Sew Happy Together: Free Baby Quilt Pattern with Prairie Points

Sew an adorable baby quilt with three-dimensional prairie points in the border! This free baby quilt pattern teaches how to make prairie points and sew easy 9-patch blocks and snowball blocks. If you prefer, you can sew a two-dimensional border with flying geese instead of prairie points (instructions included).

The finished quilt is a 40” x 46” baby quilt.

This blog post has been converted to an optional PDF that’s optimized for printing. Find it here. The free ‘Sew Happy Together’ Baby Quilt Pattern is included in the blog post below and is free to read, print, and sew! Just hit CTRL +P on your computer to print. The PDF download is inexpesive and optional. Did you know you can get ALL the Optimized for Printing PDF files organized in a library for you to access anytime you want? Check it out.

Baby Quilt With Prairie Points

My favorite part of this quilt by far is the adorable prairie points in the border. They add a playful element to quilts, plus they give baby hands something to grab and feel. One of my earliest memories is watching my mom make baby quilts with prairie points. They are so precious!

If you are looking for easy baby quilt patterns, you’ll love these too:

• Pinwheel Daydreams Baby Quilt Pattern
• Baby Heart Log Cabin Quilt
• Fat Quarter Fancy small quilt pattern using 9 Fat Quarters!

Or see all my free baby quilt patterns here.

Optional Flying Geese Border Instead

A two-dimensional variation of this quilt uses flying geese units in the border instead of prairie points. The Sew Happy Together baby quilt with a flying geese border requires only a 1/2 yard of purple fabric instead of 3/4 yard. Instructions for the optional flying geese border are also provided below.

This Sew Happy Together Baby Quilt tutorial:

• Uses very easy patchwork piecing – perfect for a beginner
• Makes an adorable baby quilt for a boy or a girl
• Is easy to quilt because of the small size

If you love to use your AccuQuilt fabric cutter like I do, I’ll share the optional cutting die numbers to make this pattern Accuquilt-friendly. Using an Accuquilt is optional, but I love it! See all my Accuquilt-friendly quilts. Look under the cutting dimensions below for a list of fabric-cutting dies you may use instead.

I shopped in my fabric stash for this quilt and picked a bright orange and pink print from Ruby Star’s Purl collection and the dainty floral from Heather Ross’ Briar Rose collection. The Briar Rose fabrics are hard to find now, but I suggest you take a look at her newer collections for something similar.

Here’s a breakdown of the two quilt blocks in this quilt:

What is a 9-Patch Quilt Block?

The 9-patch quilt block is a true classic. You can sew one by cutting 9 squares of fabric OR you can use a strip piecing method like the one that I’ll teach you in this pattern. The strip piecing method is much faster and easier.

What is a Snowball Quilt Block?

This Snowball block is a classic too! As you may have guessed, there are two different ways to make a snowball block as well.

I have provided cutting instructions for the corner triangles and a free template for this 6” Snowball block (click the link below). This method conserves fabric.

Another method uses 2 1/2” squares sewn to the corners of the larger 6 1/2” square. The extra fabric at the corners is then trimmed away. If you want to use this other method (shown in a separate blog post), cut 15 – 6 1/2” squares for the centers of the blocks and 60 – 2 1/2” squares for the corners.

After all 30 of your blocks are sewn, we get to make the prairie points!

So let’s get started…

‘Sew Happy Together’ Baby Quilt Pattern

Finished quilt dimensions: 40’’ x 46’’. Finished block size: 6” x 6”.

You will need:

• 3/8 yard of Fabric A (mine is orange and pink)
• 3/4 yard of Fabric B (mine is the small purple floral)
• 1 1/2 yards background fabric
• 1/2 yard binding fabric
• 2 1/2 yards backing fabric, or enough to piece together a 45” x 51” rectangle
• a 45” x 51” piece of quilt batting
• a rotary cutter, acrylic ruler, and mat
• sewing machine
• thread (I suggest thread matching the background fabric)
• a pencil or fabric marking pen
• the free pattern template below.

