This post may contain affiliate links.
If you are a beginning quilter looking for free and easy quilt patterns, check out this list of my favorite beginner quilting patterns!
In this list, you’ll find a ton of ideas for easy quilts made from simple shapes or pre-cut fabric, like layer cakes and jelly rolls, too!
Easy Quilt Patterns for Beginners
Anyone can learn to quilt, you just need to know where to start. And in my opinion, the best way to learn how to quilt is to start with an easy pattern designed for beginners.
In the list below, you’ll find 50 free and easy quilt patterns that I’ve specifically chosen to help you learn how to make a quilt. The patterns have plenty of detailed instructions and photos to guide you througheach step, from start to finish.
How to Make a Quilt
If you are new to the world of quilting, all of the different cutting and sewing steps can seem overwhelming. So before we get to the patterns, why don’t we briefly talk about how to make a quilt?
Quilts are made from a patchwork top layer, a middle layer of warm batting, and a bottom layer of backing fabric. The quilt patterns you see in the list below will show you how to cut and sew beautiful quilt tops.
Here are the 7 steps to make a quilt:
- Pick a quilt pattern. You can choose one of the free and easy quilt patterns I’ve collected in the list below.
- Choose the fabric. You’ll want to shop for high-quality quilting cotton that will wear well over time.
- Cut the fabric. Following the pattern instructions, cut out the fabric pieces with a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler.
- Piece the quilt top. Sew the fabric pieces together according to the directions in the pattern. Make sure to sew an accurate 1/4″ seam allowance!
- Assemble the “quilt sandwich”. Once you’ve finished the top, add a layer of batting and the quilt back.
- Quilt the layers together. Using a walking foot or free motion foot, quilt through all layers of the quilt sandwich.
- Trim and bind the quilt. After quilting, trim the layers so they are even and square. Sew on binding to encase the edges.
What Makes a Quilt Pattern Beginner-Friendly?
The best quilt patterns for a beginner should use simple shapes, be easy to assemble, and come with detailed instructions.
Simple shapes: The easiest quilt patterns are made from simple shapes like squares and rectangles. Squares and rectangles are easy to cut and sew, since you don’t need to worry about curves or bias edges.
Precut fabric: Some quilt patterns are designed to use bundles of precut fabric, called charm squares, jelly rolls, and layer cakes. Using precut fabric will save you a lot of time that you would have spent preparing and cutting fabric.
Larger patchwork pieces: Quilt patterns made with larger fabric pieces will be faster to sew than those made with a lot of small pieces. Larger pieces mean fewer seams to sew, and fewer points to match, too.
Detailed pattern: Look for a pattern that includes step-by-step instructions with plenty of photos to guide you through the process. Some will even include a video tutorial.
What’s the Easiest Quilt Pattern for a Beginner?
One of the easiest quilts for a beginner to make is a simple patchwork quilt. A square patchwork quilt is made from fabric squares that are sewn together in a simple grid pattern. You can cut squares from your own fabrics, or start with a precut fabric bundle called a “charm pack” or “layer cake”.
Another easy quilt for beginners is called a strip quilt. A strip quilt is made by sewing long strips of fabric together to create a striped effect. You can cut strips from your own fabric, or start with a precut fabric bundle called a “jelly roll”.
Essential Supplies for the Beginning Quilter
After you pick out your pattern, you’ll need to gather your materials. You don’t need a lot of fancy tools, but you do some basic quilting supplies. Here’s what I recommend:
- Rotary Cutter
- Omnigrip 6″ x 24″ Ruler
- Self-Healing Cutting Mat
- Straight Pins
- Ironand Ironing Board
- Sewing Machine
Can you quilt with a regular sewing machine?
Yes, you can piece a quilt top with a regular home sewing machine. You can do straight-line quilting with awalking footattachment or free-motion quilting with afree-motion quilting foot.
Where to Buy Quilting Fabric and Precuts
One of my favorite parts of the quilting process is selecting fabrics. I recommend searching out a local quilt shop if you can, since they’ll have the best selection and the experience to guide you.
But if you’d like to shop online, I find that Amazon.com has one of the largest selections of quilting fabrics and precut bundles.
Easy Quilt Patterns for Beginners
1
Quick Four Patch Tutorial + Vintage Keepsakes Fabric
Photo Credit:www.abrightcorner.com
The four-patch block is one of my favorite easy quilt blocks! This pattern shows you a speedy way to make four patches -- and by using this method you can crank out a whole stack of blocks in no time! It makes this quilt SO fast to finish!
2
Wildwood Challenge: Crib Quilt
Photo Credit:www.bonjourquilts.com
Here's a lovely and simple quilt that simple is a great way to show off your favorite single printed fabrics. You could use a precut charm pack or a fat quarter bundle to make it even easier.
3
Jelly Roll Strip Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:seekatesew.com
The pattern comes together quickly and makes a lap-sized quilt. I am always amazed at how quickly quilts come together when you use precut fabric like a jelly roll. With this pattern, you can make a quilt top in an afternoon!
4
Chevron Quilt (the easy way...)
Photo Credit:www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com
Have you ever wanted to make a chevron quilt? Well, here is a tutorial with lots of tricks to make a chevron quilt the easy way.
The trick is to use pre-cut fabric to save time and a smart technique for making easy triangles.
5
Watercolor Quilt
Photo Credit:www.purlsoho.com
This art-inspired project couldn’t be simpler or more fun to sew. It's very simple to make, and perfect for beginning quilters.
To make it, you cut a bunch of strips and then sew them together. That’s it, no corners to match up or tricky angles!
6
FREE Squared Quilt Pattern – The Perfect Beginner First Project
Photo Credit:suzyquilts.com
This free quilt pattern is perfect for people who are new to sewing, or who have never sewn before. If you are looking for a fast project try this one!
Because it uses large squares, it's a great pattern to showcase your prized pretty fabric that you don't want to get lost in a busy quilt design.
7
Cheerful Quilted Playmat
Photo Credit:www.purlsoho.com
Here's a super quick project to make for a baby or toddler. This playmat is made from four large pieces of fabric. You can machine quilt it, or hand quilt it, too!
8
Layer Cake Coin Quilt: A Free Pattern
Photo Credit:shequiltsalot.com
This lovely quilt top comes together very quickly. You can make it with a precut layer cake, fat quarters, or other fabric.
9
Strip and Flip Baby Quilt
Photo Credit:cluckclucksew.com
This fun scrappy quilt is quick to put together and great for beginners. Use lots of different colors to keep it bright and fun…or just a few colors to keep it calm and simple.
To make it, sew long strips of fabric together, cut them apart, and put them back together again. You won't believe how fast this one goes!
10
Nine Patch Quilt Block Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.simplesimonandco.com
A nine-patch quilt block is one of the most recognized patterns in quilting -- and it's also one of the easiest patterns for a new beginning quilter to try.
This pattern uses precut strips in a unique way to make the nine-patch block in an easy, "cheater" fashion. This quilt is so simple to make and looks beautiful.
11
Easy Quilt, Great For Beginners!
Photo Credit:www.thesweetersideofmommyhood.com
This easy quilt is the perfect first project to tackle if you're a newbie or need a fun, simple, and easy quilt to make as a gift.
12
Minimal Triangles Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:www.simplesimonandco.com
I love this quilt because it is a beautiful modern design that is also fast to sew up. Depending on the size of your squares, you can make it as a baby quilt, all the way up to an 80″ by 80″ large quilt.
Plus, it's easy to make with pre-cut squares from a layer cake.
13
Indian Summer FREE Baby Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:suzyquilts.com
If you love triangles, you'll love this free baby quilt pattern. Half-square triangles and squares are arranged in a new way that's beautiful and modern.
