Pansy Patch Quilt Pattern - All the Details
The Pansy Patch quilt pattern is available now! I’m so excited to share this flowery pattern with you…and to tell you about some of what makes it special!
Behind the Pansy Patch pattern
I have a digital workspace where I play around with ideas for quilt patterns, and some version of Pansy Patch has been living there for…a while now. These cute little flowers have had to wait their turn, and I’m so glad they finally get their time to shine!
The finished Pansy Patch pattern actually looks pretty close to my original idea, which had the same pixelated, cross stitch vibe. As we developed the pattern, I experimented with solid, rounded shapes that had more of a curved look…but I kept coming back to the same sort of cross stitch-esque and knitted-ish vibe. I love how it looks, and that it fits right in with my Knitted Star and Knitted Blooms quilt patterns.
This pattern isn’t quite a sister to those two…but maybe a cousin? 🤔 Clearly I love this style, since I keep returning to it my patterns. It’s like a crossover between patchwork and needlework, and it’s just the kind of blend between modern and traditional design that I love.
So why pansies? Great question. Do certain flowers evoke specific memories or emotions for you? They do for me. When I see lisianthus, I think of my wedding. Tulips evoke college memories of driving onto my college campus after spring break (they were planted by the hundreds at the entrance). And pansies? Well, they make me think of my Granny. I always remember pansies planted around her house and yard and every time I see one now, I cannot help but think of her. Hence Pansy Patch is my take on a patchwork form of the flower that I know she loved so much. ❤️
NEGATIVE SPACE
While Pansy Patch definitely plays well with Knitted Blooms and Knitted Star, it does have more negative space than either of those patterns. That was on purpose, as I wanted to make the pattern without any sashing. That meant I had to build the background into the blocks themselves, and then center the design in the blocks. (That's what makes the Patchwork version possible, as you'll see in a minute!)
All the negative space gives Pansy Patch a block printed or stamped vibe. Block printing is having a big moment in textiles, and it’s a trend I’m absolutely loving…so I'm so tickled with how it comes through in Pansy Patch!
The negative space also makes Pansy Patch perfect for letting your background fabric shine. In Knitted Blooms, for example, the flowers are the focus more than the background. But in Pansy Patch, your background gets plenty of space to have it's moment. I’ve had fun playing with background colors in my samples, as I’ll show you later!
I also realized all the negative space makes Pansy Patch fun for playing with quilting! In fact, this is the first Lo & Behold Stitchery pattern to include a hand-quilting idea and diagram. Of course, I’ve included a machine quilting idea and diagram as well (and as you’ll see in one of my samples, it turned out sooo good!). Either way, you can easily make this quilt start to finish yourself…or get it longarmed like I did for a few samples.
NINE PATCHES
As you can see, Pansy Patch has cute little nine patches surrounding the flowers. That part of the pattern is pretty new! For a while, I was trying to create more of a dandelion fluff look. I loved the idea, but for various reasons, it didn’t work out and had to be changed.
I played around with different replacements for those elements, and when I tried the nine patch, it was perfect! Not to mention, it ties Pansy Patch a little more closely to Knitted Blooms and Heirloom Hearts, which also have nine patches; which makes them feel like a nice little family of designs. 🥹
It’s amazing how problems can turn into opportunities. I really wanted my original idea to work…but the nine patches ended up becoming a fun surprise that took this pattern to the next level!
Pansy Patch features
Now that I’ve told you a bit about how Pansy Patch came to be, let me walk you through some of my favorite features!
THREE COLORWAYS
The Pansy Patch pattern has three different colorways: Modern, Patchwork, and Traditional. That means that you can get really different looks (and a slightly different piecing experience) depending on which one you choose.
The Modern version is fat-quarter friendly, using fat quarters or yardage for your blooms and yardage for your stems and background. If you use fat quarters, you can have a rainbow of blooms! Or you can use yardage to make your blooms the same color, giving you a four-color quilt.
The Patchwork version uses fat quarters (or half yards for the bigger sizes) for both your blooms and backgrounds. This one really celebrates the block-based construction and lets you have fun mixing and matching! I also like to think of it like a cross between the modern multicolor version and the two color version. Since there are just two colors per block, it's more of a nod to the block-printing inspiration that started it all.
The Traditional version is designed for two colors, giving it a classic, vintage look. Use subtle contrast for a cozy quilt that goes with anything, or play up the contrast for a showstopper of a quilt. Personally, we had so much fun playing with colorways for this version. There are several mock-ups in this pattern of this version and the other ones as well!
The funny thing is, it was hard to stop coming up with more colorways and possibilities! We only have so much space in a pattern (and this is already one of the biggest patterns we’ve released), so I kept it to three versions…but I’d love to see how you experiment and riff on Pansy Patch!
