Moda Fabrics Florida BeachTowel Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Florida Beach Towel Quilt Pattern – Free Downloadable PDF

The Florida Beach Towel Quilt is a cheerful, beginner-friendly-to-intermediate quilted throw designed by Sarah Watts for Moda Fabrics. As its name suggests, the finished project mimics the look of a classic striped beach towel, making it a perfect warm-weather project or a vibrant addition to any home. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF, making it an accessible choice for quilters who want a fun, fast, and visually striking result without a large investment.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a quilted blanket or throw styled to resemble a colorful striped beach towel. The design is built from 10 pieced blocks, each constructed from two coordinating fabrics arranged in alternating horizontal stripes. When the blocks are assembled according to the layout, the finished quilt captures the bold, graphic stripe aesthetic associated with classic beach towels. It falls into the blankets and throws project category and is rated as an intermediate level project, though the straightforward strip-piecing construction makes it approachable for confident beginners as well.

Design and Block Construction

The quilt is made up of 10 blocks, each composed of six strips sewn together along their long edges. Within each block, the strips alternate between Fabric A and Fabric B, creating the signature striped effect. Each strip measures 18½" x 2½", and three strips of each fabric are used per block, resulting in a clean, rhythmic pattern of color.

• Block count: 10 total blocks, each unique in fabric placement
• Strip dimensions: 18½" x 2½" per strip
• Strips per block: Six strips (three of Fabric A, three of Fabric B), alternating
• Seam allowance: ¼" throughout unless otherwise noted

The pattern instructs quilters to press seams of all blocks in the left column toward the bottom and seams of all blocks in the right column in the opposite direction. This opposing seam strategy is a classic quilting technique that allows seams to nest when blocks are joined, reducing bulk at intersections and producing flatter, more precise joins.

Techniques Used

Strip piecing is the primary construction technique in this pattern. It is one of the most efficient and beginner-accessible methods in quilting, involving the sewing of long rectangular strips side by side to create a striped panel. Each block is essentially a mini strip-pieced unit that, when combined with others, builds the full beach towel design.

• Strip piecing: Joining rectangular fabric strips along long edges to create striped blocks
• Seam nesting: Pressing seams in opposing directions between adjacent blocks to reduce bulk
• Fabric placement planning: Arranging alternating fabrics across all 10 blocks for a cohesive striped layout
• Precut-friendly construction: The pattern accommodates 2½" precut width-of-fabric strips as an alternative cutting method

When using precut strips, each strip is cut into two pieces measuring 18½" long. The pattern notes that this approach yields only two of each fabric rather than three, so quilters will need to plan their own fabric placement layout. The overall construction process, however, remains identical to the fat eighth method.

Stitches Used

As a quilting pattern, the Florida Beach Towel relies on standard machine-sewn straight stitches throughout. All piecing is done with a consistent ¼" seam allowance, which is the industry standard for quilting and ensures accurate block sizing and alignment when assembling the final layout.

• Straight stitch: Used for all strip and block assembly
• ¼" seam allowance: Maintained consistently throughout all piecing steps

Materials – Fabric and Cutting

The pattern is designed around fat eighths as the primary fabric format. From each fat eighth, quilters cut three rectangles measuring 18½" x 2½"