There are many kinds of quilt patterns with various themes and techniques.
One of the more popular styles is using the rainbow color palette in a quilt.
Quilts already embody joy and love, and by adding a vibrant rainbow color scheme, you can quickly turn a lovely quilt pattern into something gorgeous.
Today’s post will revolve around rainbow quilts and the many possibilities surrounding them.
We’ll discuss how to create a rainbow quilt and look at several beautiful examples to inspire your next colorful quilt project.
How Do You Make a Rainbow Quilt?
The cool part about rainbow quilts is you can take any quilt pattern, and by choosing the prismatic colors of the rainbow, it instantly becomes magical.
A few quilt patterns have a literal rainbow in the design, and we’ll look at those later, but let’s first discuss the steps to create modern rainbow quilts.
Step 1: Choose the Pattern
You can make any quilt pattern into a rainbow quilt if you choose the suitable fabrics. Find a quilt pattern that speaks to you and fits within your skill level.
If you are a beginner quilter, it helps to choose a pattern written in the instructions to use at least six different fabrics to represent the six colors of the rainbow.
Step 2: Choose the Fabrics
One of the most satisfying steps is choosing the fabrics. Since we want to use rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple), we now need to decide if we will use solid colors or patterned fabrics.
Next, choose if you want to use precuts or yardage. The pattern you choose may give cutting instructions for either precut fabrics or yardage. There are many rainbow color palette precut fabric bundles available online.
Step 3: Create the Quilt
Follow the pattern instructions like normal and create your beautiful quilt. You may mix the colors around for a patchwork-style design or keep the colors in “rainbow order” to keep with the theme. Either way looks gorgeous and deliberate.
17 Beautiful Rainbow Quilt Patterns
Now that we know we can make any quilt pattern into an eye-catching rainbow quilt, let’s check out some fantastic examples of rainbow quilts.
The following quilts are perfect for any skill level unless stated otherwise, and I hope they inspire you to create your rainbow quilt someday.
1. Rainbow Falls
I had to start the collection off with a pattern that features a fun, modern rainbow design. This pattern is fat-quarter friendly and includes instructions for six sizes, from a pillow to a king-size quilt. I recommend this pattern to confident beginners and up since you are dealing with curves.
2. Beginner Rainbow Quilt Pattern
Here is a gorgeous example of how a simple beginner pattern can be elevated just by choosing vibrant colors. The sample quilt above uses solid colors, but this quilt pattern would look amazing with patterned fabric too. The pattern gives instructions to create a 62” square quilt.
3. Pattern for the Rainbow
Isn’t this a gorgeous representation of the range of colors found in the rainbow? I especially love how the maker of this quilt used circular quilting to mimic the rainbow arch. The finished quilt size is 60” x 83”.
4. Right Angle Rainbow
This fun, geometric pattern is the perfect example of a seemingly “regular” quilt pattern that “pops!” when you add the rainbow. The design may look a bit complex, but this is a fantastic beginner quilt pattern. It includes three sizes to choose from: baby, throw, and queen.
5. Scrappy Rainbow Mini Quilt
Consider this adorable mini quilt pattern if you are looking for a fun rainbow project to make in a few hours. This is an excellent project to use up some of those tiny scraps you have saved up, and it would make a beautiful gift. The finished project measures 18” x 9”.
6. Geometric Rainbow
Here is a fun booklet comprising 12 unique Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) patterns. You can use these patterns to create adorable mini quilts, create your custom layout, or use the included quilt pattern layout that features all 12 designs. FPP is a quilt-making technique that is best suited for intermediate quilters.
7. Rainbow Fields
Isn’t this modern quilt a feast for the eyes? This is an excellent beginner quilt pattern, and it looks fantastic with prismatic colors. Two sizes are included in the layout instructions, plus several other color options to inspire you.
8. Scrappy Happy Rainbow Connection
Here is the perfect rainbow quilt pattern for those who love scrappy-style quilts. The pattern includes five size options and gives fabric requirements for scraps, fat quarters, or yardage, so no matter what you choose, the pattern writer has you covered.
This would be a fun project with a group of people. Everyone could bring their scraps, and you could create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
9. Color Me
This pattern would make a wonderful gift for a child who loves to draw and color. Like #8 in this collection, this pattern works great with scraps. The finished quilt will measure 50” x 64”.
10. Stellar Translucence
“Stellar Translucence” is an excellent beginner modern quilt pattern. It uses large pieces to create simple yet striking blocks.
The pattern does use FPP, but the shapes are simple enough for a beginner and would be a great introductory project in FPP. The finished project measures 29”x 32”.
11. Iridescent
This gorgeous beginner-friendly quilt pattern uses one type of quilt block: the half-square triangle or HST.
Adjusting the direction of the block creates these fun angles and designs for a modern quilt top. This pattern is charm pack and layer cake friendly and will help you create a 63” x 63” quilt.
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12. Rainbow Zola
Wow, this quilt is drop-dead gorgeous! This pattern has the perfect combination of modern design and rainbow colors to catch anyone’s eye. It is fat-quarter friendly and includes three size options.
13. Sunshowers
This fun quilt pattern will show you how to make these adorable rainbow quilt blocks. I love how the maker of this quilt didn’t use traditional rainbow colors for the color palette, which gives it a modern twist.
You will need to know how to do FPP for this pattern. That’s why I would recommend confident beginners/ intermediate quilters tackle this project.
14. Rainbow Rift
This beautiful modern quilt pattern includes three sizes: wall-hanging, crib, and throw. In the pattern, you will receive a coloring page and a few other color options for inspiration. If you are a beginner quilter, this is an excellent choice for you.
15. Cornerways
I am in love with this quilt pattern! It reminds me of snowflakes or stars. This gorgeous pattern supplies instructions to create a 73” x 87” quilt top, but you could easily create a different size by adding or subtracting blocks.
16. Reconnection
This beautiful quilt pattern is a great beginner-friendly option that features all the rainbow colors and then some. The unique dark borders create a fun 3D effect for the plus signs all over the quilt top. The pattern includes layout instructions for several different sizes.
17. Over the Rainbow
This rainbow quilt is adorable. The different quilting techniques accentuate the various parts of the quilt design. The finished quilt measures 51” x 69”. This will be an excellent choice if you want to try sewing with curves.
I hope you had as much fun as I did walking through these unbelievably vibrant quilt patterns. Isn’t it amazing how different each one is, and yet they all have a similar color palette or theme? I hope these patterns inspired you to dream up your rainbow quilt.