Quilts of the World part 4: New Zealand

Part of the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival was the World Quilt Competition XX, which is a special exhibition within the larger P.I.Q.F. This competition, which is open to quilters from many countries, starts out each summer on the East Coast of the U.S.A.; the best quilts from that show then go on tour to the various regional shows in America. We hope you enjoy this presentation, continuing with quilts from NEW ZEALAND.

Please note: We're selling beautiful quilting and crafting books and fabrics at low introductory prices on e-Bay! Also, we're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter!

Tranquility, 36 x 40", by Sonya Prchal

Sonya Prchal writes," Mimiwhangata Coastal Park is a favorite destination of mine. This beautiful sunset inspired me to create a quilt to capture the memory. My design was composed from my photos. Whole cloth painting was my primary technique, as I felt it would depict the intensity of the sunset beautifully."

Sonya adds, "I used extensive free motion quilting to enhance the work, with a variety of thread types and weight. Tranquility was both challenging and satisfying to make."  This original design is sewing machine quilted. We admire the elegant sophistication of this work and the way that the colors of the water perfectly reflect the setting sun.

Fabulous Feathers, 94 x 94", by Carol Newsham

Fabulous Feathers won a Judge's Choice award at the 2016 Great New Zealand quilt show. The Princess Feathers quilt pattern is by Kim McLean; for the pattern see Glorious Color.  The fabrics are by Kaffe Fassett.

Carol Newsham notes, "I love doing hand applique. From the first moment I saw this pattern by Kim McLean, I was going to do it, but not in Kaffe Fassett fabrics. They were too big, bold, and bright, even for me. However, I soon realized that everything else would not give me that 'zing' I was looking for. Kaffe's magenta Bekah fabric grabbed my attention and subsequently provided the inspiration for the colors I would use in my quilt." Carol's lovely work is hand appliqued and hand quilted.

This Beats Chopping Firewood, 54 x 64", by Maree Le Comte

Maree Le Comte explains, "I learned the hexagon techniques at a class run by Shirley Mooney. I did the class because I was interested in the technique and so that I could have a day off from cutting firewood." We certainly agree with Maree. We'd much rather enjoy a day of quilting than cutting firewood, doing housework, or pretty much any other kind of work that we can imagine!

Maree continues, "Once I saw the technique, rather than following one of the suggested layouts, I played with the pieces to come up with my own layout. This is the layout which worked best with the quantity of fabric I had." This original design is machine pieced and sewing machine quilted. We really appreciate the quality of  Maree's worksmanship and her sewing accuracy, which gives these bold geometric lines a stunning appeal.

My Nearly Insane Journey, 95 x 96", by Sue Flego

This wonderful "Nearly Insane" quilt was based on the 1870 Salinda Rupp quilt, patterned by Liz Lois. The Salinda quilt has 93 six-inch blocks and the finished quilt has over 5,500 pieces. Sue Flego says, "All the 6” blocks were paper foundation pieced and I tried to replicate the colors on the front of the book." Sue's intricate and precise piecing of these small blocks can be seen in the photo below. My Nearly Insane Journey was quilted by Judi Schon from Auckland on a longarm machine.

For more information on the Nearly Insane quilt and other 19th-century samplers, see our 2010 post: Crazy About Jane, Nearly Insane, and Just Plain Nuts.

Abstraction, 28 x 52", by Rosemary Rush

Rosemary Rush says, "This quilt was started as an exercise in design, emphasizing line and shape. I challenged myself to then use colors which I would not normally juxtapose. This quilt is my own design which I machine appliqued and free motion stitched on a domestic sewing machine."  Rosemary's beautiful quilting stands out on this glorious, flowing applique design.

At The Bach, 57 x 48", by Rachel Cadwallader

Rachel Cadwallader says, "A bach is a small rustic holiday home and often found at the beach. A quilt hanging over a door as an advertisement for thread evoked memories of an old beach towel my father used. I wanted to replicate the memory and so the quilt, originally designed by Heather Jones, was made. I used my domestic machine to piece and quilt it.”

At The Bach was based on the free Around the World quilt pattern by Heather Jones at Olive and Ollie shown below.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Free pattern day: Cat and Dog quilts!

