Mad Masquerade Panel Patch Quilt

With blossoms starting to bloom on the trees, and plants just beginning to sprout out of the ground, it’s hard to believe I’m sewing for Halloween, but in the quilting world, this is the time when quilt shops begin stocking the newest Halloween collections, and quilters begin planning ahead for fall.

I was beyond excited for the chance to play with fabrics from the brand new Mad Masquerade collection designed by J. Wecker Frisch for Riley Blake Designs. The collection has all of Janets signature artistry and humor, which seriously makes sewing with her fabrics so much fun.

This collection is a Halloween - Alice in Wonderland mashup, and it’s awesome! It features a simple color palette of orange, black and grey. There are several fabulous panels to work with, including a large border stripe and a fun bunting panel.

I decided it would be fun to incorporate this Patch Panel into my quilt, alternating it with traditional 9 patch blocks.

The result was this wonky, whimsical throw size quilt. I love the panel squares and the hilarious border print! I alternated the panel blocks with simple 9 patch blocks for a very quick and easy make.

This was an easy make, however, now that it is finished, it’s time to evaluate and pinpoint a few areas that could be improved in future projects. Two things: 1) The quilting. I opted to quilt gentle wavy horizontal lines. I alternated the direction of my stitching with each row to try to prevent pulling, but still you can see — the fabric pulled. On a different quilt this might not be very noticeable, but in this design where the blocks are so clearly defined, the pulling is obvious. I probably should have used a walking foot, so that’s something I could do next time, however, I think with this specific quilt design, I would opt for an all over meandering stitch next time. I have found I never have any trouble when using the all over design, so it would have been a safer choice. 2) And this flaw isn’t as obvious — If I were to make this again, I would switch the gingham and gray Card Toss border prints. I am not loving the gingham border right next to the gingham in the quilt blocks.

Let’s talk about these blocks. I wanted my blocks to measure 12” finished, which means I needed them to measure 12-1/2” unfinished. However, these panel blocks were just a tad bit shy of 12-1/2” square. To solve that problem, I added a small gingham border to each block, but I intentionally made the gingham border uneven for a whimsical feel.

This black and white 1/8” gingham is my absolute favorite Riley Blake basic. I use it for everything. I’m pretty sure it is being retired, so if you love it like I do, get some while it lasts!

These blocks are seriously so cute!

To make the 9 patch blocks, I cut five 4-1/2” black or gray squares and four 4-1/2” orange squares.

I sewed two rows of squares alternating black/orange/black and one row of squares alternating orange/black/orange.

Then I pressed the seams in opposite directions. Doing this makes it possible to nest the seams when sewing the rows together, which reduces bulk at the seams.

Finally, sew the rows together and press the long row seams open, also to reduce bulk.

I used more of the 1/8” Riley Blake Gingham on the quilt back, with a row of the cute Border Stripe thrown in just for fun.

The binding is the Black Wavy Words print. Since my quilt already turned out pretty “wavy” I thought this was fitting!

I LOVE all of the characters in this quilt, but I think my favorite is the Tweedledee and Tweedledum border. It just makes me smile everytime I look at it. As easy as this quilt was to make, I still found myself having to learn a few lessons along the way, but in the end, this quilt isn’t a museum piece. It is a cuddly throw that will make it’s way to the family room every fall for snuggles by the fireplace.

And remember, most of the flaws you see in your quilt will never be noticed by anyone else. And best of all, after you pull it out of the dryer, it will be so crinkly that even the flaws you do see will most likely disappear. In the meantime, we live and learn and enjoy the journey.

Mad Masquerade by J. Wecker Frisch for Riley Blake Designs is available now, so pick up a bundle and start creating! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @bayhillstudio and subscribe to my YouTube channel of the same name for more creative content and project inspiration. Happy Quilting!