These beginner quilt patterns are fast and easy -- and like all of the patterns on About.com Quilting, they're free, with detailed instructions and assembly graphics. Get off to a quick start with one of these easy beginner quilt patterns, or stitch several of my quilt blocks to use in a sampler quilt.
Stretched Stars Quilt
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.
Friendship Star Quilt Block Pattern
Illustration © Janet Wickell
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.
Framed Four Patch Quilt Block Pattern
© Janet Wickell
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.