Here is a purr-fectly wonderful collection of FREE cat and dog quilt patterns, pillows, and dog beds! NOTE:  This post has been UPDATED.  For the latest patterns please visit our Free Pattern Day for Cat & Dog quilts (CLICK HERE!) 

Also check out our E-Bay shop for jewelry, clothing, and collectibles! For more free quilt patterns, follow us on Twitter.

Image credits:  This post was updated on August 7, 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. If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.

Quilts of the World part 3: Canada

Part of the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival was the World Quilt Competition XX, which is a special exhibition within the larger P.I.Q.F. This competition, which is open to quilters from many countries, starts out each summer on the East Coast of the U.S.A.; the best quilts from that show then go on tour to the various regional shows in America. We hope you enjoy this presentation, continuing with quilts from CANADA.

Please note: We're selling beautiful quilting and crafting books and fabrics at low introductory prices on e-Bay! Check out all our new listings! Also, we're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter !

Sweat Lodge @ Lazy M, 34 x 43", by Patti Morris

A sweat lodge is a low profile hut, typically dome-shaped or oblong, made with natural materials and used for a purification ceremony in native cultures. Patti Morris says, "This design came from an art retreat at the Lazy M Lodge in Central Alberta. Walking around the grounds I came across this very old stick-like fort called a Sweat Lodge. I sketched it onto paper and then transferred it to fabric. My goal is to donate this piece to the Lodge when I return for another drawing retreat."

A to Z for Ewe and Me, 79 x 90", by Carolyn A. Hudson

Winner of the Best of Country award for Canada, A to Z for Ewe and Me is the 2014 Block of the Month for the Quilt Show designed by Janet Stone. Carolyn Hudson says, "Janet is doing a series of alphabet quilts with ewes and winning consistently in shows for her work."

Each letter of the alphabet is done in a different font and includes a pieced or appliqued block. Carolyn says, "Making this quilt has been a pivotal point in my quilting journey and such fun!"

Ophelia, 54 x 38", by Marilyn Farquhar

This original design quilt is hand appliqued and longarm quilted. Flower motifs were fussy cut and appliqued to create the ostrich. Marilyn Farquhar says, “My son frequently challenged me to make an “ostrich” quilt instead of “flower” quilts. I took up the challenge in secrecy…. not only did I want to make his ostrich, I wanted to use floral fabrics, just to get his goat."

Marilyn's use of purple polka dot background fabric created a whimsical piece and allowed textural quilting.

New Crop, 43 x 43", by Leah Gravells

Leah Gravells says, "I am continually inspired by the sky and the fields of Alberta to create original designs. The new crop fields by Cochrane inspired this design. The fields were a lush green. This design uses 170 batik fabrics which were individually cut into ¾” strips. Each strip is quilted to the batting and backing using a “quilt as you go” technique on a domestic sewing machine."

Leah used 100% cotton batik fabrics, Hobbs Heirloom Batting and 100% cotton Gutermann thread.

Red, White and Black, 54 x 58", by Patti Morris

Patti Morris says, "This quilt originated from some left over stash I found while cleaning out my studio in the spring of 2015. Working without a plan, I sewed some strips together hoping to make a quilt for one of my grown daughters. The more strips I sewed together, the more fun it became. Then, when I decided to throw in some colorful dots, the piece seemed to dance!"

Canadian Winter, 72 x 78",by Carolyn A. Hudson

Canadian Winter, done in red and gray, is an original medallion quilt with an inner border of sampler blocks.  The center 16-point oval Mariner’s Compass is a pattern by Judy Mathieson’s book and was used with permission. The red stars really show up against the wintry gray blocks.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. Ophelia was exhibited in the main PIQF show.  The other quilts shown were entered in the World Quilt Competition.

Quilts of the World Part 2: Germany

Part of the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival was the World Quilt Competition XX, which is a special exhibition within the larger P.I.Q.F. This competition, which is open to quilters from many different countries, starts out each summer on the East Coast of the U.S.A.; then the best quilts from that show go on tour to the various regional shows in America. Each week, Quilt Inspiration will feature highlights of quilts from a different country. We hope you enjoy this presentation, continuing with quilts from Germany.

Please note: We're selling beautiful quilting and crafting books and fabrics at low introductory prices on e-Bay! Check out all our new listings! Also, we're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter !

Gear Wheel 11 - Spiral of Life, 36 x 50", by Barbara Lange

Barbara says, "Life to me evolves like a spiral - constantly in movement,, changing direction, but at the same time repeating itself in a good way. We are all a little wheel in this big machinery, contributing to the big overall movement. Nobody is unimportant, and as soon as one wheel goes missing, we all are affected."

The beautiful contemporary quilting motif really emphasizes the idea of the inter-connectedness and mutual dependency of human kind. Barbara's original design is machine pieced and sewing machine quilted.

Blattgold (Leaf Gold), 43 x 63", by Brigitte Morgenrath

Winner of a blue ribbon for Best of Country (Germany), Brigitte says this is the 10th time that she is participating in the World Quilt Competition! Her color combination was "inspired by golden silk and green cotton fabric embellished with golden blossoms, I created these leaf-bearing twigs."

Blattgold was machine pieced using a paper piecing technique for highest accuracy, then hand quilted in all the ditches to highlight the leaf pattern.

Woven Journey, 91 x 89", by Claudia Pfeil

Blue ribbon winner in the Innovative Quilts category, Claudia notes that this quilt is her interpretation of the 2016 P.I.Q.F. theme, "Then and Now." Claudia is known for her award-winning quilting; you can see her instructional videos at her website.

Claudia's original design is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and long arm quilted. Here, you can see some of the pretty beaded embellishment that Claudia has added to her quilt. This woven motif reminds us of how the strands of time weave various events in and out of our lives.

Art and Craft meet Art Nouveau, 37 x 37", by Katrin Schroeder

Katrin explains, "I'm an admirer of the Art Nouveau epoch, in particular of the work by William Morris... The motifs used in the border are inspired by a mosaic from the Art Nouveau church "Am Steintor" in Vienna, Austria. The borders have been hand-pieced in the English paper-piecing technique using gold lame and regular cotton fabrics. The binding has been applied by hand."

Katrin continues, " I made one of his most lovely flower paintings the centerpiece of my quilt. The leaves and blossoms I have cut from felt and are appliqued by hand." Katrin's lovely original design is  all hand pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted.

Reflections on the Nine Patch, 36 x 36", by Uta Lenk

This original design by Uta Lenk is a playful variation of a traditional nine-patch pattern using modern fabrics (scraps) and design options on the quilt top. The quilt was machine pieced and sewing machine quilted.  As shown below, the tails of the machine quilting threads were left on top of the quilt to add to the texture and improvisational feel. 

Passion Always Wins, 61 x 44", by Frauke Schramm

This dynamic quilt makes a powerful statement. It depicts the contrast between peace and human rights versus the flames and destruction created by ISIS. Frauke Schramm says, "So-called ISIS not only slaughters people – they believe they can destroy the fundamental ideas of everyone who does not share their beliefs, for instance, by burning books. Nothing does ISIS know about the resilience of ideas – they will survive. They always have."

Passion Always Wins was created with cotton, linen, and polyester fabrics using string piecing, free-motion applique, and free-motion quilting.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilts of the World Part I: South Africa

Part of the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival was the World Quilt Competition XX, which is a special exhibition within the larger P.I.Q.F. This competition, which is open to quilters from many different countries, starts out each summer on the East Coast of the U.S.A.; then the best quilts from that show go on tour to the various regional shows in America. Each week, Quilt Inspiration will feature highlights of quilts from a different country. We hope you enjoy this presentation, beginning with quilts from South Africa.

Please note: We're selling beautiful quilting and crafting books and fabrics at low introductory prices on e-Bay! Check out all our new listings! Also, we're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter !
 
The Three Watchers, 72 x 56", by Kathryn Harmer Fox

Blue ribbon winner in the Innovative Quilts category, Kathryn notes, "Africa's wild dogs look as if they have trotted through an upended bucket of paint. Each dog has its own particular pattern or markings splashed across its pelt. " Kathryn has done an outstanding job of depicting a fascinating array of shading and patterns using muted neutral colors.

As described below in the rhinos quilt, Kathryn uses a method she called "fiber embedment" to create these dogs with their intense expressions.   We really admire the wonderful depth of texture that Kathryn achieves with this innovative technique.

