Years ago when I first got back into quilting, I did it because I wanted to learn how to make a baby quilt. I think that making a baby quilt to give as a gift, is one of the main reasons that people want to learn how to quilt. They are great quilting projects for beginners since they are small and relatively quick to sew.
I know that many of you here are avid quilters, but I also hear frequently from those wanting to learn how to quilt. I’m asked frequently “how do I make a quilt from start to finish?” I actually love those kinds of questions because it means that people are interested in quilting!
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When they ask me how to learn how to quilt, I always tell them one thing. The only way to learn is by doing! Just pick a project and start. If it turns out badly, just don’t show it to anyone.
I’ve compiled more than 25 baby quilt patterns that I think are simple, fun, and unique. Each one of them would be beautiful in a baby’s nursery.
Most of these are free patterns. A few are not, but I do not mind supporting fellow Makers and purchasing a well-written pattern. I’m sure that all of you feel the same way.
What is the Easiest Quilt Pattern for a Beginner?
If you’re brand new to quilting, I recommend either a Simple Patchwork quilt or a simple strips quilt to start. The strips quilt is a great one for a beginner since it does not require you to match any points in your corners.
What Size is a Baby Quilt?
Since a baby quilt is not made to specifically fit a bed, you can make it any size that you’d like. If you’d like some guidance here are my suggestions.
The most common baby quilt sizes are:
- 36″ x 36″ – In my opinion, square quilts are easy to make and design. This size is great for newborns since it’s not too large.
- 36″ x 48″ – If you prefer a rectangle quilt, 36″ x 48″ is a great size especially if you’re making the quilt out of 12″ blocks. It’s 3 blocks wide by 4 blocks tall.
- A crib size quilt is considered 36″ x 52″.
If you’re designing the quilt yourself, if you keep it less than 38″ wide, you’ll be able to back it with standard quilt fabric yardage (which is 42″ wide), which will save construction costs.
Free Baby Quilt Patterns from the Polka Dot Chair
Whether you’re an experienced quilter or new to the quilting world, I hope that you’ll find a project to inspire you!
1- Turnstile Block Baby Quilt. This quilt is super simple since it’s made up of just one quilt block repeated 9 times. It is also offered in our MEGA baby quilt bundle in our shop!
2- Dresden Burst Baby Quilt. It is a fun quilt to stitch up and pretty quick to make as it uses just 3 Dresden quilt blocks appliqued on a larger piece of fabric.
3- Giant Star Baby Quilt – Since this quilt uses such big squares (and half-square triangles of fabric, it’s great for beginners. It’s also easy to customize to any decor style, from modern to traditional.
4– Sawtooth Star Baby Quilt. This quilt features mostly just squares which makes it great for beginners. Interspersed with the square blocks are a few Sawtooth stars to give the quilt some interest.
5-Soft N Snuggly Strip Quilt Tutorial. This is one of my all-time favorite baby quilts. It’s a simple baby quilt sewn using a combination of minke, corduroy, chenille, and flannel fabrics. All of the different textures of fabrics are perfect for a new baby.
6- Patchwork Star Baby Quilt. This quilt was created by Amy Smart from Diary of a Quilter and is a fun take on a one-block quilt.
7-His & Hers Personalized Baby Quilt. Create a baby quilt with a bit of personalization using this tutorial on our site. The border is made from 10″ pre-cut stacks of fabric.
8- Fat Quarter Baby Quilt. This baby quilt is a fun way to use up a Fat Quarter pack of fabric. Just chop them in half and stitch them together!
A fat quarter of fabric is a quarter yard of fabric that is cut to yield an 18″ x 22″ piece of fabric, rather than a 9″ x 44″ piece of fabric from a traditional cut. It is common to see pre-cut fat quarter packs of fabric for sale. Many designers write quilt patterns designed specifically for Fat Quarters.
9-Charm Pack Baby Quilt. Pre-cuts are great to use for baby quilts since so much of the work is done for you ahead of time. Stitch up a 5″ stack of fabric (sometimes called charm squares) into a fun quilt using this tutorial from Coral & Co.
10- Vintage Hankie Baby Quilt. Use up some of those hankies just sitting around gathering dust!
11- Snuggle Bunny Quilt Pattern. This baby quilt pattern by Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl is perfect for showing off some of your favorite novelty fabrics. It’s a bit more detailed than a simple patchwork quilt, but is totally doable for a confident beginner level quilter.
12- Simple Patchwork Quilt. You can’t beat simple patchwork! This quilt is made up entirely of squares. You can resize it however you’d like based on how much fabric you have. This one is very easy to customize to match a baby’s room since you can create this quilt with any combination of simple squares that you would like.
13- Snuggly Bricks Quilt. Create a quick quilt using 10″ pre-cut stacks of fabric with this free quilt tutorial!
14- Snuggly 10″ Stacker Quilt. An oldie but a goodie! This quilt is one of the first ones I created for the blog. It’s created using a Layer Cake (10″ fabric stacker).
15. Scrappy Strips Baby Quilt. This baby quilt is made from strips of fabric and I share a fun trick to cut and piece the strips quickly with you in the pattern. You can find all of the detailed instructions to create this quilt on our blog. The best part of this pattern? Since it’s made up of staggered strips, there are no corners to match!
