Moda Fabrics Wholecloth Lawn Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Wholecloth Lawn Quilt – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern Summary

The Moda Fabrics Wholecloth Lawn Quilt is a beautifully simple quilting project designed for those who want to explore the elegance of wholecloth quilting without the complexity of piecing. The finished quilt measures 36 inches by 45 inches, making it an ideal lap quilt, baby quilt, or decorative throw. This is a free downloadable PDF pattern from Moda Fabrics, rated at an intermediate difficulty level, though its straightforward construction also makes it approachable for confident beginners eager to develop their machine quilting skills.

What Is a Wholecloth Quilt?

A wholecloth quilt is a style of quilt in which the top layer is made from a single, uncut piece of fabric rather than sewn-together patchwork pieces. All of the visual interest and texture in a wholecloth quilt comes entirely from the quilting stitches themselves, rather than from fabric piecing or appliqué. This makes the technique a wonderful way to showcase a beautiful fabric — in this case, a lawn fabric — while also practicing and refining machine quilting skills. Lawn is a lightweight, finely woven cotton fabric with a smooth, slightly crisp hand, which drapes beautifully and shows off quilting lines with great clarity.

Project Overview

• Finished Size: 36 inches x 45 inches
• Project Type: Wholecloth quilt
• Designer/Brand: Moda Fabrics
• Format: Downloadable PDF pattern sheet (free)
• Difficulty Level: Intermediate
• Craft: Quilting

Techniques Used

Because this is a wholecloth design, there is no fabric piecing required. The pattern moves directly from fabric preparation into quilting, which is the heart of the project. The primary techniques involved include:

• Fabric squaring and trimming – The top fabric is squared up and trimmed to exactly 45 inches in length, then measured and cut 18 inches from the fold after removing selvages, resulting in a single 36" x 45" piece.
• Pressing – Both the top fabric and the backing fabric require pressing to remove the center fold before layering and quilting.
• Basting – The pattern allows quilters to use their preferred basting method to secure the quilt sandwich (top fabric, batting, and backing) before quilting begins.
• Straight-line machine quilting – The recommended quilting technique is straight-line quilting, which involves sewing parallel lines across the quilt surface. This is described in the pattern as the best option for beginner quilters, making it an excellent skill-building exercise.
• Grid quilting – The cover sample of this pattern is quilted with a 2-inch grid, which means lines are sewn both vertically and horizontally at 2-inch intervals across the entire quilt surface, creating a classic, structured texture.
• Binding – The pattern references binding as a finishing step, allowing quilters to use their preferred binding method.

Stitches and Quilting Lines

The quilting on this project is done entirely with straight stitches sewn by a sewing machine. Quilters have flexibility in how they arrange these lines:

• Vertical lines only for a clean, striped texture
• Horizontal lines only for a similarly simple, elegant result
• A full grid combining both vertical and horizontal lines — as seen on the cover sample, which uses a 2-inch grid spacing

Quilting begins at the center of an edge and works outward through all layers of the quilt sandwich, which helps prevent shifting and distortion as the quilting progresses.

Tools and Equipment

A key tool highlighted in this pattern is the walking foot, a specialized sewing machine presser foot that adds feed dogs to the underside of the foot. This mechanism helps pull all layers of the quilt — top, batting, and backing — through the machine at an