Cutting:

From Fabric A, cut:

• 5 strips 2 1/2” x WOF (width of fabric, for the 9-patch blocks)

From Fabric B, cut:

• 30 squares 2 7/8” x 2 7/8” (for the snowball blocks)
• 54 squares 3 1/2” x 3 1/2”(for the prairie points in the quilt border). Do not cut if you are making the optional flying geese border instead of prairie points.

From the background fabric, cut:

• 4 strips 2 1/2” x WOF (for the 9-patch blocks)
• 15 squares 6 1/2” x 6 1/2” (for the snowball blocks)
• 4 strips 2” x 42” (for the inner border)
• 4 strips 4” x 42” (for the outer border). Do not cut if you are making the optional flying geese border instead of prairie points.

Sewing instructions:

Use a 1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted.

9-Patch Quilt Block Tutorial

Strip Piecing

1. Sew two Fabric A 2 1/2” x WOF strips with a 2 1/2” x WOF background fabric strip in the center. Press the seams toward Fabric A.

Repeat to make 2 strip sets.

2. Sew two background fabric 2 1/2” x WOF strips with a 2 1/2” x WOF Fabric A strip in the center. Press the seams toward Fabric A.

3. Subcut the strip sets into pieces that are 2 1/2” wide and 6 1/2” tall.

Cut:

• 30 pieces that are Fabric A/Background/Fabric A
• 15 pieces that are Background/Fabric A/Background

You will have a little bit of fabric left over.

4. Sew three pieces together to make a nine-patch block as shown.

Make 15 nine-patch blocks.

Snowball Quilt Block Tutorial

Use the Template to cut the Snowball Shape

1. Print the snowball pattern template and cut it out around the dashed lines. The thin solid line shows the 1/4” seam allowance.

Please note that the shorter edges of the template are the top/bottom/side edges of the block and the longer edges are the corners. I uploaded a newer version of the template that is marked to remind you not to sew the corner triangles to the top, bottom, or side edges.

2. Place the snowball template on top of a 6 1/2” background fabric square (or several squares stacked together) and trim away the corners following the template.

Tip: Use a small ruler to help you cut straight and not damage the paper template.

Repeat to cut 15 snowball block centers.

Sew Corners to the Snowball Blocks

1. Cut all of the 2 7/8” squares from Fabric B in half diagonally to make 30 triangles.

2. Place a triangle piece right sides together with a snowball piece along one corner edge. Sew. Press the seam toward the corner.

3. Sew three more triangle pieces to the remaining corners of the snowball piece.

Make 15 Snowball blocks.

Assemble the Baby Quilt Top

1. Sew three 9-patch blocks and two snowball blocks into a row as shown. Press the seams toward the snowball blocks. Make 3 rows like this.

2. Sew three snowball blocks and two 9-patch blocks into a row as shown. Press the seams toward the snowball blocks. Make 3 rows like this.

3. Sew the quilt block rows together, alternating the different rows.

Make the Prairie Point Border

Sew an Inner Border First

1. Use 2 of the  2” x WOF background fabric strips to cut the side inner border pieces. The expected length is 36 1/2”. Sew the strips to the sides of the quilt top.

Tip: Instead of using the expected lengths for the border strips, I recommend measuring your quilt and using the actual measurements as I show in this blog post. This helps to prevent wavy quilt borders or puckering where the borders are attached.

2. Use 2 of the  2” x WOF background fabric strips to cut the top and bottom inner border pieces. The expected length is 33 1/2”. Sew the strips to the top and bottom of the quilt top.

Make 54 Prairie Points

Guess what??? There are at least two different ways to make prairie points!

Prairie Points Folding Method 1

Fold a 3 1/2” square in half (wrong sides together). Fold the top corners down to meet in the middle of the bottom edge. All of the raw edges should be together along the bottom of the prairie point.

Press.

This type of prairie point can be overlapped but not nested.

Prairie Points Folding Method 2

Fold a 3 1/2” square in half diagonally (wrong sides together). Fold in half diagonally one more time. All of the raw edges should be together along the bottom of the prairie point.

Press.

This type of prairie point can be nested or overlapped.

