10 of My Favorite Quilt Patterns

Originally Posted 5/28/2015

Updated: 6/15/2021

Everyone has favorite quilt patterns.  I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.  Every effort on my part has been done to link you to the pattern for the quilt.  I did not make the examples below.  They were made by other talented quilters and I've done my best to credit those quilters when I could find the proper information.  

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My Top 10 Favorite Quilt Patterns

As I said previously the quilts below are not made by me but every photo has a link to the creator of the quilt at the time of the original post.  There are a host of talented quilters out there and if I can use this platform to highlight some of them I would love to do it.  If one of the links no longer works please email me at melissa@quiltingroomwithmel.com so I can find a current link.  I want to give credit where credit is due.

Some of the quilts I have made in the last 6 years and some of them are still on my to-do list.  A few Paul has made but not me.  There are a few that I want to put my twist on them and there are a few that are extremely hard to make and I'm just not ready to tackle those intense quilts right now.  

1. Log Cabin

Log Cabin Quilt by Kathy Brigham

I'm sure this is no shock to any of you.  The log cabin was the first quilt I did here.  It is a very versatile pattern.  I made it into a chevron and Kathy turned hers into a star.  It's also fairly easy to do and makes a great impact.  I can't find Kathy's exact pattern.  It appears she's used something similar to this pattern from Laundry Basket Quilts.

2. Lone Star

Sioux Falls Quilt Guild

The lone star was my mom's signature quilt.  I love this version of it.  I believe it is Prarie Star by Quiltworx.  I could only find one place to purchase the pattern and it is spendy but Stitchin' Post carries it.

3. Tumbling Block

Tumbling Block Quilt

My mom HATED making tumbling block quilts.  I suspect it was because of that dreaded y-seam.  Jenny Doan has done a version of the tumbling block without a y-seam.  Jenny uses larger blocks and I should take the time to toy with scaling the blocks down so that the final quilt would be more like the one pictured here and the ones I remember from my childhood.  

4. Double Wedding Ring

Double Wedding Ring

Before we talk about the quilt, let's marvel at the quilting on this.  It is amazing!  Ms. Denton BRAVO!!  Ok, now on to the double wedding ring quilt.  My mom hated to do this pattern too.  This one I suspect it was because of the time it took to make.  They are not quick quilts and she was all about speed.  I do believe everyone should make one before they die.  Accuquilt has a die to make cutting the pieces out easier.  Much better than the templates made out of sandpaper that my grandma used. 

5. Broken Star Quilt

Broken Star Quilt

This one is reminds me a lot of the one my grandma made.  Her quilt was done completely by hand, she pieced it by hand and quilted it by hand.  If you like the look of the quilt but maybe done need all of the pieces Rocking Chair Quilts has a free, yes free, pattern.  

6. Pineapple Quilt

Pineapple Quilt

This picture doesn't do this quilt justice.  It's a mini quilt about the size of a coaster.  Be sure to check that one out.  I have made a pineapple quilt block pattern.  It is not as small as the quilt pictured, even paper pieced that tiny piecing is hard to do.  I know that my mom made this quilt often but she didn't paper piece quilts.  Of all the quilts she made and all of the notes she made about the quilts and how she did them, there's not one note about the pineapple quilt outside of the amount fabric she used.  I can't help but see her giggling over me pulling my hair out trying to recreate her version. 

7. Pinwheel

Pinwheel

This pinwheel quilt is a different version than my pinwheel pattern.  I adore the pinwheel quilt.  The blocks are super easy to make and you can make 100 of them and none of them will look the same.  Adding or not adding sashing around the blocks, color choice, and scale can widely change the look of a pinwheel quilt.   

8. Giant Dahlia

Giant Dahlia

 I just swoon over these quilts.  I found my mom's pattern the other day and was reminded just how breathtaking these are.  There are some great patterns out there today.  This is on my list to remake without a y-seam.  I just dread those seams.  

9. Postage Stamp

Postage Stamp

I started one of these years ago.  I was using 1" squares.  It did not work out for me.  It's lots of squares and part of the appeal of the postage stamp quilt for me is the variety of color in the example above.  The smaller the pieces the harder it is to keep those seams straight and neat.  I am currently organizing all of my fabrics and scraps and I think I'm going to try this quilt again.  This time I'm going to double the size of the squares, partly because 2" squares are easier to handle and because I have a lot of fabric pieces I can make 2" squares from.  I don't like throwing fabric away and I've already filled one tub full of "strings" and started on my second tub.  I'm not anywhere near done sorting tubs of fabric scraps.  

10. Drunkard's Path

Drunkard's Path

Some people call this a pie and crust block but I've always known it as drunkard's path.  There is a lot of folklore surrounding this quilt.  Like "never let a single man sleep under a drunkard's path or he will always wander life alone."  I just shake my head and laugh.  This quilt, like the double wedding ring above, really requires perfect cutting so it will go together easier.  I highly recommend the Accuquilt die for the drunkard's path.  

As you can see I like a lot of very traditional quilt patterns.  Just because they are traditional doesn't mean they have to look like the versions our grandmothers and mothers made.  We can change them up with the fabrics we choose, the layouts that we choose, and the scale that we make the blocks.  Don't be afraid to try an "old" quilt pattern even if you lean more toward the modern side of quilting.