Layer Cake Quilt Patterns: 7 Free Quilts to Make From 10" Squares
A layer cake is the most forgiving precut in quilting: 42 squares of 10" fabric, already coordinated, already cut straight. Open one and you are ten minutes from a sewn block instead of an afternoon of rotary cutting. The hard part is not sewing it — it is deciding which pattern to make, and how much extra fabric you have to buy to finish it.
This guide sorts that out. Every pattern below is one Jenny Doan or the Missouri Star team has actually filmed, and the supply amounts come straight from each tutorial's own supply list — not an estimate. The layer cakes at the bottom were all in stock at Missouri Star when this was written.
⚡ Quick Answer
- A layer cake = 42 squares of 10" fabric — enough for a lap quilt on its own, or a throw/twin once you add borders.
- Fastest finish: the Double Slice Layer Cake — one pack, no extra piecing fabric, 9 minutes of video.
- Most bang for a beginner: the Easy Layer Cake Quilt — 1 pack + ¾ yd inner border + 2 yd outer border.
- Budget: packs run about $29.78–$44.25; add roughly 3–5 yards for borders, binding and backing.
- Shop the fabric: 10" Layer Cake Squares · printed patterns: 10" Square Patterns.
- ➤One pack is a real quilt. Two of the patterns here need nothing but the layer cake itself.
- ➤Two packs beat one. Disappearing-block patterns pair a print pack with a background pack — that contrast is what makes the secondary star appear.
- ➤Buy backing wide. 108" wide backing means no seam across the back; several tutorials call for it by name.
- ➤Solids stretch a print pack. A white or black Kona pack is the cheapest way to double your yardage and sharpen the design.
What You Actually Get in One Layer Cake
Forty-two 10" squares. Laid edge to edge with no piecing at all that is a 60" x 70" flat top — a genuine lap quilt. Cut those squares once and you have 168 five-inch squares; cut twice and you have 336 charm-sized 2½" pieces. That flexibility is why Jenny reaches for a 10" pack more often than any other precut on the cutting table.
The catch nobody mentions: the squares are cut with pinked edges, so your true square is closer to 9⅞". Measure from the outer points of the pinking, and your seams line up; measure from the valleys, and every block ends up short. It costs you nothing as long as you are consistent across the whole pack.
| If you sew... | You get roughly | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 42 squares, straight set | 60" x 70" | Lap quilt, no borders |
| 1 pack + 4" borders | 68" x 78" | Throw / twin topper |
| 2 packs (print + background) | 72" x 90" | Full-size quilt |
| Squares cut into 5" charms | 168 charms | Scrappy blocks, table runners |
💡 Pro Tip: Press the whole pack before you cut anything. Precuts are folded in a bag for months, and that fold line is the number one reason a "perfectly cut" square finishes crooked. Steam, with no starch on the fold.
7 Free Layer Cake Quilt Patterns from Missouri Star
These are free video tutorials on the Missouri Star site. Each one lists its own supply requirements, and the numbers below are quoted from those lists.
1 Pack · 9:18
Double Slice Layer Cake Quilt
Two gentle curves-free slices per square. Needs one layer cake and nothing else — the most-watched layer cake tutorial Missouri Star has, at over 2.1 million views. See the tutorial
1 Pack + Borders · 3:36
Easy Layer Cake Quilt
Jenny's starter version: 1 pack, ¾ yard inner border, 2 yards outer. Under four minutes of video and genuinely a first-quilt project. See the tutorial
1 Pack · 14:07
Disappearing Hourglass 2
Sew an hourglass, slice it apart, shuffle the pieces. One pack, no extra fabric, and it looks far harder than it is. See the tutorial
2 Packs + Borders · 12:08
Hunter's Star Quilt
The classic. One print layer cake, one solid layer cake, plus ¾ yd inner border, 1¾ yd outer and ¾ yd binding. See the tutorial
2 Packs + Borders · 14:52
Disappearing Hourglass Starry
Print pack + background pack, ⅝ yd inner, 1⅛ yd outer, ¾ yd binding and 2⅓ yd of 108" wide backing. See the tutorial
2 Packs + Borders · 15:46
Disappearing Hourglass Xs and Os
Two layer cakes turn into alternating X and O blocks. Add ⅝ yd inner, 1½ yd outer, ⅔ yd binding, 2½ yd backing. See the tutorial
2 Packs + Borders · 14:47
Disappearing Four Patch Weave
A woven, over-under illusion from a plain four patch. Print pack + background pack, ¾ yd inner, 1½ yd outer, 5 yd backing. See the tutorial
Printed Layer Cake Patterns Worth Buying
Free tutorials include the supply lists and video. If you want cutting diagrams, block counts and multiple finished sizes on paper next to your machine, Missouri Star's printed patterns are $8.50 (or $6.95 as an instant digital download). Prices and stock verified in the shop as of September 2026.
