Windham Fabrics Sun Queen - Downloadable PDF

Sun Queen Quilt Pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Windham Fabrics

The Sun Queen is a free, downloadable PDF quilt pattern designed by Natalie Crabtree and published by Windham Fabrics. Featuring the Juniper fabric collection by Jessica VanDenburgh, this intermediate-level quilting project produces a stunning 66" x 66" quilt top — a generous square throw or lap quilt size that works beautifully as a bed topper, couch accent, or decorative blanket.

About the Design

The Sun Queen pattern takes its name from its bold, radiant aesthetic, evoking the warmth and geometry of a sunburst or medallion-style composition. The finished quilt top is constructed using a combination of foundation paper piecing (FPP) and traditional piecing techniques, making it an excellent project for quilters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to develop more advanced skills. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF directly from windhamfabrics.com.

Techniques Used

• Foundation paper piecing (FPP): A precision quilting method in which fabric pieces are sewn directly onto a printed paper template, allowing for sharp points, intricate angles, and complex geometric shapes that would be difficult to achieve with standard rotary cutting alone. The Sun Queen pattern requires foundation templates, which must be printed on at least legal-sized paper (8½" x 14").
• Traditional rotary cutting and strip piecing: Used for sashing strips, border strips, and cornerstones, which frame and connect the individual quilt blocks.
• Sashing and cornerstones: Sashing strips are cut and sewn between quilt blocks to create visual separation and structure. Cornerstones — small accent squares placed at the intersections of sashing strips — add a polished, coordinated finishing detail.
• Border construction: Outer borders are added using strip-pieced sections to frame the completed quilt top and bring the design to its full 66" x 66" dimensions.

Cutting and Piecing Details

The pattern includes detailed cutting instructions organized by fabric and block assignment. Natalie Crabtree specifically advises quilters to mark and store cutting pieces according to the block they have been assigned to, which is a best-practice organizational approach that simplifies the piecing process, particularly when working with foundation paper piecing blocks that require precise fabric placement.

• Sashing strips: Cut as 1½" x 20½" strips, with a total of 12 sashing strips subcut from six 1½" x WOF (width of fabric) strips.
• Cornerstones: Cut as 1½" squares, with four cornerstones subcut from a single strip.
• Border strips: Cut as 2½" x WOF strips, with seven strips used to construct the outer border.
• The pattern references SKU 50087-42 (described as a White on White fabric) for sashing, cornerstones, and border strips, drawn from the Bedrock collection — a popular Windham Fabrics blender fabric that provides a clean, neutral foundation to allow the Juniper prints to take center stage.

Materials and Fabric

The Sun Queen pattern is designed to feature the Juniper fabric collection by Jessica VanDenburgh, available through Windham Fabrics. Juniper's nature-inspired, richly colored prints lend themselves beautifully to the geometric precision of foundation paper piecing, creating striking contrast and visual depth within each block. The neutral White on White fabric (SKU 50087-42) is used throughout for sashing, borders, and cornerstones, providing cohesion across the quilt top.

As with all quilting projects, standard quilting cotton is the recommended fabric type. Quilters will also need:

• Rotary cutter, quilting ruler, and self-healing cutting mat for accurate strip and piece cutting
• Legal-sized printer paper (8½" x 14") for printing the foundation paper piecing templates
• Sewing machine with a standard quarter-inch