The Simple Stripes Beginner Quilt Tutorial
THIS TUTORIAL IS AVAILABLE AS A FREE PDF HERE.
Simple Stripes Quilt Tutorial
Fabric Selection
So let’s start by talking about fabric selection. For this quilt I knew there would be 16 blocks so I chose 16 different fabrics (because I’m kind of a fabric obsessed person.) But you could use as few as 6 or 7 different fabrics and have the design just as scrappy. Most of the fabrics I used are from the collection Nest by Valori Wells for Free Spirit.
I chose 5 different colors for my quilt: Orange, pink, gray, green and white. Make sure you get a balanced number of fabrics per color. Notice that all my oranges aren’t the same shade, nor my greens. Having different shades of the same color will give your quilt a lot of depth. Fabrics colors that are too matchy-matchy (i.e. all the greens are the same shade) will make your quilt feel flat. [This isn’t necessarily bad – just depends on the look you are going for.]
Now let’s talk about pattern. I mentioned earlier about all the wonderful big, graphic prints that are available right now. They are so fun to work with and make a really interesting quilt. But (and here’s the big but) if every print you use is all the same scale (size), your quilt will look out of control. There will be no place for your eye to rest and the beautiful big prints will just get lost. What we need is contrast. Not only in color, but in scale. So again, I divide my fabrics into groups by scale: Large, medium, and small. Above are my large scale prints. Even though that scalloped stripe isn’t a large design motif on its own, the width between the stripes makes it a large scale print.
These are my ‘medium’ size prints. They are still busy and colorful like the large graphic prints, but the design repeats are closer together.
Here are my small prints. These prints almost read solid. They aren’t solid, but if you step back and squint your eyes they look like a solid color. These prints provide the contrast of the busier large and medium size prints to really show them off. They provide a place for your eye to rest. You can use actual solids – which I sometimes like – but again, the design becomes more flat. With a small print ‘solid’ you get more ‘texture’ or interest to the quilt.
Making the Quilt
Okay, now that we’ve discussed fabric, let’s make the quilt top!
- Sixteen 11+” x 13″ rectangles
- (you can get 2 of these pieces from one fat quarter or three from ⅓ of a yard)
- 1 ¼ yard for backing
- Four 2½” strips (x width of fabric) for binding
(I say 11+” – like 11 ¼” – because if you cut your fabric slightly wider than 11″ you will have more room to ‘square-up’ at the end. But if you can still get by with 11″ if you’re careful.) Now, cut each block in the same way. Starting at the left, cut off a 3″ strip, a 1½” strip, a 2 ¼ ” strip and then leave the fat strip at the end.
You can easily stack and cut at least four blocks at a time and you’ll be done cutting everything for this quilt in no time.
Now, lay out all of your blocks, mixing and matching the 1 ½” and 2 ¼” strips. Stack each group together and take them to your sewing machine.
Begin with your 3″ strip and put the 1½” strip on top, right-sides together. Sew the strips together using a consistent ¼” seam – usually the right side of the presser foot will work. Here is one of the keys to quilting: Always use a consistent seam allowance. Makes everything match-up nicely. You may have to go slow at first – and that’s okay. The more you do it, the faster and more naturally it will come.
Now sew the 2¼” strip and then the remaining large strip that is the same fabric as the first. Repeat for all 16 blocks.
Take all your blocks to the ironing board and press the seams all to one side. Then press from the top to make sure all seams are flat and clean. (This is the second tip for neat looking quilts – don’t skip the pressing!)
Now take your nicely pressed blocks back to the cutting mat and trim the edges to create 11″ square blocks.
When the rows are sewn together, you are going to press the new seams to one side, with the seams going in opposite directions for alternating rows. (This is going to make it easier to sew those rows together and those corners to match-up nicely.)
When you get ready to sew the rows together, pin the seams at the intersecting corners. Make sure the pressed-seams going in opposite directions but up against each other. This will help the corner to match perfectly and not be too bulky. Sew rows together (again using that consistent ¼” seam allowance). Press the finished quilt top from the top.
Voila! You have a simple quilt top finished that fast and easy. You are free to quilt however you choose. For some good machine quilting tutorials check Crazy Mom Quilts or A Quilt is Nice. I love how the quilting finishes a quilt – making it softer and giving it way more personality. AND I love how the quilting hides a lot of the flaws – of which I usually have many!