Once There Were..., 72 x 55",  by Kathryn Harmer Fox

African rhinos are in danger of being hunted to extinction for their horns. Kathryn says, “Due to man’s greed and utter stupidity, the rhino is relentlessly slaughtered for the lump of hair-like cells growing out of its face. It, like the unicorn, will one day be a thing of myth." Rhino poaching has escalated in recent years; you can read about the sad state of affairs at Save The Rhino.

In the closeup photo above you can see the intense stitching on the rhino's head, and the birds that ride on the rhino's back. Kathryn explains, "I use a self-explanatory technique which I call fiber embedment using scribble stitch. Combined with free-motion machine embroidery, these two techniques allow me to paint with fabric and draw with thread.”

Contemporary African Baskets, 79 x 79", by Colleen Butler

Colleen explains, "The fabulous and colorful Telephone Wire Baskets- Imbenge Bowls made by the Zulu people in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa were the inspiration for this quilt. Once I had created some of the typical Imbenge Bowls, I began experimenting with wedge rulers of differing degrees to create the other basket-inspired circles. "

Colleen's original design is machine pieced and long arm quilted. This particular circular design of the imbenge basket, with its bright primary colors, reminds us of a classic Dresden plate block pattern.

Tree Spirit, 75 x 98", by Sue Cameron

Winner of the "Best of Country" award, Sue notes, "Tree Spirit was inspired by the idea that all living things have spirit. Needle-felted yarn and organza were used for the tree in the foreground, along with couching and needle painting with zig-zag stitch. Organza [fabric] was used to help create perspective."

Close-up, Tree Spirit

In this close-up of the tree trunk,  you can see the female face and the form of the breasts which represent the feminine creative energy of the universe, sometimes known as "mother nature." Sue's intriguing work is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted. She adds, " Tree Spirit is embellished with thread fabric, beads, hand stitching, and double-sided leaves."

Pele: She-Who-Shapes-The-Land, 57 x 39",  by Jenny Hearn

Pele won Third Place -Innovative at the World Quilt Competition. Jenny Hearn says: "Pele, passionate and temperamental, is the feared yet respected Hawaiian Goddess of volcanoes. She is destructive but also regenerative. The pyroclastic ribbons of molten lava and flaming rock she hurls down the mountainside of Kilauea into the sea extend tongues of new land. Ashy volcanic sediment contains rich nutrients. Pele seeds lichens, splitting the lava, thus allowing ferns and trees to root, creating lush forestation of the area."

Pele was hand and machine appliqued.  Jenny Hearn used commercial and hand dyed cotton fabrics together with cotton and machine embroidery threads. The embellishments include batting-stuffed “pebbles”, thread covered metal washers and curtain rings.

Transition in South Africa - Growth vs. Destruction, 36 x 59",by Mari Claase

Mari's energetic and complex quilt is a "statement quilt", which shows many images and people associated with South African history between the years of 1837 and 2015. Mari writes,"[For] Growth, the black and white blocks represent the South African transition from Apartheid (racial segregation 1959) to Democracy (1994). Our Protector Thuli Madonsela (the woman at the very top of the quilt)  is wearing a laurel wreath. [Responsible for the investigation of government misconduct], she is our icon of hope and truth. Destruction ......March 2015: Downward spiral to anarchy of a once beloved country's values, resources, and people [due in part to government corruption and economic hardship]. I portray important issues that our country is struggling with, including poverty, fraud, and crime."

Close-up, Transition in South Africa

At the bottom of this quilt, Mari has very creatively added colorful slogans and words which look as if they might be written in chalk on sidewalks, walls, or buildings, in the form of graffitti, as expressions of political ideas.

This close-up shows President Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa from 1994-1999. A world-renowned leader, President Mandela was a Nobel Peace Prize winner ,as well as a United States Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. Mari's very impressive work is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted.

Gracie's Garden, 43 x 52", by Ingrid Figenschou

Ingrid says, "This quilt is in memory of little Gracie, who loved to sit on the windowsill in the sun, the light glancing off her soft fur and whiskers, staring at the wonders of the garden. This is a One Block wonder quilt with applique, trapunto, and thread painting in glorious pastels, pinks, bright oranges and purples."

Note that the orange ball of yarn at Gracie's feet is made of real yarn! Gracie is extensively textured with thread as shown below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.