16. Herringbone Baby Quilt Pattern. This quilt pattern has a modern vibe when created using all solid fabrics. It’s the perfect quilt for younger parents looking for more modern baby quilt patterns. You can also make it from print fabrics if you prefer a scrappier feel to your quilts.
17. Half Square Triangle Quilt. Create a sweet little baby quilt with our Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt Pattern – FREE. Did you know that you can rearrange half square triangle quilt blocks in dozens of ways to create brand new patterns? The construction is the same for each quilt pattern, but simply rotating the blocks yields completely different results. We walk you through all the steps in our tutorial.
18. Simple Triangle Quilt. This quilt was actually designed as a lap quilt for my daughter who was headed off to college at the time. However, the size is also great to use for a new baby. You can easily make it smaller by not adding as many rows of triangles.
Baby Quilt Patterns from Quilt Blogs
Note; at the time of posting, most of these patterns were free. If it has changed, it was because the designer changed it. As a supporter of fellow Makers and designers, I am happy to pay for a well-written quilt pattern.
1 -Little Houses Baby Quilt – Suzy Quilts – Suzy Quilts offers a variety of free and paid quilt patterns on her blog and frequently hosts quilt alongs.
2- Squared 2 Baby Quilt- Suzy Quilts
3- Big Love Quilt by Modern Handcraft – Modern Handcraft is one of my favorite quilt blogs to follow for modern quilt patterns with bold shapes.
4-Zoo Dwellers by A Bright Corner – Andi who writes the Bright Corner blog has a LOT of free patterns on her site. She’s an accomplished quilter who has been published in many books.
5- Citrus and Mint Quilt by Craft Buds – If you’re wanting to create a baby quilt that’s still simple but not just squares, this Quilt pattern by Craft Buds features snowball quilt blocks, which are still very beginner-friendly.
6- Lattice Baby Quilt Pattern by Diary of a Quilter – This beautiful quilt pattern can be found on Diary of a Quilter. Amy has SO MANY cute quilts on her blog. This lattice baby quilt is one of my favorites since it can be made with precut fabrics.
7- Baby Coin Quilt by Simple Simon & Co. – A “coin” quilt refers to a row of fabrics sewn together to look like a stack of coins. This pattern features several small rectangles sewn into a long row. It is very simple and since there are no cross seams there are no seams to match.
8- Patchwork Crib Quilt by Bonjour Quilts – This creative take on a simple patchwork quilt is stunning! Instead of just arranging the squares in a random fashion, the maker used color to create a secondary pattern on the quilt.
9- Basic Strips Baby Quilt by Knitty Bitties for 30 Days Blog – A simple straight line baby quilt is one of the EASIEST quilts to sew. It’s also a great way to show off a variety of novelty fabrics. There are no corners to match and no need to add sashing either.
10- Indigo Triangle Baby Quilt by Cluck Cluck Sew. One of my favorite quilt finishes by Allison. This quilt can easily be customized for a baby girl or a baby boy depending on the fabrics you choose to create your quilt.
11- Stick Shift Baby Quilt by Diary of a Quilter. Amy creates a lot of new baby quilts (her friends and family must love her, she gives great gifts!). This one is a clever take on a simple strips quilt. The reds and greens really pop against the white background.
12- Sunshine and Gingham Baby Quilt- Riley Blake Designs
13- Modern Baby Quilt- Riley Blake Blog. This quilt pattern is free and features strip piecing which allows you to assemble the quilt top quickly.
New to Quilting? Make sure you Check out these Articles
Getting Started Quilting: The Basics
How to Make a Quilt from Start to Finish
Easy Baby Quilt Patterns you can Buy
Free tutorials and patterns are great, but sometimes you need a bit more information than you can find on a blog or online. In that case, you might want to try buying a pattern.
You’ll get loads of information and detailed instructions in an easy to print at home format.
This post has been updated from a previous version.
Ivory says
Wow, how nice. I love all of these quilts. You do beautiful work. Thank you for all the tips
Kay says
This is such a useful post, baby quilts are the ones I make the most as presents. Thank you. x
Grace says
Really very pretty, Thanks a lot!
Bonnie Neuberger says
If anyone makes a quilt they think didn’t turn out well, there’s always a charity that will be happy to “take it off your hands”!!!
That’s an EXCELLENT suggestion! Thank you!
cheryl miller says
All your quilts are beautiful. On the first one Dresden Burst you have a zebra may I ask where you got it. I have a daughter with a disabled child I know she would love it for him.
Thank You
It’s a Jellycat brand stuffed animal.
cheryl miller says
Thank You
Carol Howley says
Hello Melissa,
I love your scrappy strips baby quilt in the blues and pinks but it looks like the Hello Baby range of fabrics is no longer available. I’ve searched for it on the Riley Blake website but nothing comes up.
I don’t know how long ago you first published this article but do you know if it is still possible to get these fabrics? They are SO pretty!
Thank you,
Carol
It’s been out of print for years. I’d suggest searching on Etsy. Many older fabric lines are available there.