Moda Fabrics Circa Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Circa Quilt – Downloadable PDF Pattern Summary

The Moda Fabrics Circa Quilt is a beautifully structured 70" x 70" finished quilt designed by Howard Marcus as part of the Moda Fabrics Circa 1892 Collection for a Cause Mill Book Series. This intermediate-level quilting project is available as a free downloadable PDF and is ideal for quilters who are comfortable with precise cutting, piecing, and working with multiple fabric pairings. The design centers on a classic basket block motif, a beloved traditional quilt pattern with deep roots in American quilting history.

About the Circa Quilt Design

The finished quilt measures 70 inches by 70 inches, making it a generous lap or throw size. It is constructed from 10" x 10" finished blocks, which are assembled in a repeating arrangement to create the overall design. The basket block is a timeless pattern that combines geometric piecing with elegant visual balance, making it a rewarding project for intermediate quilters looking to refine their skills.

The pattern is part of the Circa 1892 Mill Book Series, a collection that draws inspiration from late nineteenth-century textile and quilting traditions. The name references the aesthetic and fabric sensibilities of that era, suggesting rich, historically inspired colorways and classic design principles.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single large quilt featuring a repeated basket block design. The basket blocks incorporate:

• Basket handle backgrounds cut as large squares
• Basket bottom corner triangles created from half-square cuts
• Basket body rectangles pieced together to form the basket structure

The combination of squares, rectangles, and triangles gives the basket blocks their characteristic dimensional and traditional appearance.

Techniques Used

This is an intermediate quilting project that draws on a range of foundational and slightly advanced quilting techniques:

• Precise rotary cutting – Multiple fabric pieces are cut from width-of-fabric (WOF) strips, requiring careful measurement and attention to detail
• Strip cutting and subcutting – Strips are cut first and then subcut into squares and rectangles, a highly efficient method for producing consistent pieces
• Half-square triangle construction – Squares are cut once diagonally to create triangles used in the basket bottom corners, a classic technique for adding angular detail to quilt blocks
• Block piecing – Individual components are assembled into complete 10" x 10" basket blocks before being joined into the full quilt top
• Seam pressing – The pattern follows standard quilting best practices, pressing seams in one direction as you go to ensure flat, accurate blocks
• Fabric pairing – The pattern organizes fabrics into designated pairs (Pair 1 through Pair 4 and beyond), a structured approach that helps manage color placement and contrast across the quilt

Stitches and Construction Details

As with all quilting patterns, construction relies on the standard straight stitch used on a sewing machine. All instructions in this pattern include a ¼" seam allowance, which is the quilting industry standard and essential for achieving accurate block sizing. Maintaining a consistent ¼" seam throughout is especially important in this design, as the basket blocks rely on precise geometry to align correctly when the quilt top is assembled.

Quilters are instructed to read all instructions before beginning and to label pieces as they are cut, which is particularly helpful given the multiple fabric pairings and variety of cut sizes involved in this pattern.

Materials – Fabric and Notions

This pattern is designed to be used with Moda Fabrics from the Circa 1892 Collection, reflecting the warm, historically inspired palette associated with the Mill Book Series. The pattern organizes fabric requirements into multiple pairs, suggesting a coordinated fabric pull with deliberate contrast and color relationships between pairs.

• Fabric Pair 1: Includes fabrics for basket handle backgrounds, cut as 9½" x 9½" squares from 2 WOF strips