Today I want to share my TOP 3 resources to find Free quilt patterns. But first, let’s head back in time for a moment to 2009; my best friend has just taken me shopping at an amazing quilt shop in town so I can make my first ever quilt. We head back to my small apartment, and she shows me how to make a disappearing 9-patch block. She tells me about 1/4″ seams and nesting those seams and color placement and after a few days I have a quilt top!! She then tells me how to make a quilt sandwich, basting, and stitch-in-the-ditch and shows me how to make binding. What magic! I have a quilt finished for my little baby girl! And I MADE it. Never mind some of my seams didn’t actually match and my backing has puckered, and I attached my binding as I would bias tape 🙂 My accomplishment feels great.
This sense of fun and pride is what infected me with the quilting bug, you can say, and I’ve only blossomed since. I really truly am grateful for my friend who showed me how to make a quilt!
So, after making a few disappearing 9-patch quilts, I realized I was invested in this hobby. Due to our family situation, I knew the actual monetary investment had to be a small one. I was happy getting discounted and clearance fabrics (I mean, don’t we all love a good fabric clearance?) but I caught a snag on the patterns… I didn’t want to keep making the same pattern over and over for these baby quilts. Thank goodness for the internet!
Blogs were a “new” thing, and I was all over whatever information was out there. This was also when Flickr was the way to share our projects (no Instagram yet!) so that was a good source of ideas. But BLOGS, oh my goodness. What a lifesaver! I had a few favorite bloggers at the time so if they ever posted a tutorial, I was making that ASAP! I felt such gratitude towards those women who shared openly.
When Pinterest entered the scene, it was a game changer. A search engine for the creative soul! But lately as I’ve been searching for tutorials, I’ve been overwhelmed by the thousands of results, and sometimes they’re mis-labeled or pinned as free when they aren’t actually freebies. It can be so very daunting! I’m here today to offer my TOP 3 ideas on where YOU can start your search to find free quilt patterns or tutorials without that overwhelm. Whether you’re a newbie or just need something quick without the pressure of a purchase, there’s something out there for you!
Search Fabric Manufacturer Websites
Few people know that fabric manufacturers have dozens and dozens of free quilt patterns as part of their fabric promotions. They typically have patterns available for any panels they have as part of a fabric line too- that is always a helpful tool! Here are a few manufacturers with free patterns to get you started:
Riley Blake Designs (I’m a designer for Riley Blake!)
Find Your Favorite Fabric Designers
If you’ve been searching for quilt patterns and keep gravitating towards certain designers, check to see if they have a website that includes a blog and tutorial/freebie page. If you already know they’re your style but you aren’t able to support them with a purchase at the moment, consider downloading a freebie and directing others to their site as a thank-you.
My go-to designers in the early days were Amy of Diary of a Quilter and Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew. They really helped me expand my quilting skills and grow my quilting confidence. Since those days, both Amy and Allison have become fabric designers as well! I also have some free patterns/tutorials on my site scattered amongst my free printables.
My fellow Riley Blake designers have a good pool of patterns to pick from!
Look To The Shops
Some of the very big online shops have very active blogs as well and have many free patterns. The two that come to mind are:
Wherever you find your free pattern, please appreciate the work that went into it! A quilt pattern is not fast or easy, so it really is a great offering to those of us who use free tutorials and patterns.
I have been collecting the Free Quilt Patterns that I like for some time now, and I do have a Pinterest board where you can look there to see what I like, as well as a board with helpful tutorials for beginners!
