20 Striking Turning Twenty Quilt Patterns

It’s no secret that quilt making is a passion project, and for some projects, it can take over 100 hours to construct the quilt top.

But what if you want to make a beautiful quilt that features gorgeous fabrics that won’t take weeks or months to complete?

Cue the turning 20 quilt pattern, please.

This pattern is perfect for beginners or for someone who has a fabulous fat quarter bundle that they want to use for a quick and easy quilt.

Let’s take a look at this type of pattern, shall we?

What Is a Turning Twenty Quilt? 

Unlike most quilt patterns, the turning 20 pattern is a type of quilt pattern, not a specific design. Turning 20 stands for turning 20 fat quarters into a quilt top. Tricia Cribbs trademarked this name, and she has many patterns that fall under the category “turning 20.”

There are some common attributes to all turning 20 quilt patterns. These beautiful patterns are:

• Beginner-friendly
• Traditionally pieced
• Quick to make
• Made from 20 fat quarters
• Simple design

What Size is a Turning 20 Quilt?

The size of the quilt you make will rely heavily on the quilt pattern you choose. But speaking from my own experience, if you want to create a quilt top entirely from only 20 fat quarters, you can expect to make a throw size quilt. 

If you add sashing or additional fabric yardage, you can probably get away with making a twin-size or even a queen. 

How Do You Cut a Turning 20 Quilt?

Again, this will depend on the quilt pattern you choose, but for many of the Turning 20 patterns, you use one block for the entire quilt top. 

For example, the original Turning 20 quilt is made using a three-piece block. All the blocks are pieced the same way, but when you create your rows, you turn the next block 90° to create movement for the quilt top.

20 Striking Turning Twenty Quilt Patterns

I have hunted high and low for 20 gorgeous Turning Twenty quilting examples. This simple and easy quilt pattern style is versatile and always open to interpretation. 

1. The Original Turning Twenty Pattern

If you are interested, here is the link to the original pattern book that shows you how to make The Original Turning Twenty quilt. Tricia Cribbs wanted to create patterns that would be easy to construct while simplifying pattern choice. I think she’s done a great job of that with this pattern. 

2. Modern Turning Twenty…Again

I found this fabulous quilt on Pinterest and had to show you this one! Using a modern color palette, this quilt maker used the Turning Twenty Again pattern to create this fun quilt. If you look closely, each block is constructed the same way.  They are just turned to add interest and movement.

3. Eggahells and Chocolate Joel Dewberry Quilt

Here is a quilt that uses the Original Turning 20 pattern. The quilter who made it chose to use a calm color palette and bold patterns. I love the addition of a scrappy border for this quilt. It goes with the whole theme of the quilt. 

4. Yellow Brick Road

Doesn’t this quilt top make you feel like sunshine? The combination of yellows and blues is a classic match and gives this quilt a warm glow. This design is similar to the original but not an exact duplication.

5. Pink Turning 20

The designer of this quilt chose to make a much larger quilt than the Original Turning Twenty and used 30 fat quarters. That’s the great part about these simple patterns. You can tweak them to match your needs quite easily.

6. Pastel Turning 20

Here’s another lovely example of the original, using pastels and vibrant patterns to make this fun patchwork quilt. Nancy, the quilt maker for this quilt, says she was a bit rusty with her sewing skills, but look at what a gorgeous quilt she could make!

This is truly a great pattern for beginners and those finding their way back to sewing.

7. The Original Turning Twenty by Tricia Cribbs

We’ve linked to Tricia Cribbs’ website, where she has several examples of the Turning Twenty pattern. Here is just one of the many examples showcased on her site. The fun part about this pattern is that fabric selection plays a large role in how the quilt will look. They all look so different.

8. Rosewood Lane

Here is a quilt pattern that offers five different sizes. We will focus on the throw size today since that size uses 20 fat quarters, so it fits in the category of a turning 20 quilt pattern. This pattern has a playful look and pairs well with bright, happy colors. 

9. Big and Bold

This pattern designed by Daniela Stout is another pattern that offers several sizes. The twin size is the size that will fit in our category today. You can make this gorgeous quilt using only 20 fat quarters and ⅞ yard of accent fabric. The example quilt pictured above is the twin-size quilt to give you an idea of what it may look like. 

10. Turning Twenty with Sashing

Choosing muted cottage-style colors and patterns gives this quilt a homey feel. The designer also decided to use sashing in between the blocks. I am a huge fan of adding sashing to a more simple design; it makes it look like a windowpane. 

11. Turning Twenty Around the Block

Another rendition of the Turning 20 pattern, this updated pattern “Around the Block,” adds so much movement to the quilt top. This quilt is gorgeous with its pops of purple on the monochromatic background. 

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12. Bows Ties and Butterflies

Batik fabrics look so great with this pattern, don’t you think? This pattern is another Tricia Cribbs pattern in her Turning Twenty series. It may look a little more complicated than the original, but don’t worry, Tricia has made it simple and easy to follow.

13. Feelin’ Groovy

Another 20 fat quarter-friendly pattern from The Turning Twenty series, this quilt mixes squares and 8 point stars to make this “groovy” design. If you follow the link, you’ll see the book, where you can find this quilt pattern. The book also has 13 other projects in it for you to try. The best part is they all use 20 fat quarters or less!

14. Blue and Green Turning 20

Here is another example of the original Turning 20 pattern, using several contrasting patterns but within the same color palette. This is a true patchwork quilt top, and I bet it looks even better once it is completed. 

15. Hope Chest Treasures

This pattern is #9 in the Turning Twenty series, and I think this might be my favorite of Tricia Cribbs’ patterns that we’re going to look at today.

The design makes it look like the blocks are almost braided together to make this fun interwoven pattern. She also includes other size options in this pattern, but the default size is 68”x91”.

16. Blues Turning 20

This blue interpretation of the original Turning 20 pattern is drop-dead gorgeous. The blues all meld together to make this wonderfully cohesive “blanket” of rich color. The quilter creating this quilt made it for her father’s 90th birthday—what a precious, handsome gift.

17. Simply Sashed: Stained Glass

If you love the look of stained glass, you will love this quilt pattern! Another Tricia Cribbs classic, this pattern mimics stained glass by using sashing between each square and rectangle of this quilt top. This pattern will also offer different size options to make a smaller or larger version.

18. Lilac and Purple Turning 20

For this list, I have tried to find a lot of different color palettes in the original Turning 20 design to show how versatile the pattern is. This beautiful quilt is another lovely example of this simple, fun pattern. Grey goes so well with purples, and this quilter did a fabulous job choosing the right colors and patterns for her quilt. 

19. Light Bright Colors

I do not know the name of this quilt, but I had to add it to the list for its super fun color palette and simple design. If you look closely, each block is the same; they have just been turned 90° like the original Turning 20 pattern. The color palette gives this simple quilt a modern, eclectic vibe. 

20. Turning Twenty…Again

If you loved #2 from this list, here is the link for the pattern: “Turning Twenty…Again.” Tricia Cribbs took her original design and added more patchwork-y goodness to it to make this exciting, scrappy design. You could easily add or subtract blocks to make the size you desire.

Have fun with it!

Well, that’s all for today. Twenty beautiful, versatile quilts to inspire you to grab that fat quarter bundle you’ve been saving and make something with it. You can never have too many quilts, right?