Free pattern day: Purses, Handbags and zipper bags

Check out these FREE patterns for purses, handbags, and zippered pouches! 

NOTE:  This post has been UPDATED.  For the latest freebies, check out our Free Pattern Day for Purses & Handbags (CLICK HERE!) Also see our FREE PATTERNS FOR TOTE BAGS.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, collectibles, and clothing!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please follow us on Twitter ! 

Image credits and links: This post was updated on January 10, 2026. All images are copyrighted by their owners. Please respect their generosity in sharing their free patterns, and the restrictions they have placed on the use of these designs. Complete information can be found at the designers' websites provided in the links.  If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at Quilt Inspiration.

Free pattern day: Tote bags !

Just in time for back-to-school or holiday projects, we've assembled a collection of free sewing patterns for tote bags (and a backpack).  These are perfect for books, groceries, knitting, or anything else you need to haul around !

NOTE: This post has been updated and expanded.  Please see the new Free pattern day: Tote bags!

All sewn up: Fruit and Vegetable quilts

We think that a quilt, wall hanging or table topper would be a great way to celebrate the beauty and variety of fruits and vegetables. For the last two weeks we've featured quilts that honor the summer harvest, with colorful, ripe plums, peaches, tomatoes, carrots and more.   We're also showcasing some luscious apples from a previous post.  There's a style here for every taste, from traditional to modern, pieced or appliqued !

Above, Row 1:  Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith at Piece O' Cake Designs.  Row 2: Pearl's Garden by Pearl P. Pereira at P3 Designs.  Row 3: Pieced Vegetables by Linda L. Frost at 13th Street Studio.  Row 4:  Pears, pineapple and apple by Laura Wasilowski at ArtFabrik.  For links to our original posts, see the footnote*.

Above, Row 1:  Vegetable quilts by Lonni Rossi.  Row 2: Cornucopia by Elly Sienkiewicz, stitched by Karen Pessia; Apple still life by Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter.  Row 3: Apple of my eye by Debi Hubbs at Art Blooms; Cider Mill Road by Nancy Halvorsen at Art to Heart. For links to our original posts, see the footnote*.

*Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  Patterns  and/or books are available for many of these quilts.  For our original posts discussing these quilts and artists, please visit the following links: Simply Delicious; Pearl's Garden;  Pieced Vegetables;  Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski; The Broccoli Quilt by Lonni Rossi; and Harvest Quilts - Part 2.

Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski

Multi-talented artist Laura Wasilowski lives in Elgin, Illinois, where she displays her gorgeous work on her Artfabrik website. Laura teaches workshops and seminars, produces luminous hand-dyed fabrics and threads, writes books, designs kits and patterns, and creates beautiful quilts using a number of fusible applique methods that she developed.   Here are some of Laura's vibrant quilts with a fruit theme that really caught our eyes.

Folk Art Pineapple, 15 x 18, by Laura Wasilowski
 

These pure colors of nature remind us so much of Hawaii, with lush green pineapple fields surrounded by the blues of the ocean and the sky. You can purchase the pattern separately, or Laura also offers both the pattern and the fabric kit together on her patterns page at Artfabrik.  Based on the eye-catching design, this is definitely a pineapple with personality.

Color Chip Collage by Laura Wasilowski

Lively pears spill right out of the woven basket, just waiting to be picked up as a snack. Notice how the curved white stitching against the dark blue background gives a great sense of energy to this work. Laura teaches this collage as a one day workshop in using simple fusing techniques to create a pictorial or abstract small quilt. No sewing machine is needed ; and for a small kit fee, Laura provides a hand-out and her stunning hand-dyed fabric. We think that this workshop would be so fun and inspirational !

Prelude to Pie, 46 x 46", by Laura Wasilowski 
 

Laura writes, "Inspired by family, friends, and home, I create stories in cloth. My narrative quilts begin with unique, hand-dyed fabrics. These become whimsical wall pieces that reflect a joyful and colorful life." Her original "Prelude to Pie" quilt features a big bowl of apples sitting on a virtual tablecloth, surrounded by more apples that float in space. The blue sky backdrop gives this scene a surreal quality which we love.  This quilt is for sale on Laura's Artfabrik portfolio page.

Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts by Laura Wasilowski

Laura's book, Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts has easy-to-follow directions and patterns for making 11 fused applique and embroidered projects, including this adorable cozy cottage, a houseboat, lighthouse, and windmill.  There's a chapter on how to select stitches and do hand embroidery for fused art projects,  as well as a chapter on how to do a time-saving smooth finish wrapped binding. This intriguing book is a wonderful way to practice your fusing and embroidery skills together, while making some really pretty small quilts.

Note : In addition to Laura's Artfabrik website, please check out her fun blog. She details her adventures as a guest instructor on a European cruise, along with many helpful tips about quilt making.

Image credits: Images shown are with the generous permission of the artist.

Pieced Vegetables

We're continuing our series on fruits and vegetables, and today we are featuring textile artist Linda L. Frost, whose website is at 13th Street Studio. Linda's work ranges from reproducing antique quilts to creating abstract pieces, and her quilts have been exhibited in galleries and quilt shows throughout the U.S.   Her beautiful vegetable quilts were inspired by Ruth B. McDowell's book, Pieced Vegetables.

Carrot, 17 x 37", by Linda Frost at 13th Street Studio

Linda Frost's explorations of pieced vegetables began in 2008 with the opportunity to show some quilts at her local organic/health food market. She decided it would be a good time to make some of the quilts in Ruth McDowell's book, Pieced Vegetables. We love the carrot, above, with its interesting fabrics; the carrot appears to be visible underground, with just the carrot tops showing in the light blue sky fabric;  the carrot top is quilted to mimic the texture of leaves.

Yellow Pepper by Linda Frost at 13th Street Studio

The sinuous shapes of the yellow pepper are clearly shown in this art quilt by Linda Frost.  She has enhanced the lines of the pepper with echo quilting.  Linda's artistic fabric selection extends to the border, which incorporates strips in a variety of colors and patterns.

Artichoke, 36 x 37", by Linda Frost at 13th Street Studio

This is the third vegetable quilt that Linda Frost made to exhibit in her local Mercantile. It is also from Ruth McDowell's book, Pieced Vegetables. At 36 x 37", this artichoke is larger than life! Linda used some purple acrylic paint to shade the tips of each of the artichoke petals-before they were sewn together... and then also used some fairly heavy stipple quilting in purple thread to help with the shading.

Ruth B. McDowell's book includes our favorite vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, onions, peppers, and more. Pieced Vegetables joins Ruth's other books, including Pieced Flowers and Piecing: Expanding the Basics.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Linda L. Frost. The quilts shown here are in private collections. She is the author of the book, Happy Birthday Kansas! A Sampler Quilt Celebrating 150 Years on the Prairie. Her work was also featured in Martha Sielman's Art Quilt Portfolio: The Natural World and in several books by Barbara Brackman; for more information, please visit 13th Street Studio.  For additional inspiration also see Linda's photostream at Flickr.

Pearl's Garden Quilt

Pearl Pereira of P3 Designs lives in Southern California, has been sewing since she was 6 years old, and creates some of the loveliest applique patterns we've ever seen.  Since August is the month that many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are  harvesting home-grown fruits and vegetables or shopping for them at local farmers' markets, we're featuring the charming "Pearl's Garden Quilt."

"Pearl's Garden Quilt", size 54 x 60 , is comprised of twelve 9" x 12" appliqued vegetable blocks, accompanied by embroidered herbs and inked lettering. In addition, this quilt features four smaller  6 x 9 blocks of very cute appliqued insects, embroidered herbs, and inked lettering. The four smaller blocks can be seen in close-up at the gallery page of P3 designs.

The "Pearl's Garden" pattern contains easy to follow instructions for the embroidery and inking of the vegetable and herb names, plus full size patterns for hand applique of the very realistic looking vegetables.

The sophisticated renderings of the vegetables are juxtaposed against a patchwork background of soft ecru,  natural linen beige, vanilla, and pale taupe fabrics, which give a homey, comforting look to this quilt. Here's a great opportunity to use neutral hue remnants of  quilt backing or fat quarters from former quilt projects. Depending upon your decor, you could also select background fabrics of pale, icy green or soft pale silvery gray. 

