Riley Blake My Family Tree - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake My Family Tree Quilt – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern Summary

The My Family Tree Quilt is a heartfelt and decorative quilting project designed by Riley Blake Designs in collaboration with My Mind's Eye. This free downloadable PDF pattern guides quilters through the creation of a finished quilt measuring 57½" x 71", centered around a beautifully illustrated family tree panel. The design is both a functional quilt and a personalized keepsake, making it an ideal project for commemorating family heritage, celebrating milestones, or creating a meaningful heirloom gift.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a panel-based quilt built around the Parchment Family Tree Panel (P9796 Parchment), a printed fabric centerpiece measuring 24" x 43". The panel features an illustrated tree design with space to add a family surname at the center and individual family members' names on the branches, making each finished quilt uniquely personal. Surrounding the panel are four successive borders that frame the artwork and build the quilt out to its full dimensions. The result is a structured, layered quilt with a classic bordered layout that showcases the panel as its focal point.

Personalization

One of the most distinctive features of this quilt pattern is the opportunity for personalization. Quilters are instructed to add their last name to the center of the family tree panel and individual family members' names around the branches using an archival quality pen or ink. This transforms the quilt from a standard decorative project into a one-of-a-kind family document that can be treasured across generations.

Techniques Used

• Panel quilting – centering the construction around a pre-printed fabric panel as the design's focal point
• Bordered quilt construction – applying four successive borders of varying widths and fabrics to frame and expand the panel
• Strip piecing – cutting and sewing strips across the width of fabric (WOF) for efficient border construction
• Square and rectangle piecing – assembling 5" squares and 2¾" x 5" rectangles into pieced border strips
• Pressing techniques – pressing seams toward borders and in consistent directions for flat, accurate assembly
• Measuring through the quilt center – a standard quilting best practice emphasized in this pattern to ensure accurate border lengths and prevent wavy edges
• Binding – finishing the quilt edges with a dedicated binding fabric

Quilt Structure and Border Details

The quilt is assembled in a logical, step-by-step sequence of four borders sewn around the central Parchment Family Tree Panel:

• Border 1 – Cut from Cream Branches (C9794 Cream); side borders measure 4½" x 43" and top/bottom borders measure 4" x 32"
• Border 2 – A pieced border made from the My Heritage 5" Stacker (5-9790-42); side borders are created by sewing 11 of the 5" squares together, while top and bottom borders use 9 of the 2¾" x 5" rectangles each
• Border 3 – Side borders measuring 54½" and top/bottom borders measuring 48"
• Border 4 – The outermost border, cut from Teal Main (C9790 Teal) in 5½" x WOF strips; side borders measure 61½" and top/bottom borders measure 58"

Seams are pressed toward the borders throughout assembly to reduce bulk and maintain a crisp, flat finish.

Materials – Fabric Requirements

• My Heritage 5" Stacker (5-9790-42) – one stacker pack of 5" precut squares used for the pieced Border 2
• Teal Main (C9790 Teal) – 1 yard, used for the outermost Border 4
• Cream Branches (C9794 Cream) – 1¼ yards, used for Border 1
• Parchment Family Tree