Riley Blake Colorful Friends Panel Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Colorful Friends Panel Quilt – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern Summary

About This Quilt Pattern

The Riley Blake Colorful Friends Panel Quilt is a free downloadable PDF pattern designed for beginner quilters who want to create a cheerful, colorful finished quilt measuring 50" x 57½". This is an officially licensed Crayola™ product, featuring the recognizable Crayola Chevron Design™ and Serpentine Design™ trademarks. The pattern is built around a large fabric panel as its centerpiece, making it an approachable and rewarding project for those new to quilting.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a panel quilt — a style of quilt that uses a pre-printed fabric panel as the central design element, surrounded by coordinating fabric borders. The finished quilt is a lap or throw size at 50" x 57½", making it suitable as a children's quilt, a decorative throw, or a gift project. The Crayola-themed design gives it a playful, kid-friendly aesthetic full of bright, bold color.

Fabrics and Materials Required

The pattern calls for specific Riley Blake Designs fabrics from the Colorful Friends collection. The required fabrics are:

• 1 Panel – P11014 Colorful Friends Panel, which serves as the central focal point of the quilt
• 1 Yard – C11010 White Main, used for the outer border
• ¾ Yard – C11013 Outrageous Orange Footprints, used for the inner border and also includes enough fabric for the binding

In addition to fabric, quilters will need standard quilting supplies including a straight edge ruler, a rotary cutter, cutting mat, sewing machine, coordinating thread, batting, and backing fabric. A consistent ¼" seam allowance is used throughout the pattern.

Techniques Used

This pattern is ideal for beginners because it relies on straightforward, foundational quilting techniques rather than complex piecing. The primary techniques include:

• Panel centering and trimming – The panel must measure 36" wide x 43½" high. If the panel is slightly oversized, quilters are instructed to trim carefully from multiple sides to keep the printed image centered, rather than cutting from one side only.
• Border construction – Strips are sewn end to end to create long continuous border strips, which are then measured and cut to fit the quilt. This strip-piecing approach is a standard beginner technique.
• Sequential border attachment – Borders are added in a specific order: side borders are sewn first, then top and bottom borders are added. This method, sometimes called straight-set borders, keeps the quilt square and the seams manageable.
• Pressing seam allowances – The pattern instructs quilters to press seam allowances toward the outside of the quilt after each border is added, which reduces bulk and helps borders lie flat.
• Measuring through the quilt center – Before cutting border strips, quilters are advised to measure through the center of the quilt rather than along the edges, a best practice that prevents wavy or uneven borders.
• Binding – The C11013 Outrageous Orange Footprints fabric yardage includes enough material for the binding, which finishes the raw edges of the completed quilt sandwich.

Quilt Construction Overview

The quilt is assembled in a simple, logical sequence that makes it easy for beginners to follow:

• Border 1 (Inner Border) – Strips of C11013 Outrageous Orange Footprints fabric are cut and sewn to all four sides of the panel. The side strips measure 2½" x 43½" and are attached first, followed by the top and bottom strips measuring 2½" x 40". This creates a bright orange frame around the central Crayola panel.