Riley Blake A Child Is Born - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake A Child Is Born Quilt Pattern – Free Downloadable PDF

The A Child Is Born Quilt is a beautiful, faith-inspired quilting project designed by Dani Mogstad for Riley Blake Designs, released in 2020. This free downloadable PDF pattern guides quilters through constructing a finished quilt measuring 56¼" x 71", making it a generous lap or throw size that showcases a stunning central Nativity scene surrounded by multiple decorative borders. The design is ideal for the holiday season and makes a meaningful heirloom gift or home accent.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a panel-centered quilt built around the SP9555 Nativity Panel, a printed fabric panel cut to 23½" x 43½" that serves as the dramatic focal point of the entire composition. Surrounding the panel are four successive borders, each adding visual depth, color, and texture to frame the Nativity scene. The result is a structured, elegant quilt with a classic layered-border format that draws the eye inward toward the central artwork.

Quilt Design and Layout

The quilt is constructed using a panel-and-borders format, a popular quilting layout that allows a printed fabric panel to take center stage while pieced and solid borders build outward. Each border is carefully measured and sewn in sequence, with seams pressed toward the borders for a clean, flat finish. The four borders are distinct in their construction and materials:

• Border 1 – Frames the Nativity panel directly with side borders cut at 3⅞" x 43½" and top and bottom borders at 3¾" x 30¼", cut from the Linen Star Scatter (C9554 Linen) fabric.
• Border 2 – A pieced border constructed from the 5" Stacker (5 9550 42) squares. Eleven 5" squares are sewn together end to end to form each side border, while the top and bottom borders are assembled from 2½" x 4¾" rectangles joined end to end with a 2½" x 5" rectangle added to each end, creating a lively, scrappy strip border.
• Border 3 – Cut from the Linen Star Scatter (C9554 Linen) using 4" x WOF strips, with side borders measuring 54" and top and bottom borders measuring 46¼".
• Border 4 – The outermost border, cut from Navy Main (SC9550 Navy) using 5½" x WOF strips, with side borders at 61" and corresponding top and bottom measurements, providing a bold, grounding frame for the entire quilt.

Techniques Used

This pattern is designed for quilters with a basic knowledge of quilting technique and terminology, making it accessible to confident beginners and enjoyable for intermediate quilters. Key techniques employed throughout the pattern include:

• Panel cutting and preparation – Accurately cutting the printed Nativity panel to the required 23½" x 43½" size while preserving the integrity of the printed design.
• Strip piecing – Joining multiple fabric strips and rectangles end to end to construct the pieced borders efficiently and accurately.
• Sequential border attachment – Sewing borders in a specific order, always attaching side borders first, then top and bottom borders, and pressing seams toward the border after each addition.
• Measuring through the quilt center – The pattern specifically instructs quilters to measure through the center of the quilt before cutting border pieces, a best practice that prevents wavy or distorted borders.
• Seam pressing – Consistent pressing of seams toward the borders to reduce bulk and create crisp, flat intersections throughout the quilt top.
• Binding – The pattern includes a ½ yard binding requirement, indicating a traditional separate binding finish applied around the quilt's perimeter.

Stitches and Sewing Fundamentals

As a quilting pattern, the A Child Is Born Quilt relies