This quilt pattern can be made using different colors or print fabrics. So you can customize it to suit any situation!
14
Easy Strawberry Fields BricksQuilt
Photo Credit:modafabrics.wordpress.com
Try this fast quilt project that comes together easily. It's made with pre-cut fabrics that make it easy to put together a quilt quickly.
This super simple quilt is perfect for beginners or a great choice when you’re in need of a quick project.
15
A Wedding Quilt
Photo Credit:www.purlsoho.com
Here's one of my all-time favorite quilts! And it's actually quite simple to make.
The longest part of this project will be cutting the strips of fabric. After that, it's easy as pie.
16
Colour Explosion Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.bonjourquilts.com
Here's a fun, colorful quilt! It’s quick to sew up and easy to adapt to your color preferences. it's made with 16 fat quarters in a variety of shades.
17
Super Fast Baby Quilt (Using the Scrappy Trip Method)
Photo Credit:allisonmadeit.blogspot.com
This pattern promises a complete quilt in 1 hour! It makes a complicated-looking quilt with a very simple trick. It uses a very unique piecing method involving unpicking seams (on purpose!). It's a great way to use scraps, and it's so fun to see how the different patterns emerge as you go.
18
A Pink Classic Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:cluckclucksew.com
Here's a tutorial for a baby quilt made with the classic hourglass pattern block. You can make this quilt in any size, too, by adjusting the size of the starting squares.
19
The Easiest Quilt in the World
Photo Credit:www.southernfabricblog.com
This tutorial is going to walk you through the quilt-making process step by step, and promises that you'll have this quilt top made within two hours! How's that for an easy quilt?
20
Gingham Coral Quilt Top
Photo Credit:cluckclucksew.com
Is it Gingham, or is it Buffalo Check? Either way, this quilt is gorgeous! This easy beginner quilt is made with squares of solid fabric, with a few coordinating prints sprinkled in.
The trick, if you can call it that, is choosing shades of fabric that create the gingham illusion.
21
Soft 'n Snugly Baby Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:www.polkadotchair.com
If you're looking to make a sweet baby quilt in a short amount of time, try this easy quilt pattern! It's made with strips of soft, cuddly, textured fabrics to give a baby a fun, sensory experience.
22
Broken Dishes Baby Quilt
Photo Credit:www.purlsoho.com
Try this modern baby quilt made with the traditional “broken dishes” pattern. This quilt can be made in any color palette imaginable using any quilt-weight fabric. It looks especially lovely with tonal solids.
23
How To: Patchwork Duvet Cover
Photo Credit:mypoppet.com.au
If you’ve always wanted to try patchwork, this triangle/chevron design is super simple and can be made to look really different depending on how the blocks are arranged.
You can also turn this patchwork top into a quilt if you don't have a duvet.
24
Colorbrick: a beginner's Quilt-Along — Stitched in Color
Photo Credit:www.stitchedincolor.com
This quilt-along tutorial will walk you through every step in the quilt-making process.
The quilt-along includes basic quilting skills like using a rotary cutter, chain-piecing, basting, binding, and quilting.
In this quilt, large pieces of fabric come together quickly, but the overall effect is more interesting than in a simple block quilt.
25
Diagonal Stripe Quilt
Photo Credit:www.purlsoho.com
Sometimes the simplest designs can be the most striking. In this diagonal stripe quilt, long strips of fabric are cut, pieced, and sewn in random order. They come together by chance in striking diagonal lines. The result is a stunning mix of precise lines, subtle color shifts, and random pops of neon!
26
Modern Triangle Quilt
Photo Credit:www.polkadotchair.com
This triangle quilt is very quick to sew and a great project for a beginning quilter. This post isn't a full pattern, exactly, but rather an explanation of the method needed to create a quilt of your own. It's perfect for people who love to improvise!
