The Fastest Baby Quilt Pattern!

The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

Not only is Maypole the fastest baby quilt pattern, it's wonderfully versatile and allows you to use all different kinds of fabric other than typical quilting cotton. Have you been curious to try out flannel, double gauze, or maybe even knits? Ooooh baby, this quilt pattern is for you!

I had a moment two weeks ago when I looked at a calendar and realized it was October. October?? I could have sworn it was still September! I had promised to finish a baby quilt by mid October for a shower and out of absolutely nowhere I was only one week away. How did this time warp happen?

Well, I can tell you exactly how it happend. My children are 2.5 and 6 months old and most days I feel accomplished if I brush my teeth. Not a day goes by that I actually know what day is going by. So, here we are, one week away from this baby shower and with no quilt.

Do I panic? Umm, yes, maybe a little. But after I panic I know exactly what to do. Make a Maypole. I am not exaggerating when I say it's the fastest baby quilt pattern. An hour after starting this quilt you're almost halfway finished and then a good time warp happens and the quilt top is complete!

The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

MayPole: The Fastest Baby Quilt Pattern

The Maypole quilt pattern is so fast to sew because the design is comprised of large strips of fabric sewn into four blocks. Two of them being identical, I might add. Once those four blocks are finished, the last step is simply to sew them all together!

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Here are my top three reasons why I keep coming back to this pattern over and over again...

3 Reasons Why Maypole is the Fastest Baby Quilt Pattern

  • It's very forgiving. Ya'll, I didn't even iron my fabric before cutting into it to make these double gauze baby quilts seen here. Do you know how wavy double gauze is? It's like sewing with an eel. A really soft eel. But once you sew the top together, you trim the entire quilt and somehow it magically works out! Are my Maypole quilts always squared nicely? Oh heck no! But who cares? Will this cuddly soft baby quilt hang in a museum or get crammed into strollers and diaper bags, barfed on and most likely washed and stretched to the point that it would eventually become some variation of a rhombus anyway. I don't sweat the squaring.
  • It's easy to quilt. When you're rushing around gathering fabric and trying to have a quilt top completed in a set amount of time, you're probably only thinking one step ahead. With the Maypole pattern that's totally fine, because once your top is finished, and you get to the actual quilting part, just stitch in the ditch. Bam. Done. Most batting instructions say to quilt anywhere from 4-8" apart. None of these strips are wider than that so you're good!
  • It works well with many different aesthetics. This means you don't need to think long and hard about picking fabrics. Is your minimalist "neutrals only, please" niece having a baby? Perfect, make her a Maypole quilt. Is your loud and proud "love all the colors" daughter having her third kid? Congrats, grandma! Make her a Maypole quilt. I haven't seen a Maypole quilt I didn't like and there are over 2,000 in the tag #MaypoleQuilt on Instagram! Check it out for yourself!
The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting
The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

Maypole: Explore Different Fabrics!

Here's the truth of it, if you are on a deadline and just need to get it done, use the fabric you are most comfortable with. However, if you have a teeny tiny bit more time (you don't need much more time cause this is still going to be the fastest baby quilt pattern of your life) try some ultra cozy fabrics!

Make a Maypole Quilt with Double Gauze

  • It's flowy and soft. I love the finished feel of double gauze and use it any chance I get. Full disclosure though, it's not something I mix and match into just any quilt pattern. Because double gauze is actually two pieces of gauze (yes, somewhat similar to medical gauze but with a tighter weave) it can't be cut up into super small pieces or it will fray and come apart. Read more about the origins and special features of double gauze here – How to Sew with Double Gauze.
  • Not all double gauze is the same. In most cases when you buy quilting cotton you know exactly what you're going to get. That's not really the case with double gauze. Sometimes it's crinkly and sometimes it's smooth. Sometimes the weave is so tight you can't really see that it's "gauze" when other times it looks like something out of a first aid kit.

Where to Buy Double Gauze

This is where I'll get really honest with you about quality and feel of double gauze based on my experience. Just because you want to make the fastest baby quilt pattern doesn't mean you want to scrimp on cuddlability. Here's some double gauze I really like

The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

Make a Maypole Quilt with Flannel

Now that I am very aware of it being fall (the cooler rainy weather should have clued me in), I get a lot of questions from readers asking about what patterns work well with flannel. Well, my darlings, you know what I'm going to say. Make a Maypole quilt!

We don't need to cover the highs and lows of sewing with flannel here because that's already been done in other posts. If you're interested in making a mega soft, warm and FAST baby quilt, use flannel! Oh, and wool batting. Oooooh YES! Here are some posts to check out:

Quick Sewing Tip!

ALWAYS pre-wash and sew with at least a 1/4" seam allowance. Since this pattern allows for a wider seam allowance without sacrificing any accuracing (you're not matching points) maybe even bump that up to 3/8". Both double gauze and flannel fray. Plus, count on baby quilts to get laundered a lot, so keep those seams strong with a thicker-than-usual seam allowance. 

Below you can see that thick seam allowance in action as I sew binding on. I cut my binding in 2.5" strips instead of 2.25" to account for the wider seam allowance.

The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting
The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

More Fast Baby Quilt Patterns to Try

In addition to the Maypole pattern, we have a few others that are very fast too and would also work with different kinds of fabric.

