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17 Fun & Easy Free Baby Quilt Patterns

These free baby quilt patterns will have you creating a special gift for the new addition to your family.

Handmade quilts are gifts for new parents and baby quilts are often easy to make, so they’re a great project for beginners making their first quilt.

free baby quilt patterns

With a variety of different easy patterns and happy colors, these free baby quilt patterns are cute and easy projects that you can make before your little one arrives or to give as a gift to expecting parents.

The list includes quilts for scraps as well as precut fabrics. So no matter what type of fabric is in your stash, you’ll be sure to find the perfect pattern for the new arrival!

free baby quilt patterns

What Size is a Baby Quilt?

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Baby quilts are often smaller and don’t have a specific size they need to be. Given that advice to parents nowadays is not to use a crib quilt or heavy blankets on sleeping babies, baby quilts are made for different purposes these days, for example:

  • Cuddling or feeding in a rocking chair
  • On the floor as a play mat
  • As nursery decor
  • As a longer-use baby/toddler quilt – a gift that will become their first big kid bed quilt!
  • Not just as a thoughtful handmade baby shower gift – also an heirloom, whether it gets used or not!

The most common baby quilt sizes are 36” x 36”, and you’ll find many crib-sized quilts measuring around 36” x 52”.

However, when I make a baby quilt, I either make it square, something like 50″ x 50″ to be used as a playmat on the floor, or I make it larger, like 50″ x 60″ to be used as a sofa cuddle quilt or toddler bed cover.

If you are making baby quilts for a charity, they will often have their own size requirements, so do check those ahead of time!

Check out these Free Baby Quilt Patterns

Free Baby Quilt Patterns

Below, you will find a list of easy baby quilt patterns.

They are all free, and either have a pattern to download and/or a written tutorial in a blog post with detailed instructions

Just click on the links to visit the blog to see tutorials, patterns, and instructions.

Included are jelly roll quilt patterns, patterns for charm packs, as well as patterns for layer cakes and scraps too!

Whether you're a new quilter or have plenty of quilting experience, you'll be sure to find the perfect easy quilt pattern here.

Top Tips

  • Do ask the baby’s parents what their preferences are before you get stitching. Do they like modern baby quilt patterns? Novelty prints? Or a specific color combination that will go with their nursery decor? Remember, just because someone is having a little girl, it doesn’t mean they want a baby pink quilt!
  • Build your fabric stash by keeping small pieces of fabric to use for future quilts. Because baby quilts are small, you can easily use fabric scraps to create a unique quilt without spending a lot on fabric.
  • If your fabric is not pre-washed, err on the side of a bigger rather than smaller quilt, knowing it will shrink with the first wash (I never pre-wash myself!).

FAQ

What is the most popular baby quilt pattern?

The fast four patch is the most popular baby quilt pattern and can be made with precut fabrics of any size, including fat quarters or fat eights.

What is the simplest quilt pattern for a beginner?

The simplest quilt pattern is a square patchwork quilt made from fabric squares or quilt blocks, sewn together in a basic grid pattern.

What is the simplest way to quilt a quilt top?

Stitch in the ditch for many, is the easiest way to quilt your quilt top. You simply follow the seam lines of your quilt squares to make the pattern.

Wavy lines are also a fun and easy way to quilt a baby quilt. Using your walking foot, just gently move your quilt from left to right and back again in a smooth motion as you advance down your quilt. Because wavy lines by their nature are a bit random, you can have lots of different lines going in different directions, and it still looks good!

I hope you have enjoyed these cute baby quilt patterns and that you’ve found the perfect quilt to make for your next project!

If you’re looking to create someone completely unique and unique, you can check out plenty of patterns I gathered together on applique quilt patterns for babies!

I’d love to see your handmade baby quilt, too! Tag me on Instagram or Facebook with @scrapfabriclove!

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