10 Modern Quilts for Beginners

If you’re new to quilting or just love clean, modern design, this list is for you. I’ve rounded up my favorite beginner-friendly quilt patterns (including two freebies) that balance ease with creativity and help you fall in love with quilting.

  • Then Came June – Peanut Butter

    FREE PATTERN: A scrappy, easy-to-piece quilt that’s perfect for beginners using scraps or precuts. Peanut Butter balances simplicity and creativity.

  • Kiley’s Quilt Room – Upper Cut

    FREE PATTERN: A striking modern design built from simple angles. Upper Cut looks advanced but comes together quicker than you’d think.

  • Colleen Sews – Labyrinth

    An eye-catching design that creates a woven, maze-like effect through clever use of symmetry. Labyrinth offers the perfect balance of precision and visual movement for the modern quilter.

  • Corinne Sovey – Block Party

    A playful, modular pattern that invites creativity with color and layout. Block Party’s straightforward piecing makes it a great intro for quilters learning how to design their own layouts.

  • Kitchen Table Quilting – Zoe

    Zoe is a beginner favorite — simple strip piecing and bold layout options make it fast, approachable, and visually striking. Perfect for quilters who love structure and color play.

  • Penelope Handmade – Iris

    Iris blends curves and structure in a design that’s soft yet modern. It’s a great way for newer quilters to experiment with gentle curves in a forgiving, beginner-friendly format.

  • Penelope Handmade – Madeline

    Madeline layers clean geometry and rhythmic repetition for a timeless feel. The simple block structure makes it perfect for new quilters who want to master accuracy while building something beautiful.

  • Suzy Quilts – Adventureland

    Adventureland is vibrant and modern, using simple shapes to create movement across the quilt. It’s a beginner-friendly pattern that lets color shine — equally fun in solids or prints.

  • Then Came June – Blakely

    With its clean shapes and bold negative space, Blakely is a fresh take on modern quilting. Easy strip piecing makes it approachable while color choices bring endless design possibilities.

  • Quilty Love – Happy Stripes

    Happy Stripes is all about easy piecing and instant satisfaction. Large strips and modern composition make this a quick project with bold impact, ideal for beginners or time-saving sewists.