Moda Fabrics Shelbyville Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Shelbyville Quilt Pattern Summary

The Moda Fabrics Shelbyville Quilt is a downloadable PDF quilting pattern from Moda Fabrics that guides quilters through creating a charming, classically styled quilt featuring three beloved traditional quilt blocks. Rated as intermediate difficulty, this pattern is offered as a free download and is an excellent project for quilters who are comfortable with basic piecing and are ready to tackle slightly more complex block construction. The finished quilt measures 44" x 44", making it a versatile throw or lap quilt size, while individual project variations within the pattern yield sizes of approximately 35" x 40" and 40" x 40".

Overview of the Three Featured Projects

The Shelbyville pattern is uniquely structured around three separate featured projects, each highlighting one of three classic quilt block designs. Together, the blocks — Flying Geese, Four Patch, and Broken Dishes — represent some of the most enduring and recognizable motifs in American quilting tradition. Each project can be made independently, or quilters may choose to explore all three as a way to build and reinforce their foundational piecing skills.

Project No. 1 – Flying Geese

The first featured project centers on the iconic Flying Geese block, a staple of traditional quilting that creates the visual impression of a flock of geese in flight. Each individual Flying Geese block measures 8" x 8" finished, and the quilt constructed from these blocks finishes at 40" x 40". Flying Geese units are typically made from one larger triangle (the "goose") set against two smaller corner triangles (the "sky"), and assembling them accurately requires careful attention to cutting and pressing.

The cutting instructions for this project are precise and detailed, reflecting the intermediate skill level required. Key cutting specifications include:

• Background fabric: Cut 15 strips at 1⅞" x 42" width of fabric (WOF), then sub-cut into a total of 300 squares at 1⅞" x 1⅞"
• Black fat quarters (FQs) — 7 total: From each, cut 2 strips at 3⅞" x 21"; the first strip yields 5 squares at 3⅞" x 3⅞" and the second strip yields at least 2 squares at 3⅞" x 3⅞", for a combined total of 50 black squares
• Gold fat eighth (F8): Cut 1 strip at 3¼" x 21", yielding at least 6 squares at 3¼" x 3¼"
• Additional colored strips are cut at 3¼" x 21", each providing 6 squares at 3¼" x 3¼", with a grand total of 35 squares required for the flying geese units
• Binding fabric: Cut 4 strips at 2½" x WOF

The variety of fabrics — including multiple black fat quarters and a gold fat eighth — suggests a rich, high-contrast color palette typical of Moda Fabrics' curated aesthetic. The use of both fat quarters and fat eighths makes this project well-suited for using coordinated fabric bundles or stash fabrics.

Project No. 2 – Four Patch

The Four Patch block is one of the simplest and most foundational designs in quilting, consisting of four equal squares sewn together in a two-by-two grid. Despite its simplicity, the Four Patch block creates striking graphic effects when combined with careful fabric placement and color contrast. In the Shelbyville pattern, the Four Patch project is presented as a standalone featured design, allowing quilters to explore how this basic unit can be used to build a full, cohesive quilt top.

Four Patch blocks are traditionally constructed using the strip piecing technique, where two contrasting strips of fabric are sewn together along their length, pressed, and then cross-cut into segments that are paired and sewn to complete the block. This method is both efficient and accurate