Riley Blake On The Go - All Aboard - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake On The Go – All Aboard: Free Downloadable Quilt Pattern Summary

The Riley Blake On The Go – All Aboard pattern is a free downloadable PDF quilt pattern designed for intermediate quilters. It is officially licensed and based on The Railway Series by The Reverend W Awdry, featuring Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends™ imagery. The finished quilt measures a generous 66" x 71", making it an ideal size for a child's bed quilt, a lap quilt, or a decorative throw for a young Thomas fan.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single large quilted panel-style quilt with a structured, multi-border frame surrounding a central feature panel. The design is built around a large rectangular quilt center cut from a themed train line fabric, which is then surrounded by three successive borders in coordinating fabrics. The result is a bold, graphic quilt that showcases the Thomas & Friends character prints while using classic quilting border construction to frame and expand the design to its full finished size.

Design and Construction Overview

The quilt is constructed using a panel-and-border method, which is a popular intermediate quilting approach. Rather than piecing together many small blocks, the quilter works outward from a large central fabric panel, adding successive rectangular border strips on all four sides. This technique requires careful cutting and pressing at each stage to keep the quilt square and flat throughout the construction process.

• Quilt Center: A single large rectangle measuring 42½" x 47½" is cut from the blue train line fabric (C11006 Blue), serving as the focal point of the entire quilt.
• Border 1: Strips of navy text border fabric (C11004 Navy) measuring 3½" x 47½" are sewn to the left and right sides of the panel, followed by 3½" x 48½" strips sewn to the top and bottom, building the first framing border.
• Border 2: Strips of green friends border fabric (C11001 Green) measuring 3½" x 53½" are added to the sides, followed by 3½" x 54½" strips to the top and bottom, creating a second, wider frame around the quilt center.
• Border 3: Narrower strips of navy silhouette fabric (C11005 Navy) measuring 1½" x 59½" are sewn to the sides, with additional strips completing the top and bottom, adding a refined finishing border before the outer elements.

Techniques Used

This quilt pattern is well-suited to quilters who have moved beyond beginner level and are comfortable with the core principles of quilt construction. Key techniques include:

• Panel quilting: Working with a large pre-printed or themed fabric panel as the quilt's central design element, rather than piecing individual blocks.
• Strip piecing and border attachment: Cutting long, precise strips and sewing them sequentially to the quilt center, pressing after each addition to maintain accuracy.
• Pressing technique: The pattern consistently instructs quilters to press after each seam, which is essential for keeping borders flat and seams crisp throughout the multi-border construction.
• Sewing with right sides together: Standard quilting seam construction is used throughout, with all pieces joined right sides facing unless otherwise stated.
• Binding: The navy silhouette fabric (C11005 Navy) serves a dual purpose, providing yardage for both the third border and the quilt binding, which finishes the raw edges of the completed quilt sandwich.
• Seam allowance: A consistent ¼" seam allowance is used throughout the entire pattern, as is standard in quilting.

Stitches and Sewing Methods

As a quilting pattern, On The Go – All Aboard relies on straight-line machine stitching throughout the piecing and border construction phases. The ¼" seam is the foundational stitch used to join all fabric pieces. Quilters will also apply stitching during the quilting phase — when the quilt top, batting, and backing are layered and sewn together — though the specific quilting