5 Free Modern Quilt Block Patterns
What makes a quilt block modern? I’ve been thinking about this question, and the best answer I can come up with is negative space. When I first learned how to quilt 15 years ago, the idea of using solid fabric wasn’t on my radar. To my knowledge, the only people doing that were the Amish, and they were definitely not “modern” in my mind.
So I went about pairing as many modern-looking fabrics together, with no real thought for contrast and composition. I was just trying to create a pretty quilt. Use as many pretty fabrics as possible and you make a pretty quilt, right? 😉 I won’t say that I was completely unsuccessful, but now, I see the importance of balance in a quilt composition.
For example, if a quilt contains only large-scale prints, the pattern will get lost and some of the excitement of the large-scale print will be diminished because there is nothing to offset it – the viewer does not know where to focus attention. However, if a small print is introduced to balance the large-scale fabric, the pattern becomes more discernible and the viewer has a better understanding of the hierarchy in the composition.
Now this is where I continue with that line of thinking and say, if a small print juxtaposed with a large-scale print can bring more balance, a solid fabric thrown into the mix will bring even more clarity to the architecture of the design.
Once solid fabrics are introduced, the quilt pattern becomes very distinct – thus allowing the quilt to be structured and bold! That’s definitely not the only mark of a modern quilt. Some beautiful modern quilts use slight gradations in color and print to create a “watercolor” effect and a more soothing aesthetic.
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For the sake of this blog post, though, I am going to focus on the use of negative space to make a quilt block modern. To quickly define negative space so you know what I mean, it is the space around the object in an image. For our quilty purposes, I’ll say that it is the backdrop behind the focal object or pattern in a composition.
Negative space does not always need to be white. As you can see in my Perennial quilt, the negative space is actually lavender. It’s not even the lightest color in the quilt. However, because of its presence, the “flowers” pop forward and is the main focus in the design.
When looking through these five different quilt block patterns, think about how you can utilize negative space to create a modern look. Click on the pattern name to find the entire pattern instructions.
30’s Playtime
This quilt is actually designed to use 1930s reproduction fabric, however the use of negative space gives this design a modern look. You could take it a step further and use a limited color palette for the ultimate modern, minimal appearance.
XOXO
A super simple block for a newbie quilter. You could use a mixture of scraps, solids or prints. Depending on the placement of colors, this block can look like Xs or Os. Cute, right? 🙂
Mad Crosser
This quilt can look drastically different based on fabrics you use. You could even use a dark background fabric and a light fabric to make the crosses really pop.
Botanical
The base of this block is simple half square triangles. Visit this link to see my tutorial on half square triangles as well as a math chart to help you easily size these blocks up or down. Although the arrangement of these HSTs can look traditional, by limiting the color palette to a few colors it will look striking and contemporary.
Melodic
The key to making this traditional quilt block modern is to pick a few colors and stick with them. If you introduce too many colors, it will begin to look like a more traditional quilt. However, within a color range, you could play with different prints and solids.
In 30’s Playtime, if you rotate every other block 90 degrees, you will avoid having those seams coming together in the vertical between the blocks, I think? Very nice post!
hello….I like the idea of avoiding seam matching. I was looking at the block and it seems like if you rotate it, then the sequence would make the white squares side by side. Am I misunderstanding?
Just rotate the white blocks to avoid seams colliding.
Thanks for the links, great blocks!
Thank you for sharing. Very nice! I’ll be bookmarking this post for sure.
This was really interesting, thanks. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with design as I get more confident quilting. I just finished my second quilt which had a lot of negative space in it and I love how it turned out. It’s funny I hadn’t thought of it in terms of the negative space till I read your post. But now I remember my mum, a textile artist herself, used to stress the importance of negative space to me when I was drawing as a child – it must have sunk in!
I appreciate your thoughts on this because I have questioned what makes a modern quilt. I have visited “Amish country” many times here in Ohio and have seen those quilts up close. Some of them seem very modern to me because of their bold colors, lack of printed fabrics, and negative space, which a lot of times is in black. Exploring modern quilting is interesting and I really enjoy branching into it and understanding it more. Thanks!
Thanks so much! I’m sure there are other factors that play into making a quilt “modern,” but that’s my best guess. 😉
Hello Suzy
I’m trying to open the links to your 5 free modern patterns.
Can you please advise. Thanks
Gila
Sorry about that! It looks like a lot of those links don’t exist any more, however I was able to find new links and update them. Try now!
What took you so long to find me? Can’t wait to get started, cleaning house can wait!
Hi Suzy
The cutest little boy! Congratulations!!!
I only have girls they are a lot of drama.
Boys love their mama and will always come to help you.
Love your designs and the free stuff!
Thanks, Cat! I’ll make the change to the email address.
I have been looking for a block pattern with triangles called Card Trick. It also has variations from the original. Do you know where I can find it?
I googled “card trick quilt pattern” and found this YouTube tutorial – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQIrHNKpRGA. If you would rather not have a video, there are other blog posts with patterns.
Love your quilt designs. So fresh and modern. I’ve only just come across your work and can see I have a few years of masterclass to enjoy. Thank you I’m looking forward to exploring your work
Linda