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.
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!
What Size is a Baby Quilt?
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.
This is one of my free patterns - a simple design whole-cloth applique quilt that uses colorful scrap fabrics for this fun raindrop design. This is a great gender-neutral baby quilt pattern.
This is a simple and quick make and is super useful for new parents. It's a stroller quilt to keep babies and young kids snug on their journeys.
With most parents using traditional baby quilts as nursery decoration rather than for babies to sleep with this is a super practical 'baby quilt' that will definitely get used!
This is a quick and easy baby quilt pattern and the entire quilt will become a learning tool when they are toddlers. Use your scraps to come up with a one-of-a-kind "I Spy" quilt using pictures and words. This adorable quilt is so much fun for kids of all ages!
Bright reds, greens, and blues are what make this zoo
dwellers quilt such a beautiful addition to any baby’s room.
With your sewing machine and some simple squares of fabric, you'll be able to follow along with this easy free pattern even if you're a beginner, there is even a tutorial to get you started.
Inspired by a pricey boutique-style quilt, this Mod Triangle Baby Quilt tutorial will show you how to make your own modern triangle quilt at home for less.
If you are looking for triangle quilts you could also check out my post about making a triangle quilt WITHOUT a pattern here. You might be inspired to come up with your own version!
A quick fun quilt that you can make, this Stairway Baby
The quilt uses one simple block design that’s rotated to give you that stairstep look.
Bright, fun, and colorful, this baby quilt is made from strips of fabric and is easy to make. The instructions also offer measurements for other sizes too.
This adorable striped chevron baby quilt is easy to make, and the tutorial shows you how to get that beautiful and trendy chevron look.
Bright and colorful hearts bring this cute baby quilt to life.
Different shades of pinks and reds on a white background make this simple heart quilt stand out. Perfect for a little girl or a baby boy in my opinion!
This is another quilt of mine - a simple patchwork quilt that even beginner quilters can make in less than a week.
It's a slightly larger size so it can be a great toddler quilt or family sofa cuddle quilt.
If you are looking for a pattern made with charm squares. This fun baby quilt is made with a single charm pack and a yard of background fabric.
Head on over to A Brighter Corner to grab the free printable pattern and instructions.
Made with pinwheel blocks, this baby quilt tutorial shows you how to make a quilt that’s accented by prairie points and has a sweet, checked border.
Such a cute and simple pattern, this easy strip baby quilt can be customized with your different colors or those that match your nursery.
This free baby quilt pattern is made for a throw-sized quilt. It uses triangle templates, which are also included in the pattern provided to create a beautiful quilt that’ll be perfect for the baby. This is a great way to use up lots of your fabric scraps.
The Little Houses baby quilt that you can make with this free tutorial provides a beginner-friendly pattern and no special tools or skills to make. It uses lots of different fabrics, so if you have lots to use up, this can create a really unique design.
A beautiful addition to any baby room, you can grab the retro plaid pattern for this free plaid quilt over at Suzy Quilts.
If you enjoy the modern look that has lots of bright colors, this easy to make baby quilt will be the perfect addition to your new baby’s room.
This is a little extra one. I made a baby quilt as an example of a quilt-as-you-go method that I got super excited about.
It's not a full pattern with measurements but you could definitely take this example and run with it to make your own version!
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
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.
The simplest quilt pattern is a square patchwork quilt made from fabric squares or quilt blocks, sewn together in a basic grid pattern.
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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- Heart Quilt Patterns to Make for Someone You Love!
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- Free Quilt Block Patterns
- How to Make a Modern Scrap Quilt
- How to Make a Quilt-As-You-Go Denim Quilt
- Free Quilt Pattern for Scraps
- 14 Inspiring Quilting Magazines to Read