27
DIY: half-square quilt
Photo Credit:frozenknickers.blogspot.com
This quilt top made with half-square blocks is a great project to use up scraps -- you gotta love those kinds of projects!
28
Sundance Quilt; A Free Squash Blossom Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:www.polkadotchair.com
A simple and sophisticated pattern that's built from large triangle blocks. It’s a quick quilt to stitch up as it’s just one giant Squash Blossom Quilt Block!
29
No-Piece Geometric Quilt Tutorial Part One
Photo Credit:persialou.com
A quilt with no piecing, you say? It’s simple to make (because the quilt top and backing are both just solid pieces of fabric), but still has lots of interest and texture that comes from the geometric quilting design.
30
Super Easy Baby Shower Quilt -- Tutorial
Photo Credit:littleredwindow.com
Try this super easy whole-cloth quilt! You could even call it a "cheater quilt" because they’re made from one single piece of fabric for each side.
31
Simple Strip Crib Quilt
Photo Credit:littleredwindow.com
If you are an impatient quilter, you'll love this pattern for a simple strip crib quilt.
It's also a great pattern if you have a large-scale print that you want to include in a quilt design.
32
Fast Four Patch Quilt Tutorial | Quilting Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.diaryofaquilter.com
Here's another great project for new quilters: an easy, fast, beginner-friendly Fast Four Patch Quilt. It's perfect if you're going for a scrappy look and showing off cute fabric.
33
The Lazy Quilters Quilt – No Measuring Required!
Photo Credit:www.tidbits-cami.com
If you hate to measure and prefer to improvise, you'll love this "lazy quilt". This tutorial walks you through the process of creating a unique quilt where no measuring is required, and the pieces can be as big or as small as you want.
34
How to make a rag quilt (easy beginner's guide)
Photo Credit:www.fleecefun.com
Rag quilts are wonderful for a first-time quilting project. They're simple to make but full of fun texture. Plus, each step in this tutorial has a video to walk you through it - perfect for beginners!
35
Quick Cornerstone Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.diaryofaquilter.com
Here's a lovely "cornerstone" block quilt in delightful retro fabric. This tutorial teaches you a great short-cut method for assembly so the quilt top comes together quickly.
36
Easy Baby Jelly Roll Quit Pattern | Diary of a Quilter - a quilt blog
Photo Credit:www.diaryofaquilter.com
A great beginner project, here's a scrappy baby quilt made from a Jelly Roll - aka precut fabric strips.
The great thing about this project is that it also includes a full tutorial in a video!
37
Free Little Houses Baby Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:suzyquilts.com
A simple quilt pattern that makes a big impact. This is a very beginner-friendly pattern and requires no special tools, notions, or rulers.
38
Simple Plus Quilt (with tutorial) - Quilty Love
Photo Credit:www.quiltylove.com
Like a lot of the traditional quilting blocks, the Plus Quilt works with the classic nine-patch pattern, alternating dark and light colors to make a plus sign. The pattern itself is really versatile, with the opportunity to use just a few alternating fabric patterns or a ton of scraps.
39
Arrows Aweigh {Boy Quilt}
Photo Credit:fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.com
This fun pattern for an arrow-inspired baby quilt is so simple, and easy. It comes together quickly, and can easily be made bigger by adding more blocks. You could also make the blocks bigger if you wanted to make a larger quilt.
40
Summertime Herringbone Quilt - Now A Free Quilt Pattern!
Photo Credit:www.michaelannmade.com
This gorgeous pattern makes a beautiful throw-size quilt. It's put together with half-square triangles and is a great way to use up scraps in your fabric stash.
This is a fantastic pattern for a beginning quilter because of its simplicity,
you just make a whole bunch of the exact same square, and then sew them back together in a herringbone pattern!
41
Peaches & Cream Quilt Tutorial - Simple Simon and Company
Photo Credit:www.simplesimonandco.com
This quilt is beautiful in its simplicity. Simple strips of fabric are sewn together into square blocks, and then the blocks are combined to form the quilt top.
