Moda Fabrics Break of Day Chicken Coop Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Break of Day Chicken Coop Quilt Pattern – Free Downloadable PDF

The Moda Fabrics Break of Day Chicken Coop Quilt is a charming intermediate-level quilting project that combines traditional pieced blocks with whimsical raw-edge appliqué to create a finished quilt measuring 48" x 64". Designed and published by Moda Fabrics, this free downloadable PDF pattern is a delightful blend of classic quilt construction and playful decorative detail, making it an ideal project for quilters who are comfortable with foundational techniques and ready to explore appliqué work.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a lap-sized or throw quilt with a finished dimension of 48 inches wide by 64 inches tall. The quilt is built around an 8" x 8" finished block size, and the overall design features both pieced Star Blocks and Chicken Bonnet appliqué motifs. The combination of geometric star piecing and folk-art-inspired chicken bonnet shapes gives this quilt a warm, farmhouse-style aesthetic that fits beautifully within the Break of Day fabric collection by Moda Fabrics.

Techniques Used

• Traditional block piecing – The quilt is constructed using standard quilting piecing methods, assembling individual fabric units into 8" finished blocks before joining them into the full quilt top.
• Half Square Triangles (HST) – HST units are a core component of the Star Block construction, requiring careful cutting and sewing at diagonal angles to create the classic star points.
• Raw-edge appliqué with fusible web – The Chicken Bonnet motifs are applied using a raw-edge appliqué technique. Appliqué templates are traced onto the smooth side of fusible web, then fused to fabric before being applied to the quilt top. Because this is raw-edge appliqué, the templates do not include a seam allowance.
• Binding – The quilt is finished with a traditional sewn binding, cut from dedicated binding fabric strips.

Understanding Raw-Edge Appliqué

Raw-edge appliqué is a popular and approachable technique in which fabric shapes are fused directly to a background without turning under the edges. Fusible web acts as an adhesive layer between the appliqué piece and the quilt top, holding the shape in place before it is permanently secured—typically with a machine stitch such as a blanket stitch, zigzag, or straight-stitch outline. This method is faster than needle-turn appliqué and gives finished pieces a slightly casual, folk-art character that suits the playful Chicken Bonnet motifs in this design perfectly.

Stitches and Block Construction

• Star Block Assembly – Each Star Block is pieced using a combination of small cut units, including 1½" squares and 1½" x 2½" rectangles, along with Half Square Triangle units that form the star points. These units are sewn together in a precise sequence to achieve the 8" finished block size.
• Straight-stitch piecing – All block assembly uses standard straight-stitch sewing on a domestic sewing machine, with consistent seam allowances throughout.
• Appliqué finishing stitch – Once the Chicken Bonnet shapes are fused to the quilt surface, they are secured with a machine or hand stitch around their raw edges, as is standard practice for fusible raw-edge appliqué.

Cutting Details

The pattern provides thorough cutting instructions organized by fabric. Key cuts include:

• From the Star Background Fabric (43104 21), requiring ⅛ yard: two 1½" x WOF strips, subcut into sixteen 1½" squares and sixteen 1½" x 2½" rectangles for Star Block Assembly.
• From the Appliqué Bonnets & Binding Fabric (43102 13), requiring ⅝ yard: six 2¼" x WOF strips are cut first for binding, with remaining yardage reserved for the Chicken Bonnet appliqué shapes.
• Additional fabric is designated for the Appliq