Moda Fabrics Apple Pillow Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Apple Pillow Quilt – Downloadable PDF Pattern Summary

This free downloadable PDF pattern from Moda Fabrics, featuring fabric by Kimberly Kight (reference RS3014), guides quilters through creating a charming apple-shaped decorative pillow. Rated as an intermediate quilting project, it combines traditional quilting construction methods with dimensional appliqué-style assembly to produce a whimsical, sculptural pillow that works beautifully as a home accent or a handmade gift.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is an apple-shaped pillow, complete with a three-dimensional stem and leaf detail. The design is built from printed paper templates that are assembled before cutting, making it a pattern-piece-driven project rather than a standard block-based quilt. The result is a decorative accent pillow with a recognizable, playful silhouette.

Pattern Pieces and Templates

The PDF includes printable templates on pages 4 through 7 that must be printed at 100% scale — it is essential that quilters verify their print scaling settings before cutting. The apple template is made up of three separate pieces that are taped together along dotted lines, with stars and squares used as alignment markers to ensure accurate joining. Once assembled, the full apple shape is used as the primary cutting guide.

Techniques Used

• Template-based cutting: Paper templates are printed, cut out, and taped together before being used to cut fabric, a technique common in curved and novelty quilting projects.
• Batting sandwiching: Each individual component — the stem and the leaf — is layered with a piece of batting cut slightly larger than the fabric piece, creating a lightly padded, structured finish on each element.
• Right-sides-together (RST) construction: Fabric pieces are placed with right sides facing before stitching, then turned through an opening to conceal seam allowances — a standard pillow and stuffed-object construction method.
• Turning and pressing: After stitching, pieces are trimmed close to the seam line (approximately ⅛ inch from stitching) and turned right side out using a point turner, knitting needle, or pencil eraser, then pressed for a clean finish.
• Seam allowance trimming: Seam allowances are trimmed close to the stitching line to reduce bulk, particularly important on curved and narrow sections like the stem.

Stitches and Sewing Details

• Standard seam allowance of ⅜ inch is used throughout, unless the instructions specifically note otherwise — quilters accustomed to the more common ¼-inch quilting seam should take note of this distinction.
• Stitching is done through all layers — both fabric pieces and the batting — in a single pass, which simultaneously quilts and constructs each component.
• A short end is left open on the stem (and similarly on the leaf) to allow turning; this opening is closed after the piece is turned and pressed.

Materials Referenced

• Fabric: The pattern is designed to coordinate with fabric from Kimberly Kight's collection for Moda Fabrics (RS3014). Quilting cotton is the implied fabric type, consistent with Moda's standard fabric offerings.
• Batting: Small scraps of batting are used for each component piece; no specific batting type or weight is named, but a lightweight cotton or poly batting scrap would be appropriate.
• Tools referenced: A point turner, knitting needle, or pencil eraser is suggested for turning narrow or curved sections right side out — standard notions for this style of construction.

Who This Pattern Is For

This pattern is suited to intermediate quilters who are comfortable working with curved templates, managing multiple fabric layers, and turning small sewn pieces. The use of printed templates and multi-piece assembly adds a level of precision that may challenge true beginners, but experienced quilters will find the process straightforward and rewarding. Because the pattern is a free downloadable PDF, it is an accessible project for those looking to explore