It's a quicker project, and a great way to showcase your favorite fabric!
42
Petunia Strings Quilt Tutorial | Freemotion by the River
Photo Credit:conniekresin.com
Here's a beautiful string quilt made from pre-cut strips of fabric from 2 jelly rolls. You can also make it with your own strips of fabric from your stash.
The strips are cut and reassembled to make these stunning, colorful blocks!
43
Chevron Quilt Pattern – Quilt Patterns for Beginners!
Photo Credit:makingthingsisawesome.com
Make sure to check out this awesome, beginner-friendly chevron baby quilt tutorial. It features a gender-neutral design made from 5 in squares. It's the perfect quilt to make with a few charm packs!
44
Retro Plaid Free Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:suzyquilts.com
Even though this pattern might look complex, it's actually really simple to put together!
Essentially, this design is four triangles built by sewing together thick strips of fabric In the end, the four triangle units are sewn together with white sashing to create this awesome plaid design.
45
Twisted Ribbons Free Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:suzyquilts.com
This minimal, modern pattern is fun -- and really puts a "twist" on a more traditional strip quilt.
Plus, this tutorial gives lots of tips to ensure that your "twisted" part of the ribbon meets at exact points.
46
Tiny Tile Quilt
Photo Credit:www.purlsoho.com
This quilt's diagonal lines and tiny pieced diamonds may give the impression of expert quilt-making, but the reality is much simpler than that. All you really need is the easiest of building blocks: a basic square… and lots of them!
47
Sunny Tied Quilt
Photo Credit:www.purlsoho.com
Here's a great way to make a large quilt in a small amount of time. This pattern uses large strips of fabric that are cut selvage to selvage.
You can choose an assortment of tones in the same color family, or choose a mix of solids and patterns!
48
Fletcher – a FREE Chevron Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:www.shinyhappyworld.com
Check out this dramatic chevron-inspired quilt pattern. It comes with a full tutorial to walk you through every step in the process. And, it includes directions to make different sizes of quilts -- from crib size to king size.
49
Color-Blocked Patchwork Baby Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.polkadotchair.com
Here's an easy, modern color-blocked quilt that's perfect to make for a new baby.
This quilt uses precut squares from a charm pack. Pick up a charm pack of your own, and save time by not having to cut out any fabric.
This is certainly one of the quickest and easiest ways to make a baby quilt!
50
Large Hexagon Quilt Pattern and Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.polkadotchair.com
If you are new to quilting, you'll love this easy "cheater" technique for piecing hexagons. You may have heard that hexagons are pretty tricky to piece and the technique is usually not recommended for beginning quilters. But this smart technique is perfect for someone who is new to quilting.
Have questions? Join the Facebook Group!
We hope this article was useful for you! If you have any additional questions, feel free to join myFacebook Group. We created this group for you to share pictures, ask questions, and help each other out.
More Quilting Projects
For more quilting patterns and ideas, check out my other posts:
- What is a Jelly Roll Quilt, and How Do You Make One?
- 25 Jelly Roll Quilt Patterns You’ll Love to Make
- 35 Free Baby Quilt Patterns and Tutorials
- Free Quilted Christmas Stocking Pattern
- Half Square Triangle Charts and Formulas
What’s Next?
Pin this post: Save this tutorial to your Pinterest boards so that you can come back to it later.
Leave a comment: We love to hear your feedback. Tell me in the comments below!
Share on Instagram or Facebook: When you make this project, share it on social media and tag me @sarahmaker_. We love to see what you make!
Sarah Stearns Founder and Editor
Sarah Stearns has helped millions of makers find their next craft project with free patterns and step-by-step tutorials on her blog, sarahmaker.com. Read more.
With over a decade of experience in knitting and crochet, she has been featured in prominent publications like The New York Times, Scientific American, Good Housekeeping, Vox, Apartment Therapy, and Lifehacker.
