Quilting Fabric Panels
Fabric panels are pre-printed designs on a single piece of fabric — typically 36"x44" or similar — that contain a complete image or design ready to quilt and finish. They're an excellent choice for fast quilting projects, wallhangings, baby quilts, and gifts where you want an impressive result without extensive piecing. The full 45" landscape lives in the 45" quilting cotton guide, and panel-friendly backings in the 108" wideback guide.
Available Panels at Linda's
- True To Hue: Black As Night Chromatic Muse Panel — Alli K Design for Moda; dramatic floral multi-colour panel on black background
- True To Hue: Dusty Sky Chromatic Muse Panel — the same Chromatic Muse design in a softer dusty sky colourway
- Pastel Prairie Panel — My Sew Quilty Life for Moda; yellow floral prairie panel in soft pastels
How to Use Fabric Panels
Most panels are designed to be quilted directly — sandwich with batting and backing, quilt around the design, and bind. They can also be framed with borders, incorporated into a larger quilt as a focal block, or used as the centre medallion of a medallion quilt. Loading a panel on a longarm allows you to add decorative quilting that enhances the printed design.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I quilt a panel so it looks custom?
Follow the print — outline the printed motifs, echo around focal elements, and fill backgrounds with dense texture so the printed design puffs forward. Panel quilting done this way reads as appliqué-level custom work at a fraction of the time.
Do panels need squaring before quilting?
Almost always — panels are frequently printed slightly off-grain, so square to the printed design rather than the fabric edge and press well before loading. Borders added around a squared panel hide any remaining print skew.
What batting and backing suit panel projects?
Wallhangings take a firm low-loft (cotton or 80/20) so they hang flat; baby-quilt panels take soft 80/20 with a cuddle or flannel back. Panels finish fast, so a quality wideback keeps the whole project one-stop.
