Quilting

Welcome to our quilting collection, where fabric meets imagination and every stitch tells a story. Here you’ll find free quilt patterns, step-by-step tutorials, and techniques for traditional, modern, and art quilting — plus something you won’t find on most quilting sites: original interviews with the quilters and textile artists behind the work.

Whether you’re cutting your first square or refining your fiftieth quilt, this is your home base for learning, trying something new, and getting inspired.

New to quilting? Start with our beginner quilt patterns or browse easy quilt blocks to build your first skills.

Ready to go further? Explore modern quilting, art quilts, or English paper piecing.

Free Quilt Patterns

Browse through more Free Quilt Patterns

Attic Window Quilt Pattern – Easy Block Tutorial

The Attic Window quilt pattern is a traditional quilt pattern that creates a three-dimensional window-like quilt design. A square made from half square triangles and two rectangles are arranged around...

Sawtooth Star Quilt block finished block

Free Sawtooth Star Quilt Block Pattern Tutorial

The Sawtooth Star Quilt pattern is a traditional quilt block made from squares and flying geese units, forming an eight-point star quilt block. You may also know this nine-patch quilt...

Wonky Log Cabin Quilt Pattern (Easy Beginner Tutorial)

A wonky log cabin quilt is one of the most freeing quilt projects you can make. There are no perfect seams, no exact measurements, and no stress about matching points....

Quilting Fun

Scrap-Happy Stash-Busting Quilts: Scrappy Quilt Patterns

I love scraps. To me, they are the comfort food of quilts. My first contact with quilts was not the ornate Baltimore Album quilts or the intricately hand quilted whole...

Final quilting from the back by quilted with love

Best Tools for Quilting Projects

Quilting is about taking a good piece of fabric and cutting it up to make something amazing! Whether you make traditional quilts, modern quilts, art quilts or just starting to...

Fabric folded and fabric wrapped on comic book boards

Best Fabric Storage Ideas to Organize Your Sewing Room

If your fabric stash has grown from a few fat quarters into overflowing baskets and bins, you're not alone. Every sewist and quilter eventually reaches the point where finding the...

Traditional Quilt Inspiration

Spotlight: Barbara Brackman, Quilt Historian

Was it fate that Barbara Brackman would become a central figure in quiltmaking? An accidental find of a drawer full of vintage quilt blocks ignited Barbara's curiosity, and since then...

Spotlight: Philippa Naylor, Textile Artist

Always up for the next challenge, Philippa Naylor takes on anything she needs to do to challenge her skills, grow as an artist and help others to grow, as well....

Two of Us made by Pat Holly and Sue Nickels

Spotlight: Sue Nickels, Quilter, Author and Teacher

Meticulous attention to detail is a hallmark of Sue Nickels' quilts. Inspired by traditional quilts, Sue, often collaborating with her sister, Pat Holly, freshens the designs with nods to current...

Modern Quilt Inspiration

More Modern Quilts

Spotlight: Carole Lyles Shaw, Modern Quilter

As a modern quilter, Carole Lyles Shaw focuses on a set of tried and true design principles, resulting in work that is a bold combination of planning and improvisation. Eager...

Spotlight: Irene Roderick, Textile Artist

Initially trained as a painter, textile artist Irene Roderick came to quilting when she was looking for ideas for a bed quilt (her first), and discovered the work of Denyse...

Spotlight: Audrey Esarey, Modern Quilter

Like many creatives, Audrey Esarey dabbled in many artful activities while growing up. But it wasn't until she went to a quilting class with a woman who would later become...

Art Quilt Inspiration

More Art Quilts

Three houses and flowers by Laura Wasilowski

Spotlight: Laura Wasilowski, Textile Artist

When you see a Laura Wasilowski quilt, you can't help but smile. Her whimsical pictorial art quilts use wool, as well as her own hand-dyed fabrics and threads, to depict...

Caryl Breyer Fallert-Gentry Spirogyra art quilt

Spotlight: Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry, Quilt Artist

An icon in the quilting world, Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry paved the way for lovers of machine quilting and bold design. She created quite a stir in the quilt world when...

