Free Quilt Pattern – Review of Sanibel Quilt Pattern

Pattern by Moda Fabrics designed by Gina Martin

Let’s check out this free quilt pattern review of Sanibel, a quilt pattern gifted to quilters by Moda Fabrics with the cutest bathing suits you’ve ever seen!

When I shared this pattern in our Facebook group: Free Quilting Patterns – Spam Free Zone it definitely got some attention. I immediately saved it because I knew I had to make it!

I had some left over Sunburst fat quarters by Art Gallery Fabrics from the Good Vibrations quilt I made last year. You can check out that quilt review right here too. These prints were fun to use for my swimsuits and accents! These Sunburst designs are just so happy and so summery! You can imagine being at the beach enjoying a lemonade when working with them!

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The Pattern

Overall the pattern is written well and clear. I did however have a great deal of trouble with the Half Rectangle Block instructions. They didn’t make a lot of sense to me and after watching some videos on YouTube I discovered there is an error. I have reached out to the pattern designer as well so we can discuss and see if I am right and a correction needs issued.

THE ADJUSTMENT NEEDED: The half rectangle block instructions state to place two rectangles right sides together and cut diagonally. However, both rectangles need to be right sides facing up when you make the cuts. Then the pattern maker suggests an optional trim method that says to trim off 3/8” from the point on each triangle cut. I found that 3/8” didn’t work and 1/2” was too much. So I split the difference and had great luck with trimming 7/16th (half between 3/8” and 1/2”). This made my Half Triangle Blocks come out perfect. I highly recommend that you play with your first one before cutting lots of them to see what works best for you!

Fabrics Needed

The pattern was written for a specific bundle of fat quarters and unfortunately it doesn’t state how many you need. I used approximately 9 – 12. Like I said I had some left over fat quarters and used a few extras for accent pieces. You need at least 1 fat quarter for each swimsuit. I think light and airy for your fabrics feels more like summer and fun than anything! I’m going to back it with either adorable polka dots or summery floral design.

Other Notes

Wrapping up this free quilt pattern review of Sanibel I’d like to point out that this is a skinny quilt. Only 42” x 67”. If I made it again, I might add a little wider border at least along the sides to make it wider overall.

I’ve also thought of backing it with something completely different. What if I used Terry cloth and made it a boat blanket that could double as a light towel? Gosh wouldn’t that be the cutest? If we were just boaters I might do that, but we fish a lot so the boat isn’t always the cleanest!

Do I Recommend This Pattern?

Overall I do recommend this pattern. The error on the half rectangle blocks had me super frustrated but hopefully my tips will help you to avoid that same frustration. It turned out cute, and I can’t wait for Quincy at https://www.quincylight.com/ to put some longarm magic on it. I’m feeling a wave pattern! Be sure and consider Quincy for any long arm quilting you need! She has a fast turn around time!

My Rating of Sanibel:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❌❌❌