The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

Isn't this fabric design by Kelly Venture the BEST?? I love it so much!

The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting
The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

Have you made a Maypole quilt yet? If not, what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking! 😉

Comment below with any double gauze, flannel or quilt-related questions. I hope this post helps you the next time you're frantically speeding around your sewing machine trying to figure out the fastest bay quilt pattern because OMG it's now November and Christmas is only a month away? ACK!

The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric. suzyquilts.com #babyquilt #quilting

29 thoughts on “The Fastest Baby Quilt Pattern!

  1. Robyn says:

    I bought some double gauze after reading the infinity scarf post. It’s pre-washed, ironed and ready to cut. Now I just have to choose which of all the great patterns to make! Thankfully there are lots of ideas and even more tips here on the blog! ☺️

  2. Winnie Bullock says:

    I love strip pattern and this one is so unique.
    I will be making quilts for my great grand
    children and is the pattern I am going to use. Thanks for introducing me.

  3. lscham says:

    Haha Suzy I’ve gone through so many thoughts on this quilt since my comment to you about fueling my obsession 😄 yes I’m that “quilt crazy” person on Instagram. I may have bought a few more floral yesterday thinking they can be a maypole throw. BUT after reading this I’m totally going to try a flannel baby quilt for my doggies. I may have some xmas gnome fabric that I had no idea what to do with😏 will the floral still happen? Probably 🤭

  4. Nancy says:

    Hi Suzy! I’m historically a traditional quilter…..and then I discovered your patterns! You may make a modern quilter yet out of this grandma! I’m finishing up my second Maypole baby quilt (my new go-to for baby quilts!) and have one question…. I struggle with squaring up this quilt with all the seams on the bias. Does this make sense, or am I overthinking it? Usually there would be a border, or smaller piecing to work from, but not in this one. TIA for any helpful hints!

    • Suzy Quilts says:

      One thing I have recently heard quilters doing with those large bias triangles is this – before cutting your squares in half on the diagonal, iron some fusible tape from corner to corner where you will cut the square. Cut through the center of the tape to make your two base triangles. That fusible tape will stop the bias edge from stretching and getting distorted. Full disclosure, this is just a tip I heard about and haven’t tried, but I think it sounds cool! Here’s a link to some fusible tape I’ve used in the past, but I bet any lightweight fusible webbing you have on hand would do the same thing

  5. Elizabeth says:

    Hi Suzy! I love your patterns and am planning to try the Maypole pattern with the double gauze for a baby quilt gift. My question is…with a standard fabric width of 42″ and the finished width of the baby quilt at 40″, is a no seam backing possible factoring in pre-wash fabric shrinkage? Thanks!

  6. Jan says:

    Do you know the colors of the double gauze you used in the pink/neutral quilt and the backing? I’m having a difficult time shopping online.

  7. Jenna Berthoud says:

    HI Suzy! Love this! Thank you so much just bought your pattern and I’m so excited for this! I will be having my first grandbaby in September so this is perfect! I haven’t made a quilt in about 15 years so I’m a little nervous and my mother-in-law who always helped me and taught me all of it is no longer with us, so I would love to just be a cheater and make this exact pattern quilt can you tell me what colors were used on this one so I can grab those that you use for each color 1, color, 2, color 3 etc. ??
    Thanks so much

    • Laura Hopper says:

      Hi Jenna! I replied to your email this morning, but here is the link here for you as well! https://suzyquilts.com/maypole-quilt/# Scroll down until you see the heading “Creamsicle Color Combo” and you’ll see the colors that were used. Then just add any white or cream colored fabric and you’ll be ready to make your Maypole quilt look just like the cover of the quilt pattern! But, now that I see you’ve commented on this post, it seems like you might be trying to replicate one of the two quilts in this pattern. Suzy has links to where she buys double gauze in this post, but note that the florals were printed special for her. Enjoy making your quilt!

  8. Luann says:

    I love this quilt!! What is the backing on the muted pink toned quilt? It almost looks like eucalyptus leaves. So gorgeous.

  9. Hope says:

    Such a cute pattern. I’m looking to make my first baby blanket for a friend and am curious if you’ve made a quilt mixing double gauze and flannel? I like the idea fo incorporating different textures but not sure how it’ll come together.

  10. Colleen says:

    Hello – I’ve purchased the Maypole quilt pattern from you and have cut out my fabric for a baby quilt and begun to sew it together….it says to cut two of color 5, letter n, which is 4 1/2″ x WOF….why did I cut out 2….am I only using one of these….I’m can’t figure out where I use the second 4 1/2″ x WOF. Thank you so much…loving this quilt so far!

    • Laura Hopper says:

      Hey Colleen! There’s a note in the pink box to the left of the quilt diagram on page 2 of the pattern that instructs you to sew the WOF strips together and then sub-cut them to the dimensions on page 7. You’ll see that for the baby, that dimension is 61″, which is much longer than one WOF strip! So you’ll sew the two together to get that length. Hope that helps!

  11. Vanessa says:

    Hi
    I’m causing myself so much anxiety about cutting the material for the baby quilt. Plus,I really wanted to find the back material used in the picture with the sweet little girl…only to read in a comment you handmade that print😩😩. Oh well. I’ll keep looking for that “just perfect” material.

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