“In the quiet hollow beneath an autumn moon, she prepares her most treasured potion. The darkening night holds its breath as her quiet magic unfolds. “
Meet Adara and her patchwork cape
Imagining Moonlit Elixir
I participated as a designer in the 2025 Nocturnal Soul QAL. My block was called the Bubbling Brew Block which was my take on what Sunbonnet Sue would look like if she traded in her bonnet for a witch’s hat. During the QAL, several participants asked if I had considered turning her into a quilt, and it started me thinking…
Inspired by the Witchy Sue block from the 2025 Nocturnal Soul QAL.
If I made her into a quilt, I wanted her to have a modern, unique twist. I started sketching on graph paper as I watched a movie with the family. As I sketched, I wondered what if my witchy Sunbonnet Sue were all grown up? My daughter looked over and was ‘wow, mom, that’s really good.’ In my mind I was already loving her, but when my teenager gives me an unsolicited compliment, I decided right then I was going to turn her into a quilt.
When I saw Amber Elliot’s (@alderwoodstudio) new fabric line “The Apothecary,” I knew I wanted to use it to make the quilt. I was so thrilled when Riley Blake Designs agreed to sponsor the quilt and send advanced yardage.
Meet Adara
Fast forward to today; the pattern is written and tested and the final edits are complete. Witchy Sue has cast her final spell and transformed herself into a modern, sleek witch quilt — Moonlit Elixir.
It can be made using your favorite new fabric line or pull from your fabric stash. Go full scrappy or pick and choose one or a few colors to build her haunting patchwork cape.
The quilt is listed as Intermediate. Labeling a pattern as confident beginner or intermediate is subjective as there is no industry definitions for these categories. This pattern contains some steps that I, personally, consider to be intermediate as careful attention is needed for accurate seam matching. This should not discourage those who consider themselves confident beginners who love a challenge and are looking to grow their skills.
With straightforward construction and clear instructions, this traditionally pieced pattern is ideal for confident beginners looking to grow their skills and experienced quilters alike. It is also scrap-friendly. Light, medium, and dark color values create movement in the patchwork cape.
TIps
Background: Use a solid or a small non-directional print. Careful to make sure the value will contrast well with the moon, cauldron, hat, and scepter.
Cape: Choose a range of a dark, medium, and light value fabric; can be a range of different colors or just a few. Need at least 10 different fabrics.
For a scrappier quilt: Consider using fabric scraps for the cape. There’s almost no limit to the number of unique fabrics that can be used in the cape. The key is to choose an equal mix of light, medium and dark values.
Enjoy!
Until Next time…
Waste Not Quilt Alot,
Angela
#moonlitelixir #halloweenquilt #scrapquilt #witchquilt #nocturnalsoulqal
