Riley Blake Lumberjack Aaron - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake Lumberjack Aaron Panel Quilt – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern

The Riley Blake Lumberjack Aaron Panel Quilt is a beginner-friendly quilting project that transforms a single large fabric panel into a finished quilt measuring 57" x 64". This free downloadable PDF pattern is designed by Riley Blake Designs and is an ideal introduction to panel quilting, border construction, and basic quilt assembly techniques. The design centers on a bold, character-driven panel and builds outward with three successive fabric borders, creating a structured, frame-within-a-frame aesthetic that is both visually striking and straightforward to construct.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a panel quilt — a style of quilt that uses a pre-printed fabric panel as its focal centerpiece. The Lumberjack Aaron Panel (P8720 Multi) is cut to a rectangle measuring 35½" x 42½" and serves as the quilt's central design element. Three successive borders are then added around this panel, each in a coordinating fabric from the Cub Scouts Collection by Riley Blake Designs, gradually expanding the quilt to its finished dimensions. The result is a cozy, themed quilt well-suited for a child's bedroom, a lap quilt, or a special gift project.

Fabrics and Materials Required

All fabrics referenced in this pattern come from the Riley Blake Designs Cub Scouts Collection. The specific requirements are:

• 1 Lumberjack Aaron Panel (P8720 Multi) — the central panel, cut to 35½" x 42½"
• 1⅛ yards of C8700 Blue Main — used for the outermost Border 3, cut into 6 strips at 5½" x width of fabric (WOF)
• ⅝ yard of C8701 Green Evergreen Branches — used for Border 1, cut into 4 strips at 3½" x WOF
• ⅝ yard of C8705 Red Gingham — used for Border 2, cut into 5 strips at 3½" x WOF
• Binding fabric — the pattern recommends using your favorite Riley Blake fabric from the Cub Scouts Collection for a coordinated finish
• Batting — required for the quilt sandwich layer between the quilt top and backing
• Backing fabric — needed to complete the quilt sandwich (yardage not specified in the pattern; measure according to your finished quilt top size)

As this is a quilting project, no yarn, knitting needles, or crochet hooks are involved. The primary tools are a rotary cutter, quilting ruler, cutting mat, sewing machine, and iron for pressing seams.

Techniques Used

This pattern requires a basic knowledge of quilting technique and terminology, as noted in the pattern instructions. Key techniques include:

• Panel cutting — accurately cutting the pre-printed panel to the specified rectangle size of 35½" x 42½"
• Strip cutting — cutting border fabrics into strips across the width of fabric (WOF) at specified widths
• Strip joining — sewing border strips end to end to achieve the required border lengths
• Mitered or straight border application — attaching borders in sequence, sewing side borders first, then top and bottom borders, for each of the three border rounds
• Measuring through the quilt center — a fundamental quilting technique used before cutting border strips to ensure accuracy and prevent wavy borders; the pattern specifically instructs quilters to measure through the center of the quilt at each border stage
• Quilt sandwich assembly — layering the quilt top, batting, and backing fabric
• Binding — finishing the quilt edges with a coordinating binding fabric
• Quilting — the pattern references finishing the quilt after layering, leaving the quilting method to the maker's preference

Border Construction Details

The three-border structure is central to this quilt's design. Each border is added in succession, and the pattern provides precise measurements to guide accurate