Moda Fabrics Holly Berries Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Holly Berries Quilt – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern Summary

About This Quilt Pattern

The Holly Berries Quilt by Moda Fabrics is a striking 63" x 63" square quilt designed at an intermediate difficulty level. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this pattern is a wonderful project for quilters who are comfortable with foundational piecing techniques and are ready to explore a more structured, precision-based block construction. The finished quilt is a generous lap or throw size, making it a versatile project suitable for seasonal decorating or gifting.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single, cohesive 63" x 63" quilt built entirely from Half-Triangle Squares (HTS). The design relies on the visual contrast between light background fabrics and medium to dark red print fabrics, creating the bold, graphic look characteristic of the Holly Berries aesthetic. Each finished Half-Triangle Square measures 4" x 4" (or 4½" x 4½" unfinished), and the overall quilt layout is assembled from these repeated units.

Techniques Used

• Half-Triangle Square (HTS) construction – the core technique of this pattern, used to create every block in the quilt
• Layer Cake pairing – squares are sorted and paired with one light background square and one medium/dark red print square per pair
• Cake Mix Recipe 4 method – a specialty paper-piecing guide card is layered on top of the paired fabric squares and pinned to secure before stitching, streamlining the HTS process
• Right-sides-together layering – fabric pairs are placed with right sides facing, with the lighter square on top, before the Cake Mix Recipe Card is applied
• Cutting and pressing – each pair of 10" x 10" squares yields 8 Half-Triangle Squares after stitching, cutting, and pressing
• Strip cutting – yardage pieces and fat quarters are cut into 10" strips before being sub-cut into 10" x 10" squares for pairing

Stitches and Construction Details

The primary stitch used throughout this quilt is a standard straight stitch sewn along the dotted stitching lines printed on the Cake Mix Recipe 4 cards. Quilters are specifically instructed not to pin on these dotted lines, ensuring the stitching guides remain accurate and unobstructed. This method is a hallmark of the Cake Mix Recipe system, which removes the need for individual marking on each fabric square and dramatically speeds up the HTS production process.

Materials and Fabric Requirements

• Layer Cake squares – a minimum of 28 light background squares and 28 medium/dark red print squares, all cut to 10" x 10"; the pattern notes that up to 33 pairs can be made from the available fabric
• 2 pieces of ⅓-yard fabric – each cut into one 10" x 42" width-of-fabric strip, then sub-cut into three 10" x 10" squares, yielding a total of 6 squares
• 6 fat quarters – each cut into one 10" x 21" strip, then further sub-cut into 10" x 10" squares
• Cake Mix Recipe 4 cards – approximately 28 to 30 sheets are required; these are specialty paper templates designed specifically for use with 10" Layer Cake squares and are a key material in this pattern's construction method

Fabric Selection Tips

The pattern emphasizes thoughtful fabric sorting. Quilters are encouraged to select a minimum of 28 light background squares and pair each with a contrasting medium or dark red print square. The designer notes that tone-on-tone duplicate background squares were intentionally set aside in favor of additional print squares to enhance visual variety across the finished quilt. This attention to contrast is essential for the Half