We especially love this block above, because as owners of a carefully-tended home grown tomato plant, we think Pearl has done a perfect job of drawing these lifelike leaves and blossoms. Pearl has chosen just the right shade of sage and olive green batik fabric for this plant. However, you could also make these blocks in tiny calico prints or monochromatic tone-on-tone fabrics, depending upon the selection from your stash.

Note : Pearl Pereira and her colleague Nancy Avidon teach at many well-known workshops and seminars throughout the year, including hosting a fabulous quilt cruise to Hawaii in the spring of 2013. For more information and more gorgeous patterns, please see Pearl's home page of P3 Designs .

Image credits: Images shown are with the generous permission of the artist.

Simply Delicious

In the middle of August, in North America, the markets are overflowing with colorful, ripe cantaloupes, peaches, tomatoes and more. We think that a quilt, wall hanging or table topper would be a great way to celebrate the beauty and variety of fruits and vegetables.  We decided to share a few block-of-the-month quilts that are among our all-time favorites.  So let's get started... with Simply Delicious.

Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith at Piece O'Cake Designs

"Simply Delicious" was the second block-of-the-month pattern at Piece O'Cake Designs and it is still going strong. We love this classic quilt, which was inspired by vintage botanical prints from the 1800's.  There are twelve different blocks depicting fruit with descriptive names, such as Perfect Pomegranate, Plump Peaches, Choicest Cherries, and Purple Plums.

Purple Plums, 16 x 16", Block 5 of Simply Delicious at Piece O'Cake Designs

In Purple Plums, the colors of the plums varies from red-violet to deepest purple, reflecting the plums at various stages of ripening.  The fruits are appliqued on a four-patch background of blues and neutrals, giving a soft, vintage look to the finished quilt.  Each block finishes at 16" including the small sashing squares, which add to the appearance of gingham. 

Luscious Lemons, Block #4 of Simply Delicious at Piece O' Cake Designs

Each individual block would make a charming wall hanging.  We are particularly partial to Luscious Lemons, above, with its cheerful color scheme.  It would be fun to pick out the fabrics for this block! Check out the beautiful block posted by Penny Sanford, and the work-in-progress by Wanda at Scrap Happy Quilting.

Choicest Cherries, Block #16 of Simply Delicious at Piece O'Cake Designs

We've always loved the look of vintage botanical prints, and "Choicest Cherries" is another of our favorite blocks. For more quilt inspiration, check out the stunning finished Simply Delicious quilts posted by Cotton Kapers and Pine Belt Quilters (Ollie Jean Lane trunk show).

Rebecca Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins are the co-founders of Piece O' Cake Designs, and Linda says that Simply Delicious is one of her all-time favorites from her Piece O' Cake partner (see the interview with Linda and Rebecca at the Robert Kaufman Fabrics blog,  The Swatch and Stitch.)

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Rebecca Goldsmith.

Free Pattern Day: Plus and Cross quilts

Here are free patterns for quilts with 'plus' and 'cross' designs! They are among the simplest of all designs and make interesting tessellations.  NOTE: This post has been UPDATED.  For the latest freebies, please go to our FREE PATTERN DAY for Plus and Cross quilts (CLICK HERE!)

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !     

Image credits and links: This post was updated on January 9, 2026.  All images are copyrighted by their owners. Please respect their generosity in sharing their free patterns, and the restrictions they have placed on the use of these designs. Complete information can be found at the designers' websites provided in the links. The quilt montage was created by Quilt Inspiration.  If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.

Art and Sport: the Art Quilts of Linda Robertus

If you are enjoying the Olympics, we think you will love the art quilts of Linda Robertus.  Linda was born in the Netherlands and now resides in Brisbane, Australia. Her screen-printed sports quilts began in 2009, when her oldest son joined a gymnastics club and started doing competitions. This inspired her to make MAGnificence, a gymnastics-themed quilt, which was selected for the 2011 Studio Quilt book edited by Sandra Sider. We think that these silhouettes on fabric portray the essence of the human figure in motion.

