Easy Quilt Patterns

This small strippy-set quilt has four columns made with large panels that are surrounded by five narrower strip-pieced columns. You can alter the fabrics to make the quilt suit any theme. Try large to small scale florals in the columns, or turn it around completely with bright juvenile prints or softer baby fabrics -- any theme will work, including a totally scrappy look. The quilt finishes at 59" x 63", but you can make smaller or larger by altering the width or number of borders.

Grace's Spools combines the traditional Spool block with thirties reproduction prints. The quilt is in sync with a new theme on About.com Quilting -- Choices. Make a 36-inch square wallhanging from 6-inch blocks or an 18-inch miniature quilt from 3-inch blocks, your choice. I'll offer more size variations on the Quilting site, everything from tiny blocks to big blocks that can either stand alone or be used as medallion centers.

These 6-inch heart blocks were used for the Quilting Forum's February, 2006, Beginner Block Lotto, but the pattern will always be available, just like all patterns on the Quilting site. You'll find instructions for this scrappy hearts wallhanging on the last page of the pattern. Make it the next time you need a quick project and simply add more blocks for a larger quilt.

I couldn't decide what to call this quilt block, because there are at least ten traditional blocks that are very similar to it. It can be called an "O," but I'm stubborn enough to want a longer name. The Shoo Fly quilt block is a match if you look at the block's basic bone structure, so let's go with that -- but we'll make a few adjustments to the Shoo Fly's standard color value arrangement.

Bonnie Scotsman is assembled with straight grain bars and squares -- no stretchy bias edges to deal with, and that means it's definitely a beginner-friendly patchwork quilt. You'll find instructions for assembling it one patch at a time, which is perfect for scrappy quilts, and also a strip piecing option for anyone who wants to make a batch of identical blocks. I've included two layout suggestions for 35 blocks (plus yardages), but many more arrangements are possible for this versatile design.

Quilt blocks like the Bright Hopes block look like they are assembled using set-in seams, but they are actually constructed using another sewing technique -- partial seams. Sewing quilt blocks with partial seams is simple, and the result is a block that looks a bit complicated, but is really very easy. I made the sample block in about 10 minutes, from cutting the patches to sewing the last seam. The block finishes at 12" square. Make several Bright Hopesblocks for a quilt or put a few together for a colorful -- and easy -- wallhanging.

This Bug Jar quilt block is a little different than some you'll see around the Web. I wanted it to be wider than the typical jar, short and fat to resemble an old fashioned glass cookie jar. If you're not into bugs, fill your jar with anything you like... candy, cookies, flower fairies, dogs, cats, even people -- and one of our Forum Hostesses remarked that it looks like a pickle jar. The bug jar pattern includes instructions for 12-inch and 6-inch finished blocks.

This easy Mock Basket Weave quilt block proves that easydoesn't have to mean boring. Instead of piecing multiple stripes within each square, like a regular basket weave, you'll simply choose one or two striped fabrics, then alternate the stripes and the directions they flow when you make the quilt blocks. The result will be a quilt that looks a whole lot like a true basket weave, but without all of the extra sewing. Try stitching this block in colorful, whimsical stripes to make a fun quilt for a child. The instructions include yardage and cutting charts for twelve 6-inch blocks and twelve 12-inch blocks.

This stretched star quilt is assembled using a combination of half-square triangle units, squares and pieced sashing. It's an easy quilt that's perfect for beginners. Making the stretched stars will give you lots of practice with half square triangle units, and that's a good thing, because as you make more quilts you'll find that triangle squares, another term for the units, are one of the most commonly used quilt components.

The Friendship Star quilt block is a good beginner quilt pattern, and it can look very different depending on your choice of fabrics. Try making quilt blocks with a rich, black background and brightly colored solid or tone-on-tone stars. Or how about combining blue and yellow fabrics for a light and bright quilt? Or dreamy florals? It's up to you. Instructions include a 12-inch square and 6-inch square quilt block.

The Framed Four-Patch quilt block is just what its name implies, a four-patch unit surrounded by framing strips. This quilt block will helps you use all of those 2-1/2" wide noodles you've been swapping in the forum, but don't worry if you're not a swapper, because 2-1/2" wide strips are easy to cut. The Framed Four-Patch block finishes at 8-inches square, but you can increase it to 12-inches by using additional 2-1/2" wide strips to add a second frame around the first.