Choose a method for making prairie points. Make 54 prairie points using the 3 1/2” squares. Each side of the quilt will have 15 points. The top and the bottom of the quilt will each have 12 points.

Baste the Prairie Points to the Edges of the Quilt Top

1. Lay 15 points along one of the quilt’s side (longer) edges. The points should be directed toward the quilt’s inside, with all the raw edges aligned.

Take time to evenly distribute the 15 prairie points along the edge and overlap or nest them together.

Pin the prairie points in place.

2. Sew along the edge with a long basting stitch to secure the prairie points. Use a scant 1/4” seam allowance.

3. Baste 15 prairie points to the other long side edge and 12 prairie points to the top edge and the bottom edge of the quilt top.

Sew the Outer Border

1. Cut the border fabric 4” x WOF strips to the right length for the side outer border pieces. The expected length of the side border pieces is 39 1/2”.

2. Pin the border pieces over the prairie points. Sew the strips to the sides of the quilt top.

3. Open out the border strips and the prairie points and press.

4. Cut the border fabric 4” x WOF strips to the right length for the top and bottom outer border pieces. The expected length of the top and bottom border pieces is 40 1/2”. Sew the strips to the top and bottom of the quilt top.

Optional Flying Geese Border Tutorial

Cut:

• 12 Fabric B squares 4 1/4” x 4 1/4”
• 48 background fabric squares 2 1/2” x 2 1/2”
• 4 background fabric squares 2” x 2”
• 4 background fabric strips 2 1/2” x WOF

Make 48 Flying Geese Units

1. Use the pencil or fabric marking pen to draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of the 48 background fabric 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” squares. This is a cutting line.

2. Place two of the 2 1/2” squares right sides together on a 4 1/4’’ Fabric B square,  aligned with opposite corners. The squares will overlap, and the drawn lines (from Step 1 above) should make a single diagonal line across the larger square.

3. Sew 1/4’’ away from the drawn line on either side. Cut the piece apart along the line.

4. Fold back the smaller triangles and press. Place another 2 1/2” square right side down on each piece, aligned with the remaining corner as shown. Stitch 1/4’’ away from the drawn line on either side.

5. Cut apart the pieces along the line. Fold back the triangles and press to make 4 flying geese units. Trim the flying geese units to 2’’ x 3 1/2’’.

Make 48 flying geese units.

Sew the Flying Geese Border

1. Sew the flying geese units together in four long strips. The strips for the sides of the quilt should each have 13 flying geese units. The strips for the top and bottom of the quilt should each have 11 flying geese units.

2. Sew the strips with 13 flying geese units to the sides of the quilt top.

3. Sew the 4 background fabric squares 2” x 2” to the ends of the two remaining flying geese strips.

4. Sew the remaining strips to the top and bottom of the quilt top.

5. Cut the selvages from the 4 background fabric strips 2 1/2” x WOF.

6. The expected length of the side outer border pieces is 42 1/2”. Measure the quilt top and cut side border strips to the correct length.

Note: If your strips of fabric are not long enough after removing the selvages, cut 2 1/2” tall pieces of fabric from your background fabric scraps and piece them to the strips to make the strips the correct length.

Sew the side outer borders to the quilt top.

7. The expected length of the top and bottom outer border pieces is 40 1/2”. Measure the quilt top and cut border strips to the correct length.

Sew the top and bottom outer borders to the quilt top.

Finishing the ‘Sew Happy Together Baby’ Quilt Pattern

1. Cut or piece together a 45” x 51” piece of backing fabric and make a quilt sandwich with the backing, batting, and top.

2. Baste together with fusible batting, pins or basting spray.

3. Quilt as desired. Straight line quilting or cross hatch quilting with your walking foot would be fast and easy.

Quilting Tip: When I was preparing to quilt my top on my longarm frame, I used masking tape to tape the prairie points away from the borders as I quilted each border. Taping the points out of the way might be helpful to you, whether you are quilting on a domestic sewing machine or a longarm quilter.

4. Cut 5 binding strips and bind using your favorite method. This is my favorite quilt binding method.

xoxo,