Boy Quilts Fat Quarter quilts

Aviator Quilt Pattern

My little guy loves airplanes, so I’ve had this airplane aviator quilt pattern in my mind for a long time and am glad to have finally made it a reality! This is a fat quarter quilt – and each fat quarter will yield the pieces needed for both 1 background + 1 airplane. Choose a mix of dark and light prints and mix ’em all around to get this scrappy delight!

Aviator airplane quilt pattern by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique. Great boy quilt in these scrappy fabrics
Aviator airplane quilt by Lella Boutique.

An Important Note About Fabric

An important note about this Aviator quilt pattern – you will need to be able to cut a 17-1/2’’ x 21’’ rectangle from each fat quarter SO when purchasing fabric, measure to make sure your fat quarters will allow you to do this (or be sure to mention this to the shop you purchase from). If you prewash fabric or use a starch method, you might consider purchasing half-yards instead.

Quilt Details

  • Pattern: Aviator (available as a PDF or printed booklet)
  • Fabric: A combination of collections for this quilt–primarily Persimmon by BasicGrey for Moda, and Modern Neutrals by Amy Ellis for Moda, plus a lot of my favorite text prints!
  • Finished block: 16″ x 16-1/2″
  • Finished quilt: 64″ x 66″
  • Skill Level: Confident beginner (easy corner triangle technique)
  • Pieced by: me
  • Quilted by: me (I used stitch #4 on my domestic Bernina sewing machine)

You may also be pleased to know that there is no paper piecing or templates involved in assembling this airplane quilt and it comes together quite quickly. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did!

Aviator airplane quilt pattern by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique. Great boy quilt in these scrappy fabrics
Aviator airplane quilt by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique. Download the PDF here!

10 Comments

  1. Little Quiltsong

    August 17, 2016 at 4:42 am

    I love this pattern. Love that it is done with just traditional piecing. Perfect boy quilt!

  2. Natureluvr57

    August 17, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    Wow, I love it too! I see so many quilts and fabrics for little girls but this is awesome for little boys just the way it is. I'm sure men (especially if they were in the Air Force or pilots) would like the design too. I love it and I'm a female. I could also see a plane or two on one side and an appliqued globe on the other side for those who love to travel (or a border of planes if you want a large quilt). Throw in a simple suitcase shape with fabrics with cities (Paris is popular now) and it would be gorgeous for a lady too. Very INSPIRATIONAL….with so many possibilities.

  3. Unknown

    August 18, 2016 at 2:48 am

    I love it! Definitely going to be making this one!

  4. wapiti

    September 5, 2016 at 5:25 am

    Lovely quilt! I'm sure my husband would love it too!

  5. Kate

    September 25, 2016 at 9:25 am

    Bloglovin and IG, love, love, love your fabrics!

  6. Bunny Wilson

    November 6, 2016 at 4:44 pm

    I'm making this quilt for my grandson's 4th birthday and am absolutely loving it so far! Can you give any tips for squaring up the blocks?

  7. Marlene

    April 13, 2017 at 10:13 pm

    Was disappointed with the download , for the price I was expecting a pattern , had you stated right from the beginning that "This is not a pattern " I would not have paid $9

  8. Vanessa Goertzen

    April 3, 2019 at 10:36 am

    Hi Marlene, sorry to disappoint! It is standard in the industry to refer to a booklet of instructions as a pattern. It sounds like you thought the pattern was made with a template, it's definitely not. But good news–a template was not necessary, and my method is a lot simpler. Feel free to email me with any pattern questions before purchasing!

  9. Sherri Huff

    October 2, 2022 at 9:51 am

    WooHoo!!! I’ve been waiting to get and make this pattern for my sweet nephew!💜

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