Balance, 11 x 11", by Linda Robertus

One of the first of Linda's gymnastics-related quilts, the composition and color of this piece really caught our eye. As an avid photographer, Linda's quilts are inspired by her own photographs, which she turns into handmade freezer paper stencils for screen printing.  An online screen printing class with Lyric Kinard has heavily influenced her work; see the spotlight on Linda Robertus written by Lyric Kinard.

Balance 3, 12 x 12", by Linda Robertus

Since 2009, Linda Robertus' work has been featured in galleries, shows and art quilting publications. "Balance 3" was included in the 2011 SAQA Benefit Auction. This quilt is among the sports-series quilts which you can see in Linda's online gallery. The gymnast is screen printed, and the shadows and the reverse images are stenciled with Paintsticks.

Speed 1, 8 x 12", by Linda Robertus

Speed 1, above, is Linda's first cycling quilt.  We love the dynamic motion of the cyclist which is enhanced by the radiating quilting lines on the bright yellow background. Speed 2, another cycling quilt by Linda Robertus, is now a part of SAQA's traveling trunk show called This is a Quilt!  Speed 2 also was selected to become part of the permanent collection at the Michigan State University Museum.

Other sources of inspiration for Linda's work are nature, people and optical illusions. Some of her most popular designs have been made into thermofax screens which she uses to print on canvas, art cards and ACEOs; we love these small pieces, which you can find in Linda Robertus' Etsy shop, Blue Jacaranda. In addition, Linda designs some wonderful fabrics which you can find on Spoonflower.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Linda Robertus.

Best of Butterfly Quilts

For the past two weeks we've been chasing butterflies (quilts, that is).  Out of dozens of butterfly quilt patterns, here are the ones we've picked as our favorites.  As a bonus, we're including photos of two lovely butterfly quilts we've spotted at quilt shows.  Perhaps you'll be inspired to create a butterfly for your own collection !

Above: Row 1:  Butterflies for Amy pattern and variations by Barbara Bieraugel at Barbara Bieraugel Designs. Row 2: Butterfly patterns by Diane McGregor at Castilleja Cotton. Row 3: Butterfly patterns by Sheril Drummond at Serendipity. Row 4: Butterfly patterns by Debra Gabel at Zebra Patterns.

Above:  Butterfly quilts by Nanette Merrill at Freda's Hive, Lisa Cox at A Spoonful of Sugar Designs, Michele Lancaster at Nostalgic Cafe and Kumiko Fujita.  For details and links to the original posts, see Quilt Inspiration:  Butterfly Quilts (and free block patterns!)

Flying Flower, 46 x 37, by Nancy Swanson, photo by Quilt Inspiration

We spotted this quilt at the 2011 Arizona Quilter's Guild show. Nancy Swanson's own photo from a butterfly house inspired her original design. The butterfly is more than 12" wide, allowing for the detailed treatment of the wings with raw-edged applique and thread painting.  The subtly textured background seems just right; it provides the textures of bark and leaves without detracting from the butterfly.  An embroidered spider and painted web enhance the interest of the design.

Swallowtail at Red Flowers, 68 x 60.5, by Deborah Theresa Bailey, photo by Quilt Inspiration

This original quilt by Deborah Theresa Bailey was exhibited at the 2010 Pacific International Quilt Festival. The quilt was machine pieced, hand appliqued, and machine quilted. With this ethereal image, Deborah invites us to escape into the world of a butterfly indulging on the nectar of life.

Close-up, Swallowtail at Red Flowers by Deborah Theresa Bailey
 

The intricate detail of the large butterfly can be seen in this close-up photo. Hand dyed and commercial fabrics were embellished with fabric and glimmer paints over 30% of the quilt. On a domestic machine, free motion organic echo quilting was done to compliment the curved piecing.

Image credits:  Quilts by Debra Gabel, Diane McGregor, Sheril Drummond, Barbara Bieraugel, Nanette Merrill, Lisa Cox and Michele Lancaster are shown with the generous permission of the artists. The close-up of the Japanese butterfly quilt with applique is shown with the permission of Kathryn Krentz.  The other quilt show photos are by Quilt Inspiration.