American Pride Quilt (Quilt Panel Idea)

While at a quilt shop, I spotted the pre-printed patriotic quilt panel you see in the center of this quilt and fell in love with it. 

At first, I debated whether to buy it.  I couldn't think of a creative project for using it and the quilt shop didn't have any patterns that worked.  After a few minutes of thought, I decided to purchase the patriotic fabric quilt panel anyway.  Now, I wish I bought more.

quilts from panels?

Fabric quilt panels can be used in so many different ways.  Here are some quilt panel ideas.

• Whole Piece Quilt - Some people may call this a cheater quilt.  I don't.  Short on time.  This is a quick quilt option.  Add some special quilting and make it stand out. 
• Quilt with Borders - Panels make amazing centerpieces for a quilt.  Or cut pieces apart and add sashing and borders.
• Window Panel Quilt - Some pre-printed panels are pictures or scenes.  These can be cut apart into vertical and/ or horizontal strips and sewed with strips of background fabric between them to mimic a window scene.
• Baby Quilt - Cute baby panel designs are perfect for making a baby quilt for yourself or as a gift.  A quick and easy way to finish this type of quilt is the pillowcase method.
• Play Mat - Find a pre-printed panel with roads, animals, dolls, etc., and make it into a playtime mat.
• I Spy Quilt - Many panels are available that can be used as an I spy quilt - alphabet, images, numbers and so on.  Here is my favorite I Spy Quilt.
• Seasonal Decorations - Panels make great seasonal wall hangings, table decorations and more.

Ok!  Let me get back to the American Pride Quilt.  After getting home from the quilt shop I knew I wanted to use the panel in a patriotic quilt.  I didn't just want to sew borders around it.  I want something unique, that stood out and made an impression.

Searching online for patriotic quilt pattern ideas, I was delighted to discover Northcott Fabric's free pattern, Pillars of Strength.  The diagonal stripes with the different color borders made the patriotic quilt pattern stunning and perfect for the pre-printed fabric panel. 

The pattern is a patriotic theme but it could be used for many other seasonal quilts just by changing the panel and colors.

Would you like a copy of this free printable patriotic quilt pattern?  Please enjoy the free pattern available to download, courtesy of the fabric manufacturer.  A link is at the end of this article.

For a brief description of this quilt, watch our video or keep reading this post for highlights and features of the quilt.

Looking for patriotic flair to add to your American holiday decor? On this page, you’ll find fun and festive patriotic decorations, jewelry, favors, clothing and more to show your American pride.

what is a fabric panel?

A fabric panel is a design printed on fabric and sold by the panel.  The quilt panels come in a variety of themes and sizes. These panels can be incorporated into a quilt in many ways (see list above).  Fabric panels make creating quilts and accessories fun and easy. 

American pride quilt highlights and features:

STEP 1: Pattern for patriotic quilt

Download and print the pattern.  Scroll down the page for a link to the free pattern.

STEP 2: gather supplies for this fabric panel quilt

First, make sure the panel is large enough to accommodate the Pillars of Strength pattern.  For this Pillars of Strength pattern, the panel needs to be at least 23 1/2" by 40 1/2".  If the panel purchased is larger than that size, decide on what to keep and trim it to the appropriate size.

For this quilt, the panel I used was Land of the Free USA / Pledge Allegiance by Timeless Treasures.  At the end of this article is a link for purchasing the panel.

Next, purchase all the fabric required to make the quilt.

STEP 3: panel borders

Let's begin to make the quilt.

After cutting the panel to the appropriate size, it's time to add borders to the panel.  

To make the borders around the panel, you will be using two methods.  One is strip piecing (to strip piece three pieces together) and the other method is just two plain borders.

The pattern instructions state which fabric to cut for the border pieces.  Then you will strip piece three fabrics together using a 1/4" seam.

The striped piece is then trimmed to size.  After one piece is sewn together and trimmed it will look like the following picture. You will make two of the above pieces and sew them to the sides of the panel.

A single strip of fabric will be attached to the top and bottom of the panel.

STEP 4: half square triangle border

When looking at the pattern, the diagonal strips may look intimidating.  They did to me.  However, they are really, really simple to do using the half square triangle method to piece them.

The pattern called for making half square triangles by cutting squares of fabric, making a diagonal line from corner to corner, stitch 1/4 inch from the drawn line on both sides of the line, cut along the line, open and press.

We have a complete tutorial on how to make half square triangles here.

STEP 5: patriotic quilt pattern borders

After the diagonal strips are sewn to the centerpiece, the rest of the piecing is a breeze - simply three more borders.

STEP 6: back fabric

I pieced this quilt top while at a quilt retreat and want to finish the quilt while at the retreat by machine quilting using my daughter's embroidery machine.

While preparing the quilt sandwich, I discovered the backing fabric I brought with me was not wide enough.  So, time to get creative.

Above is the backing.  I cut the original backing fabric in half lengthwise and made a panel with fabric I had available which I sewed in the middle.

I was happy with the way it turned out.

STEP 7: Final steps

To quilt by machine or hand (I quilted using an embroidery machine quilting software),

to sew on the flanged binding,

and attach the quilt label.  Want to know how to make a quilt label?  Learn how to make a customized quilt label on our  How to Make a Quilt Label with an Inkjet Printer page.

Use our binding calculator to figure out the number of strips to cut for creating the binding for this quilt.

It's finished. The quilt is absolutely beautiful.  I was able to finish the entire quilt including the machine quilting and binding at the quilt retreat in less than 3 days.

Get the free pattern below and make a patriotic quilt for yourself or as a gift.  This quilt design would also be a wonderful quilt to donate to Quilts of Valor.

Happy Quilting!
Annette

DIY Patriotic Crafts

• Farmhouse Patriotic Rag Wreath
• Patriotic Flag Coasters

Additional Panel Quilt Ideas

• Pieced Border Panel Quilt with Free Pattern
• Collection of Panel Quilt Ideas - we have rounded up panel quilt ideas from around the internet.
• I Spy Quilt - A fun playmat made with a panel by Robert Kaufmann fabrics.
• Simple and Easy Baby Quilt Pattern - This quilt cuts apart a panel and uses them in the center of the blocks.
• Baby Safari Panel Quilt - This quilt features a panel with one single border added to it.
• DIY Baby Playmat - This DIY alphabet play mat pattern is perfect for sewing beginners and comes together fast!