Alaskan Vacation

Today we're featuring the Northern Wilderness quilt, a "spectacular journey that leads you through the natural wonders of the northern country." Designed by Alaskans, Marie Noah, Mary Thompson, and Heather Griffin, it features 16 individual applique scenes that can be assembled into a quilted masterpiece.  Or, pick a single block for a smaller project. Enjoy these photos from a 2025 show!

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

Alaskan Vacation made and quilted by Athena Taylor  

Athena Taylor says that she saw this quilt pattern while on vacation in Alaska, and purchased all the fabric while on that trip; she called her finished quilt Alaskan Vacation.  Athena says, "One of my favorite techniques is applique over pieced blocks. So this was a really fun quilt to do!"  

The jagged border is made with Delectable Mountains blocks. Individual blocks include the lob cabin, flying geese, storm-at-sea, and more. We love the Bear Paw block, below, which combines an appliqued bear over a pieced block.

And here is a Storm-at-Sea block (one of our favorites!) with an appliqued whale:

Northern Wilderness, made by Rhonda Borders, quilted by Peg Collins.   

 Another beautiful version of the Northern Wildnerness quilt was made Rhonda Borders.  The darker colors remind us of the Northwest landscapes of Alaska. Rhonda Borders says, "Even on vacation to Alaska, we had to find the quilt stores! Rhonda notes that she did not get to see the Northern lights. (Northern lights happen rarely, and only a matter of luck if you see them while visiting the North!)

We love the log cabin block, below, which features a special kind of log cabin. LOL! 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show. 

Remembering Nancy

Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated on October 31st, November 1st and 2nd. The tradition honors those who have passed, whose souls are thought to come back to be with their loved ones.

Nancy Arsenault, an Arizona quilter, was famous for her Day of the Dead quilts, having made numerous whimsical quilts with that theme. To honor Nancy's memory, here is an original quilt made by Kathy Adams. Remembering Nancy was shown at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show. 

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

Remembering Nancy, made and quilted by Kathy Adams

Kathy Adams says: "Nancy Arsenault, a former guild member, was well known for her skeleton quilts. I made this quilt in honor of her. Angelina fibers were fused to tulle using Bo-Nash Fuse-it powder to make the wings." We love the many details, including the bug-eyed dragonfly and the outstanding finish quilting. 

Check out the strands of hair that flow over the right hand border of the quilt.

Here are two of Nancy Arsenault's original quilts from prior shows: 

Beauty Parlor de los Muertos, 76 x 59", by Nancy Arsenault (2014)

 

  

Save the Last Dance for Me by Nancy Arsenault (2021)

 

Image credits: Photos of Remembering Nancy were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

 

Road to Halloween!

Wow! Here's a stunning, large Halloween quilt made with fabric panels using the one-block-wonder technique.  It must have been fun designing and arranging the hexagon blocks! This quilt really sparkles.

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

Road to Halloween, made and quilted by Sandra Yeager

 

In 2006, Maxine Rosenthal wrote a book called One-Block Wonders, which described quilts made from a single fabric. Many fabric arts have put their own creative spin on this technique!  Sandra Yeager says she made her quilt with seven fabric panels, building dozens of hexagons while challenging her artist design capabilities. (Seven panels would be required to create this many hexagons, since the quilt was quite large.)  We love the teal and orange combinations and the spooky haunted house!

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Free Pattern Day: Halloween!

Here are dozens of free patterns for Halloween quilts, table runners and pillows ! To go to a pattern: Scroll down the page until you see the quilt you like, then click on the words "CLICK for PDF download" (or the hyperlinked website name) in the title above the quilt.

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

Happy's Place, ~60 x 74", free pattern by Karen Hanson for Hoffman California Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Halloween Pillow Trio, free pattern at Yarnspirations (CLICK for PDF download) 

 Jack's Ghostly Visitors, free Coats & Clark pattern at Yarnspirations (CLICK for PDF download)

Midnight in the Pumpkin Patch Quilt Along, free patterns at American Quilter (CLICK for free pattern page)

Pumpkin Cats quilt, 62" square, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Scary Cat Pillow, free pattern at Yarnspirations (CLICK for PDF download)

Spooky Squad quilt, 86 x 87", free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Spooky Hallow quilt, 60 x 72", free pattern at Maywood Studio (CLICK for PDF download)

Spooktacular quilt, 61" square, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Halloween Ball quilt, 61" square, free pattern at Henry Glass Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Meowy Halloween quilt, 36 x 42", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download) + (CLICK for PATTERN UPDATE)

Tricks & Treats table runner, ~15 x 79", free pattern at Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Fall Y'all mini quilt, 26" square, free pattern by Sandy Gervais at Pieces From My Heart (CLICK for PDF pattern) + (CLICK for pieced bird pattern)

Candy Corn Wall hanging, free pattern by Pat Sloan (CLICK for tutorial) + (CLICK for PDF download)

Pumpkin Patch quilt, 50 x 62", free pattern by Rachel Hauer for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Celebrate with Hershey quilt, 48 x 56", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Spooky table runner, 48" x 14", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Broomy Wall Art, 11 x 28", free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Halloween quilt, made from fat quarters, 48 x 56", free pattern at Fabric Editions (CLICK for PDF download)

 Charmed quilt, 63 x 70", free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Colorful strip pumpkin quilt, 61 x 68", free tutorial at Flamingo Toes (CLICK for PDF template)

Scary Moon banner, 30 x 64", free pattern by Janet Houts for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)  

Tarrytown quilt, 58 x 70", free pattern by Janet Houts for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Halloween mini quilt, ~18" square, free pattern at Fabric Editions (CLICK for PDF download)

Bats and Black Cats table runner or wall hanging, 22 x 44", free pattern at Michael Miller Fabrics
(CLICK for PDF download)

Me and My Ghoul Friends, 61 x 61", free pattern at Studio E Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Haunting quilt, 51 x 69", free pattern by Renee Nanneman for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Jack o' Lantern mini quilt, free pattern by Rose Johnston at Threadbare Creations (CLICK for tutorial)

Spider Web quilt along at Scrapatches (CLICK for tutorial)

Spooky wall hanging, 24 x 52", free pattern by Heidi Pridemore for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Eat, Drink and Be Scary Quilt, 41 x 51", free pattern by Heidi Pridemore for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Four Pumpkins wall quilt, 29"square, free pattern by Cheryl Haynes for Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

The Great Pumpkin quilt, ~47 x 57", free pattern by Renee Nanneman for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Pumpkin wall quilt, free pattern by Dodi Lee Paulson for Landauer (CLICK for PDF download)

Look Into My Eye, 43 x 43", free quilt pattern by Stacey Day for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Spooky Spider mini quilt, free applique pattern at Seasoned Homemaker (CLICK for tutorial)

All Hallow's Eve wall quilt, 42" square, free pattern by Jedi Craft Girl (CLICK for PDF download)

Spooky mini quilt tutorial by Jedi Craft Girl (CLICK for tutorial)

Witches Celebrate quilt, 60 x 60”, free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for pattern) + (CLICK for TEMPLATES) (check out the finished quilt at Fabric Seeds)

Witches Celebrate quilt: witch block detail at Fabric Seeds

Witches Celebrate quilt: pumpkin block detail at Fabric Seeds

Coffee Time Halloween quilt, ~18 x 18”, by Carried Away Quilting, based on the free Coffee Time mini quilt tutorial (CLICK for tutorial)

Endless Creaking Stairs quilt, 36 x 44", free pattern by Grace Wilson for Maywood Studios (CLICK for PDF download)

Wicked Eve quilt, 70 x 89”, free pattern by Osie Lebowitz for Timeless Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

That Cat quilt,  Halloween version, 29 x 32", free pattern by Pamela Lincoln for McCall's Quilting
(CLICK for PDF download)

Which Witch is Which wall hanging, 30 x 17", free pattern by Sue Marsh for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

By the Light of the Moon Quilt with candy corn border, free pattern by Elizabeth Cecchettini for Babylock (CLICK for PDF download)

Haunted House quilt,32 x 36", including house, bat and moon template, at Clothworks (CLICK for PDF download)

Haunted House quilt, ~37 x 40", by Liz Aneloski; free pattern for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Simply Spooky quilt, free pattern by Pearl P. Pereira (CLICK for PDF download)

Jack Patchwork wall hanging, 36 x 36", free pattern by Sue Thornton-Gray for Janome (CLICK for PDF download)

Scrappy Pumpkin Table Runner, ~15 x 36", free pattern by Angela Tackett (CLICK for PDF download)

Fall Pumpkin table runner tutorial by The Cloth Parcel (CLICK for tutorial)

Pumpkin Patch block table topper tutorial by Lindsey Weight at Fort Worth Fabric Studio
(CLICK for tutorial)

Endless Creaking Stairs table runner, 12 x 25", free pattern by Grace Wilson for Maywood Studios (CLICK for PDF download)

Oh Pumpkin table runner, free pattern by Jennifer Morgan and Linda Ambrosini for Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Pumpkin Crazy Quilt mug rug tutorial at Pellon Projects (CLICK for PDF download)

  Pumpkin Placemat, free pattern by Phyllis Dobbs (CLICK for PDF download)

Jack-o-Lantern, free applique pattern by Kimara and Michelle at Wee Folk Art (CLICK for PDF template)

Black Cat applique, free block pattern by Kimara at Wee Folk Art (CLICK for PDF template)

Spooky, 10” square, free black cat applique pattern by Wendi Gratz at Shiny Happy World (CLICK for PDF templates) 

Coffin block by Jeni Baker, free pattern at In Color Order (CLICK for tutorial) 

Jack-o-Lantern block, 8 x 10", free paper pieced pattern by Sonja Callaghan at Artisania (CLICK for PDF template)

  Witch, free paper piecing pattern by Sonja Callaghan at Artisania (CLICK for PDF template)

Haunted House, free 10" paper piecing pattern by Cyrille Zellweger at Bubblestitch Quilts (CLICK for tutorial)
 

Double Sided Jack-o-Lantern pillows, 21" square, free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 

 

Luna's Web pillow, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Halloween Cat pillow, free pattern by Oh Oh blog as seen at U Create Crafts (CLICK for tutorial)

Fall Pumpkin quilted pillow tutorial at The Cloth Parcel (CLICK for tutorial)

Scrappy Pumpkin Pillows, free pattern by Jean Etheridge and Shannon Miller at Sew Beautiful Magazine (CLICK for PDF download)

Pumpkins and Patches quilt, 49 x 49”, free pattern by Denise Russell for Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)
 

Spooky Windows quilt, 37 x 49", free pattern by Osie Lebowitz for Timeless Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

Cats, Bats and Vats quilt, 58 x 66", free pattern by Gayle Noyes and Jean Anne Sharrai for Clothworks (CLICK for PDF download)

Block Party Halloween Quilt, free pattern by Kathy Mack  (CLICK for PDF download)

Jazzy Jacks quilt, 48 x 51”, free appliqued and pieced pattern by AE Nathan (PDF download)

Pumpkins, free pattern at Tilda's World (CLICK for PDF download)

 

  

Stuffed Pumpkins, free pattern at JoAnn Fabrics (PDF download)

 

Image credits:  This post was updated on September 9, 2025. 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 quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.