When you are ready to bind your quilt (the fabric folded over the end of the quilt to cover your raw edges), I can help you with this Quilt Binding Tutorial. Once again, it’s SO much easier than it looks. Your friends will be so impressed.
POST EDIT: I originally made this quilt in 2011. The fabric I used is no longer available.
Here is another example of a quilt made with a very similar technique. This quilt was made mostly from Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane collection. Notice the variation of print sizes: small, medium, and large as well as the color variation – i.e. not all the pinks are the same shade. This quilt comes from this Off-set Square Pattern tutorial. Here is a picture of a quilt this style for boys.
I hope that some of this helps and gives you the courage to try making a quilt if it’s something that’s been too scary before. And don’t be afraid to finish with something less than perfect. That’s what gives quilts personality. 🙂
TWIN SIZE VERSION – see a Twin-Size Version here
Since writing this tutorial I’ve had people ask me about fabric and size requirements to make a twin-size version. This pattern would make a really quick and simple twin size quilt. Here are the specs:
Fabric:
For your pieced blocks at least (16) ⅓ yards of fabric
you can get (3) 11.5″ x 13″ pieces out of ⅓ yard of fabric (which is roughly a 12″ x 42″)
⅝ yard binding fabric
5 yards backing fabric
Assemble 48 blocks.
Layout your blocks 6 across by 8 blocks down. These 48 blocks will give you a quilt top that is 63″ x 84″.
If you want to make it any bigger I would suggest a 5″ border all the way around – that would give you a 73″ x 94″ twin. (If you do this buy 1.5 yards of border fabric and increase your backing to 5.5 yards)
Jessica
I love this quilt! It gives me a little bit of a nautical feel, like preppy plaid shorts and Sperrys.<br />Bookmarking!
Stray Stitches
Your quilts are beautiful! Thanks for the wonderful tutorial 🙂
Theresa DeBon
OMG, you are a fabulous teacher! I’m on my third quilt and gaining confidence as you make this art forgiving and fun. Thank you so very much.
Amy
I’m so glad to hear!!
Judy Bagwell
I love this quilt. The colors are great.
Victoria Paige @ Boutique Uniquely
Great tutorial! Such a pretty yet simple quilt. My favorite kind! I love the little birdie fabric, too.
AMKreations
Very pretty! I like it a lot!
Monica
Thanks for the tutorial! I'll add it to my "to make" list!
Nedra
This would be a great quilt for new quilters. In fact, I sent this link to a friend who just asked me for leads to easy and fast quilts to make.<br />Thanks!
Pamela Nees
Great quilt! I'm going to make one b/f the summer is over!! thanks for the great instructions!
Melanie
Great project…. Doesn't look like a "newbie" quilt. I always say when you share your talents with others it always seems to come back ten fold….. If we don't teach others quilting… it becomes a dying artform…. what a shame…. Thanks for giving to others…
Cindy
Love the birds! I can see doing a quilt for my 4 year old grandson with a few sharks or dinosaurs maybe?? Could be fun. Thanks for the great tutorial.I think I can make this quilt!<br />Have a great day.
Deborah in Atlanta
Awesome quilt. I have some Jetsons fabrics I bought for a quilt for my granddaughter (she adores the Jetsons). I wish I had some other fabrics I could put with those Jetsons fabrics that were "outer space" because this would be just what I need to make her something quick. I love the fabrics you chose – you really have an eye for what looks great together.
Sharon Harris
I know this is a very old post… But wouldn't it be neat to be able to find several other space shows in fabric…just a bit here and there. A fat quarter of Lost In Space, or maybe of other cartoons of that era…Flintstones…Yogi Bear… Sounds like Jetsons is a great place to start!
CosmoQuilts
What a charming quilt… I think I'm going to have to try this one.
ButtonPocket
This looks great, and easy too…I may tackle my first ever quilt today 🙂
Leslie
i love this!! thanks for sharing i hope i get to try it out sometime
The Cotton Floozy
It was awesome meeting you last night and finding our 'Sheffield' connection!<br /><br />Your quilts are *mind-blowingly* GORgeouS! I love your site, and I'm going to show my mom so that she can make me and my family some more quilts because I am a pathetic mooch like that.
Layne Bushell
I loved this quilt the first time around and I love it the second time around! So adorable, and easy!!!!!
