Squarely Modern: A Beginner-Friendly Quilt Pattern with a Modern Twist & Coloring Pages
- Jen Wagner
- Mar 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 27
If you're looking for a quilt that comes together quickly and effortlessly, Squarely Modern is the perfect choice. Designed with beginners in mind—but still fun for experienced quilters—this pattern makes the most of chain piecing for fast assembly. And if you love efficiency, you’ll be thrilled to know that the entire quilt can be cut out using a Stripology Ruler. I used this one to cut out a twin-size version in under an hour!
Squarely Modern includes three layout options (all shown in Dazzle Dots 2) and comes in five sizes, giving you plenty of flexibility to make it your own! The second layout option is perfect for 10" x 10" precut packs—how awesome is that? Woohoo! Plus, you’ll find a link to free coloring pages at the end of the post to help you plan your quilt and quilting motifs.
But what makes Squarely Modern even more special is that it marks my first official project as a Benartex Ambassador! When I received the list of fabrics to choose from, I was beyond excited to see Christa Watson’s Dazzle Dots 2 collection. Since Christa and I both live in Las Vegas, I immediately gave her a call to share the news. She was just as excited as I was! To celebrate, we did a live unboxing with the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild, where Christa shared her design process and the inspiration behind her collection. If you missed it, you can watch it here on YouTube.
From Sketch to Quilt
This quilt design started as a simple sketch years ago. When Benartex invited me to be an ambassador for 2025 and asked for my first project to be a tutorial, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to bring Squarely Modern to life. I’ve created many tutorials over the years, covering techniques like curves, foundation paper piecing (FPP), and reverse appliqué, but I wanted this project to be a true beginner-friendly introduction to quilting.
Teaching quilting is my passion and I love helping new quilters gain confidence at their machines. With Squarely Modern and its accompanying video tutorials, learning the fundamentals becomes fun, stress-free, and approachable. I designed this quilt as a skill-building project, focusing on three essential techniques every quilter needs. These first three video tutorials lay the foundation:
Understanding Your Sewing Machine – This video walks through the buttons, functions, and how to get your machine stitching.
Rotary Cutting Basics – A game-changer for quilting, rotary cutting speeds up the process and ensures precision—because if your fabric isn’t cut accurately, your quilt pieces won’t fit together properly.
Mastering the Quarter-Inch Seam – Since quilt blocks fit together like puzzle pieces, even small variations in seam allowance across multiple blocks can add up, making your quilt top wavy or misaligned. Mastering a true ¼” seam helps ensure everything comes together smoothly.
A Simple Block with Big Impact
The block in Squarely Modern is intentionally simple so quilters can focus on refining their rotary cutting and seam allowance accuracy. But don’t let the simplicity fool you! The magic of this quilt comes from the layout—while there’s no curved piecing, the way the blocks come together creates the illusion of circles. It’s my way of sneaking curves into the design while keeping the piecing beginner-friendly! And Dazzle Dots 2 is so perfect for this design because the dots are circles in some fabrics and squares in the others!
Pattern Testing: Bringing Squarely Modern to Life
One of my favorite parts of designing quilt patterns is seeing how they come to life in the hands of other quilters. I LOVE watching my designs transform with different fabric choices and creative interpretations!
During the testing process for Squarely Modern, we discovered just how important it is to select a high-contrast fabric for the accent squares to make the design pop. Another exciting revelation? 10" x 10" precut packs work beautifully for this pattern, making it even more accessible and beginner-friendly.
Here's what my amazing pattern testers made...
Mary Kay @mkvquilts said "I found a bundle of leftover fabric from a quilt made a few years ago and it worked out perfectly! Great pattern, good for beginners, went together quickly!"
Jackie @jackietheaggie said, "Yay! My throw is finished! This was really fun to make! I’m glad I went ahead with the large prints."
Stasi @tenesseequiltretreats added the perfect finishing touch to her quilt with an adorable border! I’m so excited to be teaching at her stunning riverfront vineyard this October—don’t miss out on this incredible retreat experience!
Mollie @madeby_moonlight said, "This is a chain piecing dream."
Ashley @catscoffeandquilts Went with Benartex "Glow-O-Saurus" 10x10 packs and discovered that ironing it also makes it glow! She said, "My kids love it and we've already had a dance party on it.😆"
Kristen @kristensewkrafty said "Finished the baby size - it came together super fast! I used Benartex Wander Lane."
Cath @cathlmaker said, "Love the pattern, very beginner-friendly!!" She made her quilt in Color Weave and Butterfly Swirl fabrics from Benartex.
Bojana @bojanabp22 said, "Done! I have to say this is a time-record for me. I've never finished a quilt this fast. Loved this pattern! ❤️ " She used Wave Texture, a wide back by Benartex for her quilt back.
Jill @miss_jilly_quilts really made her circle pop with the black background and orange accent squares!
Sandy @mysticsandsewn brilliantly used Cherry Hill fabric by Benartex for her Squarely Modern quilt!
Laurie @lauriegran made her illusion circles pop using several colors!
Quilting Squarely Modern
One of the biggest challenges for new quilters is the actual quilting process—where the quilt top, batting, and backing are layered together and stitched through. This can be done by hand, on a sewing machine, or with a longarm machine.
For Squarely Modern, I intentionally planned out quilting designs for the cover quilt that are beginner-friendly while also enhancing the quilt’s interplay between squares and circles. The structured straight-line quilting in the background contrasts beautifully with the freeform messy circles in the accent squares, adding depth and movement to the design. Here are some helpful tips for achieving both quilting styles with confidence.
Before Starting: If quilting by hand or on a domestic sewing machine, be sure to baste the layers together first using a quilting hoop, basting spray, basting stitches, or safety pins to keep everything secure.
Straight lines:
Start with the loop around the accent square then space the lines evenly from there out.
Use a walking foot when using a sewing machine to feed the layers evenly.
Use a guide bar on the walking foot to help keep lines straight and evenly spaced.
Messy Circles:
Messy Circles are all about being smooth, not about being perfectly round so they're a great way to build your quilting skills without needing to be even or perfect.
Because the stitching lines overlap so much, I don't bother to tie off and bury my thread ends in the quilt. Instead, I just cut them off.
Start and end away from the edge of the accent square so the start/end is difficult to find.
Loop around 3.5 - 5 times.
It may help to mark two circles, one at the edge of the accent square and one about a centimeter inside it (think donut) before quilting.
Don't worry too much about staying within the accent square, if the stitching goes out of bounds a bit, it's really no big deal! Don't tell your friends and they'll never notice!
P.S. Best tip I ever got about quilting a quilt: "Your quilt will not self-combust! Practice a bit then just go for it!" - Vickie Ruebel of @orchidowlquilts
I hope this quilt brings as much joy to you as it did to me while designing and making it. Whether you’re brand new to quilting or looking for a fun, quick project, Squarely Modern is sure to be a favorite.
I'd love to hear which layout or size option you're most excited to try! Drop a comment below and share your thoughts—I can't wait to see how you all make this quilt your own!
Happy quilting!
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