Moda Fabrics Eliza's Indigo Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Eliza's Indigo Quilt

Project Overview

Eliza's Indigo is an intermediate-level downloadable PDF quilt pattern designed by Betsy Chutchian for Moda Fabrics. This quilt celebrates the indigo color palette popular during the 1810–1830 historical period. The finished quilt measures 80" x 92½", making it a substantial bed-sized project suitable for quilters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle a larger, multi-block design.

What Is Being Made

This project creates a complete quilt featuring a repeating block pattern. The quilt is composed of 6" x 6" finished blocks arranged to form the overall 80" x 92½" finished dimensions. The design utilizes 110 half square triangle blocks as the primary construction element, with 104 of these blocks incorporated into the final quilt layout. Half square triangles are a classic quilting unit that creates dynamic diagonal lines and visual movement throughout the finished piece.

Quilting Techniques Used

• Half Square Triangle Construction: The core technique involves creating pairs of contrasting triangles sewn together to form square blocks. This is accomplished by marking diagonal lines on fabric squares, stitching on both sides of the marked line, and then cutting along the line to yield two identical half square triangle units.
• Rotary Cutting: Precision cutting using width of fabric (WOF) strips and length of fabric (LOF) measurements ensures accurate, consistent pieces throughout the project.
• Scant ¼" Seam Allowance: All seams are sewn using a scant ¼" seam allowance, a standard in quilting that accounts for fabric take-up during pressing and ensures blocks finish to their intended dimensions.
• Press as You Go: Pressing seams in one consistent direction after each step maintains accuracy and reduces bulk at seam intersections.
• Block Trimming: Half square triangle blocks are trimmed to a precise 6½" x 6½" measurement with seams, ensuring they square up properly before assembly into the larger quilt top.

Materials and Fabric Requirements

The pattern is designed to work with Moda Fabrics collections and is available as a coordinated kit (Moda KIT31500) that includes 110 pre-cut squares in two sizes: 7" and 10" x 10" squares. For those not using the pre-cut kit, the pattern provides cutting instructions to prepare fabric from yardage. Fabric is cut into strips using width of fabric (WOF) measurements, then sub-cut into the required square sizes. The two primary fabrics used in the pattern are referred to as Fabric 1 and Fabric 2, creating the contrast necessary for the half square triangle design.

Pattern Structure and Instructions

The downloadable PDF includes comprehensive quilting basics and step-by-step instructions. Key instructional elements include marking diagonal lines on fabric squares, stitching with a scant ¼" seam allowance on both sides of the marked line, cutting along the marked line to create two half square triangle blocks, pressing seams toward the indicated direction, and trimming blocks to finished size. The pattern emphasizes labeling and sorting pieces as they are cut to maintain organization throughout the project. For quilters using the pre-cut Moda kit, certain red-text directions are skipped, streamlining the construction process.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this project assumes quilters have experience with basic piecing techniques and are comfortable working with rotary cutters, rulers, and sewing machines. The repetitive nature of creating 110 half square triangle blocks makes this an excellent project for building confidence and speed with this fundamental quilting unit, while the larger finished size presents a satisfying, substantial completed project.