Glorious basket quilts

As spring is finally reaching the Northern states, it is a perfect time to feature some glorious basket quilts! There is no doubt that baskets are among the most popular themes in quilting.  Made with colorful prints, or filled with flowers or fruit, basket quilts are perfect for any time of the year.
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Baskets, Baskets and more Baskets by Pat B. Fuller, quilted by Janae Tanner

This fabulous row quilt features Dresden baskets, wonky baskets, pots of tulips, and honey bees! Pat Fuller says that she was inspired by a basket quilt made by Helen Butler (for a photo see the post by Cactus Needle).

Pat explains, "With the big basket idea from a pattern by Two Peas in a Pod, some of Lori Holt’s Quilty Fun row patterns and a wonderful applique lesson presented by Helen Butler at Winter Retreat held in Bryce Canyon (Utah), I was able to not only enjoy the process, but use up some scraps and design my own colorful quilt."

Emily’s Garden by Katherine Porter, quilted by Virginia Gore

This beauty, done in muted tones on a taupe background, is based on the Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt pattern by Jen Kingwell Designs. Katherine Porter says, "My neighbor has a beautiful ever-changing garden that I love to walk past each day. As I was making this quilt, I realized it was the colors of Emily’s Garden."

Yoshi, the Deer with Glasses by Kaye Evans, quilted by Sue McCarty

This quilt really knocked our socks off. Kaye Evans says, "I used funky Japanese and Australian Aboriginal fabric to make the quilt. Hand applique, combined with machine applique, completed the top. While completing the quilt I was watching the [2014] winter Olympics and heard the name “Yoshi”, hence the title": Yoshi, the Deer with Glasses, shown below.

We love the fun fabrics and quirky basket shapes.  The pattern, called Basket Case, was designed by Chris Jurd of PatchworkFun  (Australia).  Kaye Evans says, "Combining all of the fun fabric made it enjoyable to complete." 

My Pink Flower Baskets by Linda Williams, quilted by Kim Peterson

The look and feel of the pattern and the fabrics make this quilt one to die for. Linda Williams says,  "I have an antique that sets this quilt off just right. I knew as soon as I saw the pattern that this would be the perfect quilt for my antique white bed."

We admired Linda Williams' machine applique and embroidered French knots, shown above.  The quilt was based on the Strawberry Baskets pattern by Verna Mosquera at The Vintage Spool. The pattern is now retired but can sometimes be found on Ebay.

Rose Arbor Wonder by Marget Kunz, quilted by Marget Kunz

Rose Arbor Wonder was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2015 Springville (Utah) quilt show. Marget Kunz says that the quilt was designed by Sue Garman and was the featured BOM several years ago. The pattern is called Ruffled Roses.

This is an heirloom quilt with its medallion heart center, multiple borders and pieced baskets, and the unusual inner applique swag and outer pieced swag borders.  The outermost border is made with a bargello-like design made with hundreds of small strips.  Marget says, "The piano key border was a big hang up for me. After spending a lot of time trying to come up with an alternate, I bit the bullet and just did it. It really is the right border for the quilt."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 Springville (Utah) quilt show.  If you like basket quilts, you might also be interested in the free patterns for basket quilts in our Free Pattern Archive.