“Big Stars” Gender Neutral Baby Quilt Pattern
I’m going to show you my new quilt pattern. This fun baby quilt pattern is gender neutral, for a baby girl or baby boy. My simple patchwork quilt is called “Big Stars Baby Quilt” and I hope you like it. Perfect baby shower gift or birthday gift for grandma to give to that toddler in her family.
Some of you are probably thinking, gender neutral quilt pattern? What the heck is that? Well this is a baby quilt that can be for a baby boy or baby girl. These quilts don’t use colors that are pink or blue.
This quilt uses neutral colors, that’s it. Now neutral colors are different for everyone but I’m using low volume white or cream background fabric with black stars and snowballs. There is one bright color for the backing in a neutral red and it’s scrappy too. Detailed instructions are provided below for this handmade baby quilt in this blog post.
This gender-neutral quilt has a dual pattern on the quilt top due to a snowball effect in each block corner. It will create a secondary pattern and is easy to work up on your sewing machine. A great project for confident beginners. The square blocks are large and gives it the quilt a modern look.
Perfect for a baby gift, tummy time for new baby or great for toddler and naptime! My new baby quilt is such a simple design, the good news is you can use us low volume background fabrics from your stash. We all have lots of those fabrics and this is the perfect quilt to use them on.
Make sure you check this out!
After you read this post, make sure you also check out How To Learn How To Quilt: Beginner Quilting Guide. It’s jam packed with even more information, links and resources that are so helpful when you’re first learning. It also has a section with free quilt patterns that are great for beginners. So make sure you check this out, seriously don’t forget!
Grab a copy of my Quilt Planning Journal, filled with graph paper and note pages to help you design 4 quilts or sewing projects! You can jot down ideas as I see them, draw mock ups of quilts and write your cutting dimensions and finished quilt size for future reference. Pin in fabric swatches, photos of your finished quilts and enjoy your creative process!
Big Stars – Gender Neutral Baby Quilt Pattern
Block Instructions
You will need to make 9 quilt blocks. You will need to hand cut the fabric from a fat quarter or yardage. Charm packs, jelly rolls, a layer cake or other precut fabrics won’t work for this project. This takes about 9 fat quarters or two yards of fabric for the background squares. But this is a great way to use those low volume white background or cream background fabrics and make the background scrappy like I did.
You will need about a 2 yards of black fabric for the stars, snowballs and binding. Lastly, you will need 3 yards of backing fabric.
Cutting instructions for one block: 1 – 5.5″ x 5.5″ black star square, 8 – 5.5″ x 5.5″ background squares and 12 – 3.5″ x 3.5′ black squares (star and corners).
Piecing the Star Blocks
Now, onto the fun part – piecing together the star blocks for this beautiful quilt. We will start by adding the small squares to the larger blocks. Four background squares will get one corner star. Use your diagonal seam tape to help you with sewing the diagonal lines on all the small squares. It’s hard to see a line on the black fabric but if you use a chalk pen it does show up. Make sure you have good lighting too when sewing on black fabric.
Sewing Process
For each block, you will sew a corner square on all 8 background squares. Take your fabric pieces to the sewing machine. Lay the background square on your table and place a small black square in the upper left corner. The diagonal line should be sewn from the center of the background square to the middle of the left side of the background square. Do this for all 8 background square.
Take to your cutting matt and trim off the excess fabric. Line your ruler’s 1/4″ line directly on your stich line and trim with your rotary cutter. Press open with iron.
Place 4 of those low volume white background squares with the corners off to the side. Now let’s make the star points.
With your 4 remaining background squares with the left corner on, take to your sewing machine. Lay the background square down and place one more small square in the right upper corner. It should be laying on a portion of the other small square.
This time you are going to sew a diagonal line from the upper center of background square to the middle right side of the background square. Trim off excess fabric using the 1/4″ line on your ruler and press open with iron. These are your star point background blocks.
Assemble Star Blocks
Place your black center square down on your matt or table. Then assemble it using the picture below. Once you have the squares laid out as shown, sew the squares into rows. Then sew the rows together to complete the block. Repeat this until you have a total of 9 star blocks.
Assemble Quilt
Once you’ve finished piecing together the star blocks, it’s time to assemble your quilt top. Lay out your blocks in 3 rows with 3 blocks each. Once you’re happy with the layout, sew the blocks together to create rows, then sew the rows together to complete the quilt top.
Finishing Touches
With your quilt top complete, it’s time to assemble the quilt sandwich and start quilting! Layer your quilt top, batting, and backing, then baste the layers together using quilt basting spray or pins.
Now, it’s time to quilt as desired – whether you prefer simple straight-line quilting or intricate free-motion designs, the choice is yours! Finally, finish with binding and your done.
This sample was done with diagonal straight line machine quilting on my home sewing machine. If you are a new quilter and need to machine quilt with straight lines, check out these straight line machine quilting designs for ideas and inspiration.
I hope you enjoyed this free baby quilt pattern. Crib quilts are so quick to make.
Sew Nikki Free Resources
Crochet Baby Blanket Patterns
Beginner Supplies
Here are some quilting tools and supplies I recommend. I make a small commission if you purchase through the links, this helps to support this free content. For more info, check out Supplies for Beginners (Best Tools To Start).
Rotary Mat Cutting Mat (Self-Healing Mat)
28 mm Rotary Cutter Replacement Blades
45 mm Rotary Cutter with Sharp Blade (start with this one)
45 mm Rotary Cutter Replacement Blades (start with this one)
60 mm Rotary Cutter Replacement Blades
4.5″ Square Ruler for half square triangles
12.5″ Square Ruler for blocks
SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER!
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ABOUT SEW NIKKI
If this is your first time stopping by, welcome! I’m Nikki, a maker obsessed with quilting, crochet, and all things fabric. Here, you’ll find easy-to-follow patterns, helpful tutorials, and plenty of inspiration for your next handmade project. Whether you’re stitching up a cozy quilt, crocheting a vintage-inspired blanket, or diving into upcycled sewing, I’m here to make the process fun and stress-free. Grab your fabric (or yarn), and let’s create something beautiful together!
I hope you try this simple baby quilt, a gender neutral baby quilt pattern. New parents love modern baby quilt patterns and I think this pattern and the colors are perfect. I think the large squares make this the perfect pattern because it’s more modern. Also, the dual pattern with those corner squares are so cool. Feel free to change it up and use a different neutral color for the snowballs. But remember to keep it neutral. Handmade quilts are the best and this is just an adorable quilt!
If you give the Big Stars Baby Quilt a try, I’d love to see your creations – feel free to share photos and stories in the comments below. Until next time, happy quilting!
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Want to learn how to crochet? Check out this post, How to Learn How to Crochet – Guide for Beginners.
Wow this is beautiful! Quilting is something I have always wanted to try.
My MIL is a huge quilter! She will love this. I’m sending her the link to your site right now 🙂
Ah, thank you!
Cute quilt! I like baby quilts – they are the little bit quicker to make. 🙂