| Pattern | Price | Why it suits a layer cake |
|---|---|---|
| Book Review Quilt Pattern | $8.50 | Bookshelf-style rows — reads as a scrappy sampler and hides busy prints beautifully. |
| Jenny's Easy Carpenter's Star | $8.50 | A traditional star broken into straight seams, sized for 10" squares. |
| Starburst Quilt Pattern | $8.50 | High contrast points — best with one print pack and one solid pack. |
The full library includes hundreds of designs: browse all 10" square (layer cake) patterns.
Layer Cakes to Buy Right Now
Every pack below was in stock at Missouri Star when this guide was written. Prices are per 42-square pack.
| Layer cake | Price | Best used for |
|---|---|---|
| Kona Cotton White Ten Squares | $29.78 | The background pack for any two-pack pattern. Cheapest way to double a print pack. |
| Kona Cotton Black Ten Squares | $29.78 | Same job, dramatic result — black makes Hunter's Star points snap. |
| Butter Churn Basics 10" Squares | $33.75 | Kim Diehl reproduction prints; forgiving, low-contrast, very hard to make ugly. |
| Colorworks Premium Solids White Tiles | $33.00 | Tone-on-tone white with texture — solid-looking without going flat. |
| Stonehenge Surfaces Tiles | $39.00 | Blender textures that read as solids from across the room. |
| True Colors Tiny Coordinates — Tula Pink | $39.60 | Saturated modern coordinates for a bold, graphic top. |
| Welcome To Quilt Town Blocks White on White | $42.95 | Quilty white-on-white prints — a background pack with personality. |
| Woolies Flannel Holiday Warmth 10" Squares | $44.25 | Flannel layer cake. Heavier, cozier, perfect for a winter throw. |
More arrive weekly — see the full layer cake collection or the wider precut fabrics range.
💡 Pro Tip: Ordering a two-pack pattern? Buy the print pack and the background pack in the same order. Dye lots on solids shift between runs, and a half-finished quilt waiting on a re-order is how projects become UFOs.
What Else to Add to the Cart
The pack is never the whole bill. Averaged across the seven tutorials above, here is what a layer cake quilt actually needs beyond the precut:
| Item | Typical amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inner border | ⅝ – ¾ yard | Almost always a solid or near-solid. |
| Outer border | 1⅛ – 2 yards | The wider the border, the more the quilt grows. |
| Binding | ⅔ – ¾ yard | Enough for a throw with cornering to spare. |
| Backing | 2⅓ yards of 108" wide | Or roughly 5 yards of 44" if you piece it. |
| Batting | Throw or twin size | Buy one size up from your top and trim. |
Choosing Between Them
If this is your first quilt, make the Easy Layer Cake Quilt. If you have made one and want something that gets gasps, make the Double Slice — it is still one pack and it photographs like a much harder quilt. If you are ready to buy two packs, Hunter's Star is the pattern people frame; the Disappearing Hourglass family is the one people make three of.
One genuinely useful trick from watching Jenny build these: sew a single test block before you chain-piece the whole pack. Ten inches of precut fabric leaves very little room to recover from a wandering seam allowance, and one test block costs you two squares out of forty-two.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many squares are in a layer cake?
Forty-two 10" squares in a standard Missouri Star layer cake. A few designer packs vary, so check the product page if the count matters to your pattern.
How big a quilt does one layer cake make?
Straight-set with no borders, about 60" x 70" — a lap quilt. Add 4" borders and you are around 68" x 78", which covers a twin bed as a topper.
Are layer cakes and 10" squares the same thing?
Yes. "Layer Cake" is Moda's trademarked name; other mills call them 10" squares, ten squares, tiles or stacks. They are all 10" x 10" precut packs.
Should I prewash a layer cake?
No. Precut edges are pinked, not finished, and washing frays and shrinks them unevenly. Wash the finished quilt with a color catcher instead.
Can I use a layer cake with a jelly roll?
Absolutely — Missouri Star has a whole tutorial for it. The 10" squares become blocks and the 2½" strips become sashing, which is a very efficient way to grow a quilt without buying yardage.
What is the fastest layer cake quilt?
The Double Slice Layer Cake. One pack, two cuts per square, and the video runs 9 minutes.
Pick a pattern, pick a pack, and you can have a top together this weekend. Jenny has been saying it for years: precuts are not cheating, they are just skipping the part nobody enjoys.