Valerie
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Toby
We just had our fourth grandchild (first granddaughter) on Friday .. my first quilt top was a disaster because I washed the flannel and didn't know how to lay it out .. it had no interest or depth and was bland .. I'm so glad you showed how to select large, medium and small prints and how to line them up .. I am thinking about trying this as you have made it so easy to follow! Thank you
Jennifer
How many "blocks" do you need for a throw size?
amy smart
Hi Jennifer – 48 blocks will make a throw size – 6 blocks across by 8 blocks down the measurements would be 63" x 84". Have fun!
michelle
I just recently started quilting and came across this beautiful pattern . I am confused as to the measurements though after looking at other web sites to try and determine the size needed for a queen size quilt. Could you help me figure this out? I would love to make this quilt as a wedding gift!
Kristina
I just bought bright fabrics for my 8 year old daughter to learn to sew with, and this is the perfect beginning pattern for her: straight lines, creative and simple. Thanks for the tutorial!
Barbara
I love this quilt, I would like to make a twin quilt (acutally 2), one with pinks and one with purples and this is exactly the way I wanted them to look. Thank You for such a wonderful tutorial. So far, this is the easiest blog to understand for making quilts!! <br /><br />I did not see this the first time around since I just started looking at blogs! Not sure where I have been, but I was
amy smart
Hi Barbara! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. I've had a few other folks ask me about blocks for a Twin-size version, so I've added the info in the post itself. I hope you enjoy creating yours!
Suni
I linked to this tutorial from my blog. I am new to all of this…I hope it's okay to do that!
amy smart
Sure, Suni! Thanks for sharing on your blog!
Samantha
Hey I am sitting here trying to figure out my lay out for my fabrics since I am using fewer prints. But I am a little confused in the comment thread you said that to make a 63" by 84" quilt you need 48 blocks but in the edited blog post itself you say you only need 42 blocks. So math wise I think the 48 blocks makes more sense… which is right?!?!
amy smart
Gah! SO sorry about the mess-up! I double checked again and you're right – it's 48 blocks. (I also adjusted the fabric requirements.)SO sorry again – thanks for sorting me out! I hope I didn't mess-up a bunch of people. Eek.
Angela
This quilt is beautiful! I have NEVER quilted before, and I think this at least seams doable to me! Im making my daughter a quilt for her double/full bed. Do you have measurements for this same quilt in that siz ye? This is exactly what I want to do! Also any tips would be greatly appriciated! Thanks so much!
marci sinfisi
if only I had seen this tutorial before!<br />I just made a baby quilt very similar in pattern… but not so nice as yours!!<br />Ill definitely try yours for my next project :)<br />thank you for sharing
Becca Hartzer
Dear Amy,<br /><br />First off, I love your blog. I found you about a month ago, as I was preparing to take a beginning quilting class from my local quilt shop. I emailed you about buying a sewing machine and you very kindly took the time to reply. I really want to make a quilt using this pattern. My question is how should I ask my quilting shop to cut the fabric? I tried to figure it out based
Becca Hartzer
So….I bought fat quarters (as you suggested via email) and there's not enough fabric to get two blocks out of the FQ. 🙁
Geet
Hi, love your quilt and also your tutorial. I have done rag quilt but going to try these one for a twin size. How many yards in all should the fabric be? Do you mean to say 16 types of fabric ( 1/3 yard each)… sorry for the questions.<br /><br />Thank you so much and you can email me a geetsel@yahoo.com
Be
This is a beauty. The colors are bright and cheerful ….a wonderful blend of color….a definite Olympic champion …
Linda Christianson
Looks so cute and easy to make. Great pictures and helpful tips.
Sammi
Thanks for the tutorial. I just may be able to accomplish this!
Sammi
Thanks for the tutorial. I just may be able to accomplish this!
ConnieO
I've always been so scared of using large patterns but now I'm going to have to get some to make this quilt!! You are sure bringing me out of my comfort zone! I love it!
Jenny B.
This is so beautiful. I am so inspired to do this as my first quilt for my daughter. Have just finished picking out all my fabrics and going to do calculations. I am making a double/full size spread. Am using your twin bed calculations and don't understand how you got "Layout your blocks 6 across by 7 blocks down. These 48 blocks will give you a quilt top that is 63" x 84".&
amy smart
Hi Jenny,<br /><br />Thanks for your question (and for reminding me that I had not fixed the 6×8 blocks part of the tutorial. gah. Fixed.)<br /><br />The blocks square up to 11" unfinished which will make them 10.5" finished when they are sewn together. So 6 x 10.5=63, yada yada. I think your idea of doing 9 x 11 will work great for the bigger quilt. It should be 94.5 x 115.5 finished.
Sylvia
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sylvia
Hello, I am trying to figure out the number of squares and the rest of the measurements for a full size quilt. Any thoughts? Thank you for sharing this, I am excited to make it!
lhardenbrook
Thanks for the great pattern. I am trying to adjust for an Ikea toddler mattress that measures 28×63. Any suggestions?
amy smart
I would make the quilt 4 blocks across by 6 blocks down – which would be a 42" x 63" quilt. Therefore you would start with 24 11" x 13" rectangles. These could come from 12 Fat Quarters or 8 1/3 yards (or more, if you want more prints).
Counting Coconuts
Hi Amy! Thanks SO much for this wonderful tutorial. I have everything I need to quilt – a brand new sewing machine, a huge stash of beautiful fabric, and all the bits and bobs. I just need time and courage and thanks to you I now have the latter! 🙂
Marina Cerra
Thank you Amy for sharing this! I made a wonderful striped quilt for my little following your tutorials. It's not perfect, but she loves it 🙂
Tom Spalding
Easy, beautiful and not time consuming…a warm feeling. I am going to my machine now. Thanks. Just what a quilt should be. <br />
Lea
This quilt is adorable! Thanks for the tutorial.
Georgeanne
you cannot get two 11″x13″ rectangles out of a fat quarter which measures 18″x22″
Amy Smart
Try cutting two 11″ x 18″ pieces. Then trim them down to 11″ x 13″. I know sometimes not all FQ’s are cut accurately. It’s really okay on this pattern if the pieces are slightly smaller. As long as they all square up to the same size in the end that’s all that matters.
Laurie Tuttle
Hi Amy ~ I love your blog! You are so kind & giving! I bought such fun fabric to make this baby quilt, but didn’t see any mention of batting. Did I miss it? Thanks so much ~ Laurie from CA.
Laurie
what is the size of the finished baby quilt? What size are your finished blocks?
Amy Smart
The finished blocks are 10 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ making the quilt 42″ x 42″. But you can square them up to any size you want – as long as they’re all the same size – if you want a smaller quilt.
bevely dewitt
I am new to quilting and I am so excited about learning more .I love all the information from all the tutorials .They are so helpful. I am so inspired ,cant wait to make this quilt . Thank you
Cheri Wilkinson
This email came on the perfect day for me! I wanted a striped quilt that i could use my leftover flannel for and here it was! I just started making baby quilts and from the scraps I wanted to make a quilt that I could donate to the hospital a needy family to help them out. I was so excited to receive the pattern!!! I have my mat and cutter out now! Thank you so much for the perfect timing.
Carole
The way to figure out blocks is to use the width you want and divide by the size of the blocks. It rarely comes out with an even number so you can go one smaller and add borders or one larger and have a slightly wider quilt. Do the same with the length. Once you know how many blocks down and across then multiple the numbers. The answer will be how many blocks you need.
Leeah Holle
I don’t understand how much fabric to purchase . Very unclear for a new sewer. Can you please give me the exact fabric size of fabric needed . Thank you
Amy
I would recommend 8 Fat Quarters. (You can get two 11″ x 13″ rectangles from one Fat Quarter for a total of 16 rectangles).
Jennifer A Buron
Just want to make it internet official I finally finished this quilt. It took 7 years but that has nothing to do with the pattern. Every time I got back to working on it this quilt’s beauty inspired me.
Amy
Way to go!!
Darlene
Hi Amy, I love the colours you chose for this quilt and absolutely love the pattern. I am thinking it would make a fantastic Christmas quilt. It would whip up rather quickly indeed. I will need to make a queen size, I guess I will just make blocks until I have enough :-)), and a few extra for shams of course. Thanks for the free PDF download, that is very kind of you Amy.
Darlene
Nova Scotia
Carla
Novice quilter here, and confused As to why you cut 11+ x 13 and square to 11. Why not cut 11+ x 11+? And when squaring the 13 to 11, I assume you must cut down to 11 on the big piece. Sorry for dumb questions, but I love the quilt and want to make sure I understand and don’t mess it up! Thanks so much.
Amy
Great question. The 13″ is to allow for the seam allowances where you sew the strips together. That’s what shortens the block. Then I square them up to all the same size before sewing the blocks together.