Quilt-making is a wonderfully relaxing and rewarding hobby. All you need to get started is a sewing machine with a 1/4” piecing foot to help you get an accurate seam allowance, cutting tools to help you cut precisely (like a rotary cutter and mat), and a well-written quilt pattern. These quilt patterns are a great place for beginners to start. Plus, all of these patterns are free.
When I was a beginning quilter, my first project was a queen sized quilt for my 8 year old daughter. Boy, was I ambitious! But after that I was hooked and I’ve been making quilts of all sizes ever since. If a huge quilt sounds too much to start with, try one of the baby quilt patterns.
If you are getting ready to sew your first quilt or you are looking for a fast and easy quilt pattern that an experienced quilter could sew in a day (yes, it’s possible!), let me share my favorite easy patterns for making beautiful quilts with you. Most of all, have fun and watch your quilting skills grow!
The Easiest Baby Quilt Ever
This baby quilt pattern is seriously the easiest quilt pattern ever if you don’t mind cheating a little. Why? Because it’s sewn from pre-made patchwork fabric. All you need to do is sandwich the layers together, add some straight-line quilting, trim, and bind!
The Easiest 3-Yard Quilt Ever
The Easiest Three Yard Quilt Ever is a great pattern to learn how to make a quilt. It’s not huge so you can finish quickly. You’ll only need 3 yards of fabric. And the pattern shares tips for picking fabric, cutting, and quilting.
Simple Patchwork Quilt
Sew a patchwork quilt with simple 2 1/2” fabric squares. This beginner quilt tutorial is perfect for using up your scraps. Whenever I sew a quilt entirely from scraps, it’s like free fabric!
Bow Tie Baby Quilt
I love fat-quarter quilts! A fat quarter is an 18” x 22” piece of fabric. Fat Quarters often come in coordinating bundles, so they are a great beginner project because you don’t have to worry if your fabrics will look good together.
The Bow Tie Baby Quilt uses just four fat quarters and 1 1/4 yards of background fabric. The bow tie quilt block is a great block to learn first. Arrange your easy quilt blocks in this simple pattern, and get ready to shower some love on a new baby!
Pinwheel Daydreams Baby Quilt
Learn how to sew the classic pinwheel block pattern and sew it into the beautiful Pinwheel Daydreams Baby Quilt. Everyone loves this simple design. The large easy pinwheel quilt blocks make this a quick sew and perfect beginner quilting pattern.
Rainbow Color By Number Quilt
This easy quilt is sewn together in bargello style, meaning you will cut strips and sew them together. Then you’ll cut the strips and arrange them in a specific pattern. The free Color By Number quilt pattern includes a coloring sheet to help you plan your quilt.
Easiest Plus Quilt Pattern
Of all quilt block designs, I think the plus block (more traditionally known as the cross block) is the most enduring. It’s one of the oldest quilt block designs there is, and yet it is popular in modern quilts too. This particular quilt has 6” plus or cross pieces sewn together with background fabrics so there are two plus units in each 12” quilt block.T
The Easiest Plus Quilt Pattern can be sewn with lots of scraps, or as few as 2 different fabrics.
Fat Quarter Fancy Quilt
Fat Quarter Fancy is one of my most popular quilt patterns. Sew up this 52” square throw quilt using nine fat quarters plus a little more than a yard of background fabric.
Big Star Quilt
Learn how to sew the Big Star Quilt using half-square triangles! This fast and easy (and free) throw quilt pattern uses my shortcut method for sewing two half-square triangles (HSTs) at one time. It’s also fat-quarter friendly.
Fat Quarter Whirlwind Quilt Pattern
Sew a fast and easy (and fat quarter friendly) quilt with my free Fat Quarter Whirlwind Quilt Pattern. This simple patchwork quilt is perfect for beginners or anyone who needs to sew a quilt quickly because the blocks are simple and repetitive. The pattern includes a free PDF template for the whirlwind blades.
Quarter Log Cabins Three Yard Quilt
This captivating throw quilt pattern is perfect for keeping for yourself or sharing with a friend. The Quarter Log Cabins quilt only requires three yards of fabric; choosing fabrics is easy, and sewing them together into a 50” x 60” quilt is easy, too!
The Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt pattern is just a smaller version of the Big Star Quilt above. This simple quilt pattern will introduce you to the world of quilting with a successful first quilt for sure!
The Easiest Queen Size Quilt for a Beginner
If you are an ambitious beginner and want to start with a queen-size quilt, this is the pattern for you. The Fat Quarter Fancy Star Quilt has big, easy blocks to piece and can be sewn with scraps instead of fat quarters if you like.
Easy Quilt-As-You-Go Quilt for Beginners
This Quilt-as-You-Go Strip Quilt is great for sewing with a small sewing machine because you use 2 1/2” strips of fabric and batting strips instead of one large piece of batting for the entire quilt. I recommend using a walking foot to help with the layers.
Kisses Jelly Roll Quilt Pattern
A jelly roll is a fabric bundle with 42 strips that are 42” wide and approximately 2 1/2” wide. If you don’t have a jelly roll bundle available, you can cut your own 2 1/2” strips using a ruler and rotary cutter. Invest in a quality cutting mat and you won’t regret it!
Quilting beginners love my free Kisses quilt pattern. The entire quilt is sewn from 2 1/2” jelly roll strips.
Warm and Cozy Rag Quilt
Another easy quilt project that beginners love is rag quilts! With a rag quilt, you don’t have to have perfect seam allowances or cut small pieces. I do recommend getting Spring-loaded rag quilt scissors so your hands won’t cramp up.
Don’t miss these amazing posts:
- The 24 Best 3-Yard Quilt Patterns (these are free, and the list is growing!)
What’s the Best Sewing Machine for a Beginner?
- The 7 Best Sewing Machines for a Beginner
20 Easter Crafts That Are Sweeter Than Chocolate Bunnies
- 20 Easter Crafts That Are Sweeter Than Chocolate Bunnies
25 Free Sewing Patterns For an Absolute Beginner
- 25 Free Sewing Patterns For an Absolute Beginner
Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂
