When most of us think about quilt-making, we usually think about complex designs, time-consuming patterns, and scores of hours spent creating a fabric masterpiece.
However, what if you want to make a quilt in a day? Is that even possible?
The short answer: YES!
We’ve gathered a fantastic array of quick and easy quilt patterns for you to choose from, and though they are simple, they are also gorgeous.
Let’s dive right into it!
What's In This Article
What Are the Easiest Quilts to Make in a Day?
If you want to make a quilt in one day, realistically, you should try to make either a baby quilt or a throw-size quilt.
Anything larger than that will take more time, making it much more challenging to create in a day.
So what type of quilts can be made this quickly? Below are the quilt types to watch for if you want to make a quick and easy quilt.
- Strip quilts: As the name implies, these quilts are made using strips of fabric.
- One-patch quilts: These use one patch, whether a rectangle, square, hexagon, or triangle, for the entire design. You will see several examples in the quilt pattern compilation later in this post.
- One-block quilts: The pattern only uses one type of block, usually a simple design such as an eight-point star block or churn dash block.
- Whole-cloth quilts: If you want to skip the quilt top piecing altogether, you can create a quilt by using a large piece of fabric for the quilt top. This is called a whole cloth quilt and is popular for making baby quilts.
How to Make an Easy Quilt in a Day
When you want to make a quilt in just a few hours, you need to find shortcuts to help save time. One of the best ways to do this is to use precut fabrics.
Let’s say you have a layer cake precut bundle and want to make a cozy throw for your living room.
Layer cake squares are 10” x 10” and come in a pack of 42 squares.
If we create a layout of six squares across and six squares down, we will use 36 squares, and the finished quilt will measure approximately 57” x 57”.
- Select which squares you want to use from your layer cake pack.
- Lay them out how you want them to be on the quilt.
- Sew the horizontal rows together.
- Sew the rows together to complete the quilt top.
- Create your quilt sandwich.
Stack the layers of the quilt together (quilt top, batting, and backing) and baste. You can baste using pins, glue, spray adhesive, or other methods.
- Quilt as desired.
If you want to complete this quilt all in one day, I recommend using a simple quilting design such as stitch-in-the-ditch or another method of straight-line quilting. Below is an example of how you could use straight-line quilting.
- Bind the quilt.
This is the final step, so don’t rush it. The binding keeps the raw edges of the quilt secure and finishes the quilt with a beautiful border.
17 Ridiculously Easy Quilts to Make In A Day
Now that we know you CAN make a quilt in one day let’s check out some fun examples of what is possible. All of these patterns and ideas are perfect for beginner-friendly projects.
1. Easy and Fast Quilt in a Day
Here is a fun and free pattern with a one-patch design with small squares. The pattern includes instructions on strip-piecing, a newer technique that helps save time (and is fun to do!) The finished quilt will measure 54” x 63”.
2. Two-Piece Block Quilt
This simple quilt pattern uses yardage to create several blocks at a time. This free tutorial from Nancy Zieman’s blog will help you make an adorable baby-size quilt measuring approximately 36” x 44 ½”. The tutorial includes excellent instructions and diagrams for creating multiple blocks simultaneously.
3. Ribbon Box Quilt
This quilt may look complex, but it has a simple construction method. If you want to make this in one day, I recommend cutting the fabric ahead of time since there are quite a few pieces. The finished quilt measures 55” x 63”.
4. The Greatest Granny Square Quilt
Here is a super simple free quilt pattern from Quilty Love. This pattern uses large squares meant to mimic knitted granny squares. This is a perfect beginner quilt project and should only take a few hours to construct.
5. Fat Quarter Mixer
Do you have a fat quarter bundle lying around collecting dust? This pattern will make good use of those beautiful fabrics, don’t you think? This beginner quilt pattern features rectangles and squares in a fun layout that allows the fabric to be the star. You only need ten fat quarters to make a throw size quilt.
6. Simple Basket Weave Quilt
This is an excellent pattern to use if you have a layer cake pack that you want to use for your quick quilt project. The finished quilt will measure 52” x 61” and can be made in as little as six hours.
This quilt looks beautiful with a white background, but I bet it would look stunning with a dark background like a navy or black shade.
7. Snuggle Layer Cake Quilt
This quilt pattern uses layer cakes and is another fantastic quick and easy quilt pattern. It is also free! This would make the perfect birthday gift, and it is a great size at 41 ¾” x 58 ¼”.
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8. Easy Plus Quilt
Plus-sign quilts are a popular choice for baby quilts since you can use many different colorful fabrics, and they are quick and easy to make. This free tutorial will show you how to make a plus quilt like the one pictured above.
This tutorial includes several colorways and versions of this pattern, and for each version, the quilt will measure approximately 55” x 55”.
9. Half-Square Triangle Baby Quilt
Here is an excellent tutorial on using half-square triangles (HST) for a baby quilt. This blog post includes a free printable sheet showing ten different layouts or quilt patterns you can create using only HST blocks. The baby quilt will measure 48” square.
10. The Big Easy Quilt
Here is the perfect quilt pattern for those gorgeous large print fabrics that you want to use on your next quilt project. This is a fat-quarter-friendly pattern and great for beginners. The finished quilt will measure 65” x 72”.
11. Log Cottage
This beautiful pattern includes five sizes, but we will focus on the baby and throw sizes since those are the sizes you can construct in about a day.
The blocks are constructed like an asymmetrical log cabin block and are beginner-friendly. You can use jellyroll strips or yardage to create colorful blocks.
12. Adventureland
Suzy Williams of Suzy Quilts designed this gorgeous modern quilt pattern. She is well-known for her beginner-friendly patterns, and “Adventureland” is another excellent choice.
You can easily make the baby or throw size in a day since it’s a simple strip quilt design.
13. Jelly Filled
This jellyroll-friendly quilt pattern is a quick make and looks modern and beautiful. It is a free pattern from Material Girl Quilts and is available as a downloadable PDF. The finished quilt will measure 62” x 74” (a large throw quilt.)
14. Flourish
The herringbone pattern is one of those timeless patterns that look gorgeous in any color palette. You can download this free pattern from the Bear Creek Quilting Co. You use the simple HST block to create the beautiful herringbone design. The finished quilt measures 63” x 73”.
15. Cherry Baby
This is a charm pack (5” squares) friendly pattern that is adorable and quick to make. The pattern includes instructions to create a 27” x 31 ½” baby quilt.
This is an excellent pattern for a beginner because it tells you how to construct the quilt top and includes directions for basting, quilting, binding, and how to care for it.
16. Seeing Double
“Seeing Double” is a modern quilt pattern made entirely of four-patch blocks “on point.” This pattern includes baby and throw-size instructions which you could make in a day, though it will take time to cut all the squares. I recommend cutting all the fabric ahead of time.
17. Rag Strip Quilt
Have you ever made a rag quilt? They are a lot of fun to make, and this tutorial is a great starting point. Rag quilts are a popular choice for babies since you usually use soft flannel fabric, and babies love the texture of the “rag” edges. You can make a 44” x 40” quilt following this tutorial.
It’s pretty amazing how many options there are for quick and easy quilt patterns. I hope this collection of simple quilt patterns has inspired you to create one on your next free day.
