Striped Monstera Collage Quilt Pattern
My new collage quilt pattern – the Striped Monstera – is the perfect small project for when you want to play with your beautiful fabric scraps and not worry about seam allowances.
This pattern makes a 12” x 12” mini wall hanging, but you can also collage just the leaf and apply it to whatever you like — a cushion cover, tote bag, the back of a jean jacket, and more.
Watch the Video Tutorial
I’ve published a YouTube video to go alongside the pattern — as a visual walk-through of the options and the process.
What is a Collage Quilt?
If you’ve never tried collage quilting before, it’s similar to paper collage only made from fabric. So you use small pieces of fabric to fill in different pieces of the design – as though the fabric were your pain if you were painting a picture.
Instead of stitching seams like in traditional piecing, you’ll use fusible to stick the pieces down while you build the collage. Once you’re happy with it, you stitch and quilt it down to secure everything.
Collage quilts are often made as mini art quilts, but the technique is also perfect for adding a motif to other projects (especially if you love a bit of scrappy appliqué).
Why a Monstera Leaf?
I first made a quilted wall hanging out of this motif in homage to my late father. My father passed away in 2015. He was a gay man and a tropical travel lover. So I made a rainbow striped Monstera Leaf wall hanging in remembrance of him.
When I was finished, I liked it so much I decided to refine it and write a pattern in both the rainbow colour way and in greens.
Why collage quilting is so fun (especially for scraps)
If you already love scrap quilting, collage quilting is a brilliant way to use your fabric in a totally different way.
A few reasons I think it’s such a good match:
- Tiny pieces become useful. Those “too small to save” scraps suddenly have a purpose.
- It’s flexible and forgiving. Cut something a bit too big? Trim it. A bit too small? Add another piece on top. There’s no drama.
- Every version looks different. The same pattern can turn out completely differently depending on your fabric choices, colour values, and whether you go neat-and-precise or more organic.
- There isn’t one best way. I don’t think there’s one best way to do anything in quilting — there’s just the best way for you.
A quick overview of the pattern options
Inside the Striped Monstera Collage Quilt Pattern, you’ll find a couple of different ways to approach the design, depending on how guided you want to be.
You can also choose between two background approaches:
- Full collage background: the leaf and the background are collaged from scraps.
- Single background fabric: you collage the leaf, then place it onto one background fabric (which could be quilted first, or left plain).
You can mix and match these options — choose what makes sense for you, your supplies, and the look you want.
FULL COLLAGED BACKGROUND:
SINGLE FABRIC BACKGROUND:
There are also two pattern variations depending on if you like to collage by number or collage using a greyscale pattern – I discuss the difference in the video above, and you get both in the PDF pattern – so you can try it both ways and find the style that suits you best!
Quilting Your Collage Quilt
Because we use fusible in the collage process and your scraps are already fixed in place, there are lots of options for the quilting. So this becomes part of the creative process as well.
You can stitch around each patch and have fun changing thread colours, or do an all over quilting design like wavy lines or a cross-hatch.
Get the Striped Monstera Collage Quilt Pattern
If you’d like to make your own, you can find the pattern here:
And if you do make it, I’d love to see your version — tag me on Instagram @scrapfabriclove or email me a photo.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE MY MODERN THISTLE COLLAGE QUILT PATTERN
More scrap-friendly quilting
If you’re into scrap quilts, beginner-friendly projects, and a slightly rules-optional approach to quilting, you might also like:
