My Favorite Team: a Free Customizable Quilt Pattern

I’m so excited to share this free pattern with you! The “My Favorite Team” quilt is a very simple design, intended to be customized with your team’s colors and logo or brand. Each block can be made as simple or intricate as you want, so it’s great for all skill levels. You can download the free pattern by clicking the button below and read on to see how I customized my blanket for our local team.

Use the links below to jump ahead if you’re looking for something specific!

How the Pattern Came to Be

My family and I spend a lot of time at youth sporting events and we’re always grabbing random quilts or blankets to take with us. In the warmer months, they’re used more like a picnic blanket and serve as a place for little miss to spread out with her friends and toys. During the cooler months, we use them to sit on (bleachers can get so cold!) or wrap up with to stay warm.

We are now in our third year of playing with the same team (and don’t have plans to stop) so I wanted a dedicated quilt to take with us each time. I could have designated any number of quilts we already have as the “sports” blanket, but I thought it’d be more fun if we had one that showed off our favorite team. Our local high school are the Hawks and most of the youth teams we play with have adopted their colors and mascot, so I started designing with that in mind.

I wanted something simple that I could make quickly and use our team’s “H” logo. Initially, I wasn’t sure how I would make the “H” so I designed the layout first and kept the customized block a standard size (6 1/2″, unfinished) so I could figure that part out later. An added benefit of that ended up being a pattern that anyone could make and customize for their own favorite team!

About the Pattern and Customized Blocks

The quilt finishes at 54″ x 58″, a good throw size perfect for keeping in the car and toting around. There are 17 blocks that can be customized however you want, or you could leave any number of them blank. I considered traditional piecing, paper piecing, appliqué, and heat transfer vinyl for creating the “H”. Ultimately, I decided on heat transfer vinyl because I wanted to try something new and figured it would speed up assembly.

I used Adobe Illustrator to design the red and white “H” outlines and then cut them out using my Silhouette machine. I followed the directions for my specific vinyl to adhere them to the 6 1/2″ fabric squares before assembling the quilt top. This seemed like a good idea in case I messed one up. It’d be much easier to redo a block than have to rip one out. My one caution would be to be careful when pressing your seams during assembly. You don’t want to heat up the vinyl unprotected for very long or it can melt.

Quilt Backing using a Plush Blanket

After the customized blocks were finished, the quilt top assembly went quickly and it was time to decide on backing. Since it was going to be used for sitting on and staying warm, I decided to look for a warm, plush blanket for the back. This is one of my favorite things to do for quilts because they come in so many sizes, can be inexpensive, and you don’t have to piece it together.

I found a VelvetLoft Plush blanket in the perfect red, black and white plaid pattern and the twin size was just the right size. Another benefit of using a blanket for backing is that they are often thick enough that you don’t need batting. That was the case with the one I chose, however, I did decide to add batting anyway to make it even thicker and to prevent the plaid pattern from showing through the white fabric on the front.

Quilting with Multiple Thread Colors & Thick Layers

I layered all three parts using my favorite basting spray and did very simple straight line quilting to hold it all together. My quilting lines mostly outlined the letters on the front and lightly mimicked the plaid pattern on the back. One thing I did try with this quilt, was using two different thread colors. I didn’t want the quilting to stand out, so I used black thread on the darker areas and white thread on the lighter areas. It took some planning and required a lot of backstitching at the borders, but I’m happy with how it turned out.

I did the quilting on my domestic machine and found a few minor adjustments helped get the thicker layers through. First (and always when quilting) I used a walking foot. Since a walking foot has feed dogs on the bottom, it works together with the machine feed dogs to evenly feed all the plush layers through. To further help those layers, I also lessened the pressure on the presser foot. I typically sew with it around five for piecing, but went as low as two/three for this quilting. My sewing machine also has a “float” function that helps to slightly lift the presser foot and prevent fabric shifting during quilting, which came in handy on this quilt.

Another tip would be to lengthen your stitch length. I love to do this when quilting just about anything, but it certainly helps when you’re layers are thicker than normal. I used a 3.5 stitch length on this one and it worked out really well. Lastly, move to a table with lots of space. The weight of these layers will pull your quilt quite a bit if you can’t support it with a larger table (or ironing board) on the back side of the machine.

Binding with Black & White Stripes

Once the quilting was done, I just needed to add the binding. If it’s available, I will almost always use a stripe for my binding and if I don’t have one, I’ll go for a gingham or plaid. I was deciding between a black and white stripe or red and white stripe and ultimately went with the black (although I think either would look great)! If you’re like me and love a striped binding, I just stocked up so there are a lot of great binding options in the shop right now.

I cut my strips 2 1/2″ wide and attached to the quilt front using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Typically, I will adjust my needle to be a very large 1/4″ seam but because this quilt was so thick, I wanted to make sure there was plenty of binding to fold over to the back. I also prefer to glue baste my binding but that requires heat setting with an iron, and I didn’t want to accidentally melt the backing fabric, ha! So, I used my handy quilting clips instead and they worked perfectly. Once the binding was folded over and secured with clips, I used my stitch-in-the-ditch foot and stitched in the ditch on the front side, making sure to catch the binding on the back. After the binding was finished, the quilt was done and ready for lots of sports-related adventures!

Custom Block Ideas

The pattern itself is so simple, it’s a great size, and there are so many options to customize it. You could easily make this for any team you love, or if sports aren’t your thing, just swap in your favorite 6 1/2″ quilt blocks. I’ll include some block ideas below to get your creativity going 🙂

If you love foundation paper piecing (“FPP”), here are some great blocks to try:

• I love the My Favorite Alphabet letters for FPP and have used them in so many projects. The letters finish at 6″ tall, so you might need to add some size sashing to get to the correct size.
• Prairie Quilt Co. has a FREE heart block that would look so great in this quilt and could use up some scraps. She offers three different sizes, including a 6″ x 6″ finished block, the same size used in the My Favorite Team pattern.
• This Christmas Tree block is adorable and comes in the perfect size to make this pattern a holiday quilt! Or use this scrappy tree block for a more modern holiday quilt.
• A star block would be a classic option and could be used for a space-loving kid, Dallas Cowboys fan, or made in holiday colors. This one looks simple and comes in so many sizes!

Traditionally pieced quilt blocks would also be perfect in this pattern:

• There are so many great star blocks you could use including the Sawtooth Star, Friendship Star, a Wonky Star and so much more!
• I mentioned heart blocks earlier, but if you prefer to traditionally pieced quilt blocks, this FREE tutorial would be great and offers so many sizes, including the finished 6″ which you would need.
• One of my favorite designers for traditionally pieced quilt blocks is Burlap and Blossom. She offers so many themed quilt blocks that you could use to make your quilt for any occasion.
• Also, for any Autumn or Halloween themed quilts, I have a great resource with more block ideas included in the Fall Quilt Pattern Round-up.

Lastly, if you want less restrictions on shapes, use raw edge appliqué or heat transfer vinyl to customize your blocks. This would truly open up a whole new level of customization and make your quilt unlike any other!

What team would you make a quilt for? Or if you’re not into sports, which block would you use? I’m so tempted to make a second quilt for my alma mater, the Longhorns, or jump right into a holiday quilt using a Christmas tree block.