Moda Fabrics Comet Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Comet Quilt – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern by Rashida Coleman-Hale

The Comet Quilt is a striking patchwork quilt pattern designed by Rashida Coleman-Hale and published by Moda Fabrics as a free downloadable PDF project sheet. This intermediate-level quilting project combines bold geometric piecing with a dynamic, modern aesthetic, making it an excellent choice for quilters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to take on more complex layout construction. The pattern is designed specifically to showcase Rashida Coleman-Hale's fabric collections, and the cutting and piecing instructions are organized around specific Moda fabric colorways and SKUs.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a patchwork quilt built from a combination of half-square triangles (HSTs) and a variety of rectangular and square background pieces. The overall design creates a comet-like burst or trail effect across the quilt surface, achieved through careful color placement of HST units radiating outward from larger background sections. The layout incorporates both pieced blocks and large unpieces background rectangles and squares, giving the design a modern, graphic quality with plenty of negative space to let the HST units shine.

Fabrics and Materials Used

This pattern is designed to be made using Moda Fabrics yardage from Rashida Coleman-Hale's collections. The specific fabric SKUs referenced throughout the pattern include:

• RS1005-34M – used for 5" squares (16 total)
• RS1005-33M – used for 5" squares (4 total)
• RS1007-13M – used for 5" squares (14 total)
• RS1008-11M – used for 5" squares (1 total) and 4½" squares (5 total)
• RS1005-35M – used for 5" squares (14 total)
• RS1008-13M – used for 5" squares (12 total) and 4½" squares (3 total)
• RS5027-55M – the primary background fabric, yielding a wide range of large rectangular and square pieces as well as additional 5" and 4½" squares, plus binding strips
• RS1006-13M – used for 5" squares (9 total)
• RS1007-11M – used for 5" squares (5 total)
• RS1008-12M – used for 5" squares (5 total) and 4½" squares (4 total)
• RS1009-12M – used for 5" squares (7 total)
• RS1009-13M – used for 5" squares (10 total) and 4½" squares (1 total)
• RS1010-11M – used for 5" squares (5 total)
• RS1010-13M – used for 5" squares (10 total) and 4½" squares (1 total)

The pattern is fabric-specific by design, intended to highlight the color relationships between these particular Moda prints and solids. The RS5027-55M background fabric is the most heavily used, providing the large structural pieces that frame the comet design, as well as the binding. Quilters should label all cut pieces with their sizes immediately after cutting to avoid confusion during assembly, as the pattern itself recommends.

In addition to quilt top fabric, you will need backing fabric, quilt batting, and binding (cut from the reserved remainder of RS5027-55M using nine 2½" x WOF strips). Standard quilting tools including a rotary cutter, cutting mat, quilting ruler, sewing machine, and coordinating thread are recommended.

Cutting Instructions Overview

The cutting process is methodical and precise. Most of the accent fabrics are cut into 5-inch squares from width-of-fabric (WOF) strips, which are then used to construct half-square triangle units. The background fabric RS5027-55M requires more complex cutting, yielding a wide variety of rectangle and square sizes that form the structural layout of the quilt. Key background pieces include: