8 days of Red, White and Blue Quilts - day 4

We're celebrating Independence Day with 8 days of red, white and blue quilts! The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), says: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We hope your happiness includes plenty of quilting.
(NOTE: Please check out all the quilt books and fabric at our eBay store !)  

Patriot Sampler Quilt by Lynn Miller

This embroidered Patriot Sampler Quilt won first place in the Salute America theme at the 2017 Arizona Quilters Guild show. Lynn Miller says, “My interest in quilt history along with my love of antique/vintage quilts and linens was my inspiration for this patriot themed quilt. Being a quilt maker for over 30 years, I appreciate the time and talent in these forgotten embroidered pillow tops, dress scarfs and wall hangings."

Lynn collected this group of patriotic linens while traveling throughout the United States over the past 15 years.  She says, "I love seeing all of the inspiring sayings, from “God Bless America” to “I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag” to “Let Freedom Ring”.

Lynn Miller describes the Patriot Sampler Quilt as a tribute, to recognize and honor women’s work of the past, while inspiring today’s quilt makers.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

8 days of Red, White and Blue Quilts - day 3

We're celebrating Independence Day with 8 days of red, white and blue quilts! The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), says: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We hope your happiness includes plenty of quilting.

Thirteen by Pamela Snow

Thirteen is a salute to the 13 original American colonies. Pamela Snow says, "Each year we salute America and her birthday on the 4th of July with fireworks. I have combined fireworks and 13 stars into this quilt. The thirteen red stars are hand appliqued on a background of fireworks exploding on a brilliant blue background. Dimension was added to the quilt by leaving the star edges “FREE”.

This original design was inspired by a Christmas ornament; it was entered in the Salute America theme at the 2017 Arizona Quilters Guild show. Pamela continues, "I quilted the background on my Handiquilter using a fireworks design. Nothing says America better than red, white and blue."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

8 days of Red, White and Blue Quilts - day 2

We're celebrating Independence Day with 8 days of red, white and blue quilts! The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), says: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We hope your happiness includes plenty of quilting.
(NOTE: Please check out all the quilt books and fabric at our eBay store !) 

Patriotic Fandango: Freedom is not Free, ~46 x 46", by Patricia C. Kilmark (Atlanta, Georgia)

This quilt reminds us of fireworks!  Freedom is not Free won first place in the 12th annual Quilters Treasure challenge, which had the theme "What is your Passion?" Patricia C. Kilmark says, “My passion is and has been acknowledging the efforts of veterans and returning service men and women for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf so that we can enjoy our freedom. Untold numbers of veterans have fought unselfishly for our freedom, mine and yours."

Patricia is a volunteer leader for Quilts of Valor and has made many quilts for veterans.  She says, "Karen Griska developed the Fandango pattern which appealed to me a great deal and has inspired me to adapt the pattern for two different quilts."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

8 days of Red, White and Blue Quilts

We're celebrating Independence Day with 8 days of red, white and blue quilts! The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), says: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We hope your happiness includes plenty of quilting.
(NOTE: Please check out all the quilt books and fabric at our eBay store !)

The Pursuit of Happiness by Robin Felton, quilted by Bella Bamert

Robin Felton says, “When I think of anything made in America it reminds me that we are free to BE makers in America. We are free to pursue our happiness.... to like or dislike anything without fear. We are not without sacrifice but we are free.  We aren’t perfect, but we are free to get as close as we can.”

The Pursuit of Happiness was made with American Made Brand fabrics for the Farm to Fabric Challenge, exhibited at the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Image credits:  Photo was taken by Quilt Inspiration.

More Scrap (Happy) Quilts!

We've been collecting scrap quilt inspiration for years.  Our favorite scrap quilts are those with a cohesive design and color scheme; in other words, quilts that don't look TOO scrappy.  Have you ever made a scrap quilt?  Let us know which of these are your favorites!
NOTE: Please check out all the quilt books and fabric at our eBay store !

Ditzy for Dots by Judith Salb, quilted by Jessica Gamez

Ditzy for Dots won Third Place in the Scrap Quilt category at the 2017 Quilt Arizona! There are so many fun dotty fabrics in this quilt.  Judith Salb says, "Dots and spots and circles oh my! I included a few other shapes to create a hunting game for my granddaughters."   It was beautifully quilted by Jessica Gamez.

I Love HSTs by Valerie Helgren-Lempesis, quilted by Kerry Reed

Valerie says, "Using Edyta Sitar’s Medallion Center quilt [the cover quilt for Edyta's Friendship Triangles book], I decided to triple it in size and then use more HSTs for the borders. I then used a quilt done by Francis Scott Key’s wife as inspiration for the final product.

Not Even Close by Carolyn Edwards, quilted by Arlene Tribble

An Ocean Waves design makes a wonderful scrap quilt! Carolyn Edwards says, "My quilt is “Not Even Close” to the magnificent pieced vine borders made by Indiana farm wife, Susan McCord, in 1800 [collection of the Henry Ford Museum] but I tried." For more on Carolyn Edwards, see the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame. 

Third Generation by Pamela Snow

Pamela Snow created this charming wall hanging from recycled vintage quilt pieces.  She says, "I used my longarm to attach vintage quilt pieces to a white background. Pieces were hand sewn by my aunt in the 40’s from my grandma’s scrap basket."  It was longarm quilted by Pamela herself using red thread.

Up The Down Staircase by Brenda Archambault, quilted by Carolyn Helvie

Quiltmaker Brenda Archambault says, "Mary Etherington, owner of Country Threads, posted a picture on her blog of a similar quilt last winter. I studied the picture and figured out the blocks."

No Title by Susan Sacco, quilted by Ruby Worrell

Susan Sacco says that she made these quilt blocks from Batik scraps: "I loved doing the petals by hand." The quilt was inspired by a class with Bobye Jones.

Scraps to the Max by Mary McElvain, quilted by Andrea Stanfield

Scraps to the Max was inspired by the Charming Addition pattern by Kathie Holland at APQ. Mary McElvain says, "When this quilt appeared on the cover of American Patchwork and Quilting (Dec 2012) I knew I had to go to my boxes of scraps and make it."  Mary McElvain and her daughter, Andi Stanfield (True Blue Quilts) are coauthors of the book Monochromatic Quilts: Amazing Variety.

Firewall by Carol Caplan, quilted by Cathy McLees

The ultra-modern-looking Firewall was made with "an array of scraps and strips from a lifetime of quilting, some more than 30 years old. Waste not, want not!" Carol says the pattern is from Devoted to Scraps by Karen Griska at Quiltmaker.  

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show (Ditzy for Dots, Not Even Close, No Title); 2014 Arizona Quilter's Guild show (Scraps to the Max); 2015 Arizona Quilter's Guild show (Firewall); and 2015 Diablo Valley Quilter's Guild (I Love HSTs,

Scrap (Happy) quilts from Dad's Shirts and Ties!

For Father's Day, how about a show of quilts made from shirts and ties? We love the idea of making something new, useful and beautiful from clothing.  Here are some quilts we admire, made from plaid shirts, beautiful silk ties and denim jeans.  Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!
NOTE: Please check out the quilt books and fabric at our eBay store ! For free patterns, follow us @quiltinspire on Twitter!

Tie One On, 67 x 54”, by Dianne Sheppard (California); longarm quilted by Jody Gosnell

This wonderful Dresden Plate quilt, made from silk ties, is machine pieced and hand appliqued. Dianne Sheppard says, "This quilt caused me major anxiety as I had never worked with men’s ties before and had no idea where to begin. My daughter’s mother-in-law asked me to make a quilt from her father’s tie collection. After much research and a book loaned to me from a friend, we decided on this design."

Dianne continues, "It took over two years to make, but I’m very happy with the results. What a learning experience!"  We photographed the quilt at the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Dad’s Shirts by Becky Ripley at Ripley Quilting (Arizona)

Becky Ripley says, "I remember my dad every time I see this quilt, made from his plaid and striped cowboy shirts and quilted with pictures of some of his favorite things."  She included shirt pockets with pearl snaps, and quilted some Arizona themes, including saguaro cactus shown below.

Winding Plaid by Layne Rahbar (California)

This Winding Ways quilt is so clever! It is a frayed edge quilt made from plaid shirts, one of a series by Layne Rahbar. Winding Ways creates a secondary pattern of overlapping circles. Layne created high-contrast blocks by alternating dark and light plaids in green, blue red and neutrals. She says, "[I am] having fun with this method and still have a bin full of plaids."

Double Plaid Rings by Layne Rahbar

This fantastic double wedding ring quilt was made with upcycled plaid shirts. Instead of piecing, this was constructed by gluing and basting the arcs and corner pieces onto dark plaid squares. The squares were then pieced together, sandwiched and quilted on a domestic machine.

You can see the frayed raw edges in the closeup photo below.

Moonshadows, 90 x 82”, by Anne Joule (New Zealand)

Moonshadows is a huge (90 x 82") was made entirely from silk ties which were hand pieced, hand appliqued (borders) and hand quilted. It won Best Use of Color in the International Division at the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival.  Anne Joule says, "I enjoy paper piecing and hand applique. I like to use [silk ties] as the colors last."

Effervescence #2 by Margit Kagerer (Arizona)

This art quilt was shown in the 2015 Invitational Exhibit by the Mavericks Art Quilters at Quilt Arizona.  A native of Germany, fiber artist Margit Kagerer was introduced to the world of quilting and fiber art when she relocated to the United States.

You can find a book of Margit Kagerer's original quilts at CreateSpace.

Cosmo Quilt by Maria A. Michel-Zavala and Esteban Michel

Denim was used to make this quilt, with the aim to recycle discarded jeans (90% recycled, 10% new fabric.) Cosmo Quilt was based on a spiral galaxy, and was designed by Esteban Michel: “The Universe is the Quilt Of Our World.”

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival (Moonshadows); the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival (Tie One On);  the 2017 Quilt Arizona show (Dad's Shirts); the 2015 Quilt Arizona show (Effervescence #2); the 2015 Diablo Valley Quilters' Guild show (Winding Plaid, Double Plaid Rings); and the 2014 Tucson (Arizona) Quilters' Guild show.

Scrap (Happy) Quilts!

This is our first-ever post about scrap quilts, although we've been collecting inspiration for years.  Our favorite scrap quilts are those with a cohesive design and color scheme; in other words, quilts that don't look too scrappy.  Have you ever made a scrap quilt?  Let us know which of these are your favorites!
NOTE: Please check out all the NEW quilt books and fabric at our eBay store !

Last Summer’s Leftovers by Rahna Summerlin

Last Summer’s Leftovers was machine pieced and machine quilted on a domestic sewing machine. Rahna Summerlin says, "I am constantly inspired by antique quilts and am infatuated with scrap quilts from the early to mid 1900s.” “I fell in love with an antique Railroad Crossing quilt I saw in Sharon Newman’s book Treasures from Yesteryear, Book 2. I made this quilt with lots of leftover triangles from a prior quilt I had made the year before."  For more of Rahna's lovely quilts, check out her blog at Blooming in Chintz.

Scrap Happy #3 by Kathy MacCleary

Kathy MacCleary is a member of the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame. She hand pieced nearly 9000 rectangles of small prints and solids to make this quilt. Scrap Happy was hand quilted with continuous meander starting in the center. This is an original design.

Talkin’ Turkey by Angela Neff, quilted by Ros Atwood

This wonderful, colorful quilt was inspired by Bonnie Hunter's turkey tracks block in Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from 100 Designers, Volume 5.  The quilt, with its many interesting prints, was 5 years in the making by Arizona guild members (2012-2017).

Note: The full quilt pattern, Talkin’ Turkey, is from the book String Fling by Bonnie K. Hunter; see Bonnie's full quilt at Quiltville.

Scrappy Broken Dishes by Judith McAfee, quilted by Cindy Leon

Featured at the 2016 Springville (Utah) quilt show, Judith McAfee says: “I call this a bottom-drawer quilt. The half-square triangles come from previous projects and accumulate in the drawer until a use is found, like this one. Add a few more fabrics and voilà, a new quilt.”

Scrappy Lizards by Bobbi Levy-Dodge, quilted by Jeannie Rogers

Lots of white space makes these colorful blocks really stand out. The blocks are actually half-square triangles, where half the triangle is string-pieced. Bobbi Levy-Dodge says, “These scraps are a reminder of all the wonderful quilts that have gone to live with family and friends." Check out the quilted lizards in the closeup photo below.

Churn Link Fence by Sherri Oxley

This quilt is a combination of churn dash and nine patch blocks, linked in an Irish chain design, providing lots of opportunities to use up tiny scraps.  Sherri Oxley says, “I’m definitely a scrap-happy gal, as you can see in this design that incorporates my love of scraps with the classic churn-dash block."

Tiny Village by Kris Lovetro, quilted by Debbie Stanton

House quilts make really fun scrap quilts! We love the use of bright colors on a white background, and the interesting trees between some of the houses. Kris Lovetro says, "I love house quilts and I knew [quilter] Debbie Stanton would be able to do her magic quilting on this one!" (We're still searching for the design source.)

Pomegranate Pineapples to Nuthatch Nests by Claudia Barner

There are 120 pineapple log cabin blocks in this large quilt, and each block has around 40 pieces by our count! Claudia Barner says, "This quilt is made entirely from scraps and could be a history of my quilting to date. The precise pineapples merged into more free form “bird nests” as my lights dwindled and I became bored with precision placement. The vines came from my love of gardening and concern for my aged Pomegranate tree."

The appliqued border has three-dimensional flowers and leaves, including some cute yo yos.

Stay tuned next week for another installment of Scrap Happy Quilts!

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 Springville, Utah quilt show (Scrappy Broken Dishes), the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival (Last Summer's Leftovers) and the Arizona Quilters Guild shows, 2014-2017 (Scrap Happy #3, Talkin' Turkey, Pomegranate Pineapples, Scrappy Lizards, Tiny Village, and Churn Link Fence.)