Spotlight: Frieda Anderson, Fiber Artist

Frieda Andersen is a self proclaimed "Investigator of Ideas". With a formal education in Art History, she has always been interested in making things - using her hands and mind...

Quilting is a craft that grows with you. One simple block can turn into a full quilt, and one finished quilt often leads to the next idea waiting patiently in your fabric stash.

Getting started with quilting

If you’re new to quilting, begin with simple quilt blocks and easy patterns that focus on straight seams and basic construction. Learning to cut fabric accurately and sew a consistent quarter-inch seam will set you up for success on every project that follows.

RELATED CATEGORY: How to quilt

Essential quilting supplies

You don’t need a full studio to begin. A sewing machine, rotary cutter, cutting mat, ruler, and quality quilting cotton will take you far. As your skills grow, you can add specialty tools like spray basting, walking feet, or a design wall.

Quilting styles, explained

Not sure what kind of quilter you are yet? Traditional quilting favors classic blocks and time-tested patterns. Modern quilting plays with negative space, improv piecing, and bold color. Art quilts treat fabric as a painter treats canvas, often telling a story or making a statement. Most quilters end up borrowing from all three — and that’s part of the fun.

RELATED: Modern Quilting · Art Quilts

Explore quilting techniques

From traditional piecing to paper piecing and modern improv styles, quilting offers endless ways to create. Try new approaches, mix techniques, and discover what feels most natural to your hands.

Meet the makers

Every quilt has a story — and the people making them are just as inspiring as the finished piece. Our maker spotlights go behind the scenes with traditional quilters, modern designers, and fiber artists to hear how they got started, what drives their work, and what they’ve learned along the way. RELATED: Spotlight Stories

Find your next project

Browse our collection of quilt patterns, tutorials, and creative ideas to start your next quilt. Whether you’re making your first block or your fiftieth quilt, there’s always something new to learn and explore.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest quilt pattern for beginners?

Simple patchwork and basic square blocks are great starting points. They help you practice cutting and sewing without complicated angles.

Start simple with a four-patch block or a nine-patch block.

Then, learn how to do half-square triangles. The world of quilting will open up to you with so many choices!

Explore some of the quilt blocks you’ll be able to make with just these few skills in your toolbox.

YOU MIGHT LIKE: Half Square Triangle quilt patterns

What supplies do I need to start quilting?

Start with a sewing machine, fabric, thread, rotary cutter, cutting mat, and quilter’s ruler. These essentials will cover most beginner projects.

YOU MIGHT LIKE: How to Quilt for Beginners, a Complete Guide to Patchwork

What is a quilt block?

A quilt block is a single unit of a quilt design. Multiple blocks are sewn together to create the full quilt top.

How do I choose fabric for a quilt?

Look for quilting cottons and choose a mix of colors, values, and patterns that work well together. Start simple and build confidence.

Your local quilt shop would love to help you put together fabrics for a quilt.

How long does it take to make a quilt?

It depends on the size and complexity. A small beginner quilt can take a weekend, while larger or more detailed quilts may take months.

What's the difference between traditional, modern, and art quilts?

Traditional quilts follow classic blocks and patterns passed down through generations. Modern quilts favor bold color, negative space, and improvisational piecing. Art quilts use fabric as an expressive medium, often to tell a story rather than to make a bed covering.

Explore modern quilts
Explore art quilts

How much fabric do I need for a quilt?

It depends on the quilt size and pattern, but as a rough guide, a lap-size quilt typically needs 3–4 yards total, including backing, while a queen-size quilt can need 8–10 yards. Most patterns include a specific fabric requirement chart.

Do I need a sewing machine to quilt, or can I quilt by hand?

Both are possible. Machine piecing and quilting is faster and common for modern and traditional quilts, while hand quilting and hand piecing (including English paper piecing) offer a slower, portable, meditative process many quilters love.

What's the difference between piecing and quilting?

Piecing, also referred to as patchwork, is sewing fabric pieces together to create the quilt top design. Quilting is the process of stitching the top, batting, and backing together to create the finished, layered quilt.

More Quilting

Meandering and Journeys on display at the Washington History Museum in Tacoma