intricate, geometric design achieved through a combination of traditional quilting cutting methods and foundation paper piecing. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent next step for quilters who are comfortable with basic piecing and ready to explore more precise, structured techniques.

Featured Fabrics

The Elixir pattern is specifically designed to feature The Opposite and Palette fabric collections by Marcia Derse, both available through Windham Fabrics. The pattern calls for a carefully curated palette of light and dark fabrics, creating strong visual contrast that defines the geometric design. The fabrics referenced in the pattern include:

• 35370S-1 Optic White from the Windham Solids collection – the primary background fabric, requiring approximately 4⅛ yards
• 51067-2 Dark (Fabric B) – approximately ¾ yard
• 51069-1 Light (Fabric C) – approximately ⅝ yard
• 51065-2 Dark (Fabric D) – approximately ¾ yard
• 51065-1 Light (Fabric E) – approximately ⅝ yard
• 51068-2 Dark (Fabric F) – approximately 1 yard

The deliberate pairing of light and dark colorways within the Marcia Derse collections gives the finished quilt its dynamic, jewel-toned depth — a quality that lives up to the pattern's evocative name, Elixir.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a quilt top in the blankets and throws category, sized at 66½" x 86½" — a generous throw or twin-bed size. The design features a complex geometric arrangement built from precisely cut and pieced blocks, bordered by a structured outer border. The visual effect relies on the interplay of angled shapes — including quarter-square triangles, half-square triangles, and foundation-pieced units — to create a dynamic, flowing pattern across the quilt surface.

Techniques Used

This pattern requires proficiency in two core quilting disciplines:

• Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP): The pattern explicitly states that knowledge in foundation paper piecing skills is required. Foundation paper piecing is a technique in which fabric pieces are sewn onto a printed paper template in a specific numbered sequence, stitching directly through the paper. This method produces extremely sharp points and precise angles that would be difficult to achieve with standard piecing alone. The pattern includes multiple named foundation templates — Foundation Template A, Foundation Template A1, Foundation Template A3, and Foundation Template B — each requiring carefully cut fabric pieces in specific dimensions.
• Traditional Rotary Cutting and Subcut Piecing: A significant portion of the quilt's construction involves precise rotary cutting of width-of-fabric (WOF) strips, which are then subcut into specific rectangles, squares, and triangles. Quilters are instructed to mark and store pieces according to their assigned block to streamline the piecing process.

Stitches and Cutting Methods

As a quilting pattern, Elixir is constructed using a standard straight stitch on a sewing machine, which is the foundational stitch of all machine quilting and piecing work. The precision of the foundation paper piecing sections demands consistent seam allowances and careful pressing throughout. Key cutting techniques referenced in the pattern include:

• Quarter-Square Triangles (QST): Created by cutting squares diagonally twice, yielding four triangles per square. The pattern calls for cutting 21" squares in this manner