quilt binding close up ready to be sewn on teal bare roots heirloom quilt pattern

A Modern Heirloom Quilt Pattern: Bare Roots

August 4, 2026

Modern heirloom quilt patterns are my jam. I’ve had Maureen Cracknell’s Woodland Keeper collection for Art Gallery Fabrics sitting in my stash since the day it landed in my mailbox, and I knew right away it needed to be paired with something that felt rooted, a little nostalgic, and not too fussy. That’s exactly what led me to pull out my Bare Roots pattern. The combination of those soft, earthy prints with a design built around simple, sturdy shapes just felt right, like the fabric and the pattern were made for each other even though they weren’t.

If you’re after a modern heirloom quilt pattern that feels both fresh and a little bit timeless, this might be the pairing for you too. Bare Roots has that quality where it doesn’t scream for attention, but it holds its own. It’s the kind of quilt you can picture draped over the back of a couch for years and it’ll just keep getting better with every wash. A combination of Churn Dash and Mayflower blocks make this pattern stunning but timeless.

Teal, orange and red heirloom quilt photographed outside in the snow.

Shop pattern here

Why This Fabric and Pattern Just Work Together

Woodland Keeper has this gorgeous mix of deep greens, warm rust tones, and creamy backgrounds with little nods to nature woven throughout. When I’m choosing fabric for a pattern, I’m always thinking about how the prints will read once they’re cut down into the blocks. With Bare Roots, the shapes are simple enough that the prints get to shine instead of getting lost in busy piecing. That’s part of what makes this such a good match for a modern heirloom quilt pattern look. You get the charm of old-fashioned, well-loved quilts but with clean lines that feel current.

I also love that this collection has enough variety in scale and color that you can build in contrast without it feeling chaotic. Some prints lean almost solid, and others have more movement, so when you lay them out in the Bare Roots layout, your eye naturally moves around the quilt instead of getting stuck in one spot.

How the Quilt Came Together

Bare Roots is built around a layout that’s easy to piece in batches, which made cutting into this collection so satisfying. After cutting down each fat quarter, I sorted my fabrics by blocks and then value, separating the lighter creams from the deeper greens and rusts, because getting that contrast right is what really makes this pattern pop. Once everything was sorted, the piecing moved along quickly. There’s something so calming about chain piecing a stack of consistent blocks, especially when the fabric itself is this pretty to work with.

I pressed as I went, which I always recommend with this pattern since accurate seams really do make a difference when it comes time to join your rows together. The blocks lined up beautifully, and before I knew it I had a top that was ready for quilting.

For the backing, I went with a brown woven fabric that ties in nicely with the rust tones in Woodland Keeper without competing with the front. A warm, simple backing like this is one of my favorite tricks for keeping the whole quilt feeling cohesive front to back and giving it the cuddly softness we love with it a freshly washed quilt.

Close up of teal quilt with red and orange blocks, woven brown background fabric.

A Little Tip for Your Own Bare Roots Quilt

If you’re working with a fabric collection that has a mix of busier and calmer prints like Woodland Keeper does, try laying out your blocks on a design wall or even just the floor before you sew your rows together. Step back and take a photo of it. Put a black and white filter on the photo to check the the placements of your light and dark reading blocks. A few minutes of rearranging before you sew your rows can save you from wishing you’d swapped a block later.

Material requirements list for bare roots pattern.

Custom Quilting That Brought It All Home

Once the top was finished, I sent it off to Kelly Borns for custom quilting, and she did not disappoint. Her quilting added so much texture without taking anything away from the piecing, which is exactly what a quilt like this needs. If you’ve never worked with a custom quilter before, I can’t recommend it enough. It really does take a finished top to a whole new level.

Scrappy Binding for the Win

For the binding, I used leftover 2.5″ strips from the fat quarters used in this quilt. A scrappy binding is one of my favorite finishing touches because it adds a little surprise around the edges and it’s such a satisfying way to use up fabric that might otherwise sit in a bin forever. If you’ve got scraps from your own Woodland Keeper fat quarters, or really any fat quarters you love, this is the perfect place to put them to use.

scrappy binding ready to be sewn onto teal bare roots quilt.

To check out my favorite notions, sewing supplies, and sewing machine used to create this quilt, you can see them all in my Amazon storefront here.

Make a Modern Heirloom Quilt

If this quilt has you feeling inspired, I’d love for you to give the Bare Roots pattern a try in your own favorite fabric. Whether you reach for something earthy and grounded like Woodland Keeper or go in a totally different direction with brights or low volume prints, this pattern is flexible enough to make it your own. You can grab the Bare Roots PDF pattern here and get started this weekend.

Shop pattern here