QUILT SIZES
So as you can see, Pansy Patch comes in nine different sizes, from a darling wall hanging to a generous king:
- Wall hanging (15" x 32”)
- Baby (30” x 32”)
- Lap (45” x 48”)
- Table runner (16” x 75”)
- Small throw (60” x 64”)
- Large throw (75” x 80”)
- Twin (75” x 96”)
- Queen (90” x 96”)
- King (105” x 111”)
Fun fact: Pansy Patch is one of just four Lo & Behold Stitchery patterns with a table runner size (along with Petite Plaid, Mountain Horizon 2.0, and Retro Blossoms)...and I just love the thought of sewing one of these up for a spring tablescape! 🌷
I also have to tell you that Pansy Patch would look SO cute on a bed, which is why we made sure to include twin, queen, and king sizes. It’s the kind of timeless design that you’ll love seeing (and cuddling up under) day after day. I'm personally planning on making a twin size version for our guest bed room using one of the mock-ups in the pattern. I cannot wait!
STRIP PIECING
When your non-quilty friends look at your Pansy Patch quilt, they’ll think you spent ages cutting and sewing teeny tiny squares and rectangles together…but I'm happy to report that all three colorways use strip piecing! 🙌
If you’ve made my other patterns, you probably already know that strip piecing is one of my favorite piecing techniques. It helps everything go so much faster, and it gives you more accurate results! (My tips for long seams will help you keep your strip sets precise.)
If you’ve never tried it before, I have a blog post where you can learn all about strip piecing…and then you’ll understand why I made sure to construct Pansy Patch that way!
DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Pansy Patch is an intermediate level pattern, mostly because you need a consistent scant ¼” seam, and you’re working with lots of small pieces. If you’ve made previous Lo & Behold patterns like Petite Plaid, Knitted Blooms, or Deco, you’ll have no problems with Pansy Patch.
Don’t let the difficulty level scare you, though! I’ve written this pattern to be as friendly and approachable as possible. It does take some patience and precision, but the steps themselves are straightforward and doable. Plus, I’ve included fabric labels and a project planner to keep you organized, even with all the small pieces!
I always recommend making a test block first. That way you can really dial in your seam allowance…and you’ll end up with a sweet little wall hanging or pillow!
FABRIC REQUIREMENTS
Pansy Patch is precut friendly (so if you’ve had your eye on one of our fat quarter fabric bundles, this is a great way to use them!). Depending on the version you make, you can use fat eighths, fat quarters, or yardage. (You might even be able to dig into your scrap bin for the flower fabric.) Here’s a look at the detailed fabric requirements and the back cover of the pattern:
I’ve only used solids so far on my Pansy Patch quilts, but I've been thinking about working on a print version next. I'm thinking smaller scale prints would work great for this, but you could definitely do larger prints too, as long as you don’t mind them getting cut up a bit. (I personally still love that look, like in my Tangerine Knitted Blooms quilt.)
My Pansy Patch quilt samples
We’ve made four different Pansy Patch quilts, and they all look so different! (Don’t be surprised when you want to make more than one too to play with all the options!) So far, we’ve sewn up:
- Cover quilt (modern)
- Forget-Me-Not quilt (modern)
- Sprout (patchwork)
- Lava Rock (traditional)
And I still have ideas for more! I might even experiment with mixing up the colorways; also with using scraps, hand quilting, and a twin size version for our guest bedroom...I just need to decide what to work on first!
I’m giving you a quick peek today but I’ll be sharing all about my samples in the coming weeks! Stay tuned.
Make your own Pansy Patch quilt
I am beyond excited to see what you make with the Pansy Patch quilt pattern! As usual, the pattern is available in two formats:
- Digital pattern (a PDF for immediate download, so you can get sewing ASAP!)
- Paper pattern (a full color booklet for convenient physical reference)
QUILT KITS
We also have Pansy Patch quilt kits…one for each of the four versions I mentioned above:
- Cover (large throw)
- Forget-Me-Not (large throw)
- Sprout (small throw)
- Lava Rock (small throw)
All four kits come with the option to add on backing and binding fabric.
You can also find quilt kits from our friends:
- Going Coastal Fabrics curated six of their own kits (one Traditional and five Modern), all available in a small throw size!
- Fieldstone Fabrics has two large throw kits, one Modern and one Traditional, plus a Modern twin size!
DESIGN YOUR OWN
Like I said earlier, there are so many fun things you can do with Pansy Patch…and with the digital coloring page on PreQuilt, it’s easy to play around until you find the perfect fabrics! You can also print off one of our free quilt coloring pages if you prefer to design your quilt that way.
I’ve been counting down the days until I could share Pansy Patch with you, and I’m so happy it’s finally launch day! I hope you love sewing up this pattern as much as I have.
Happy quilting!
