Form Follows Color

Sampler quilts are a fun way to play with new colors, designs and techniques. This original sampler combines piecing, applique, and embroidery in a setting that brings it all together.  (Also, scroll down for a FREE setting pattern!)

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Form Follows Color, made and quilted by Christiane Ermke 

Christiane Ermke says, "My quilt group (Piece Makers) had a challenge in 2023. We randomly picked every month a shape and a color and created something quilty out of these two prompts." 

Christiane says that her biggest challenge was to find a way to combine all the blocks in a pleasing way. Creating a "path" that connects the blocks is a fabulous idea. We love her technique: 

p.s. We recently updated our Free Pattern Days for Easy Modern Quilts (Part 1 and Part 2).  We hope you enjoy this FREE Windham Fabrics pattern called City Cycles by Tammy Vasser.  It uses a similar setting to showcase fabrics from a collection (CLICK HERE for PDF download!)

Image credits: Photos of Form Follows Color were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

 

Checks Mix quilt (FREE pattern!)

Check out this easy modern quilt by Jaclyn Salem! We love the bold colors and the clever transparency effect. The PDF download even includes a coloring sheet for you to experiment with your own palette. And scroll down for 30 more FREE patterns for easy modern quilts!

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Checks Mix quilt, 39″ x 48, by Jaclyn Salem for We All Sew (CLICK for PDF download)

For dozens of Easy Modern quilt patterns, check out our Free Pattern Days (CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 and CLICK HERE FOR PART 2!)

 

 

 

Image credits and links:  The photo of Checks Mix quilt is by Jaclyn Salem / Bernina. Please respect any restrictions placed on the use of the pattern as outlined in the download.  The montages of free patterns are by Quilt Inspiration.  If any links are broken, let us know; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.
 

 

Crinkled quilt (FREE pattern!)

We love this Kona cotton quilt from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. The "crinkled" design reminds us of folded paper.  And the 2026 color palette - including orchid, violet, wisteria and mulberry - is simply delectable.  Download the FREE pattern today (link below!)

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Crinkled,  54 x 62", by Ariga Wilson for Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Dreaming of Spring: Rose in Bloom!

This Rose in Bloom sampler quilt is a veritable garden party! It has ten enchanting quilt blocks arranged into a floral inspired setting. The soft rose and green hues, and the fancy flower-inspired layout, remind us of springtime.

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Rose in Bloom by Heather Nothum, quilted by Penny Boese 

  

Heather Nothum made Rose in Bloom from a kit that she received as a Christmas gift. It is based on the published design by Lella Boutique, using the Love Note fabric collection. It features 10 classic quilt block designs – each in a 6″ finished block size. Each design is made 4x (in different print combinations) for a total of 40 blocks. Penny Boese did the wonderful geometric quilting shown below.

The original pattern has a pretty pieced backing (see the photo below, and more details, at Lella Boutique):  

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

Wild Women Don't Get The Blues

At a workshop offered by the Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild, Karen K. Stone taught a paper pieced pattern called "Wild Women Don't Get The Blues". Here are four beautiful quilts showing unique variations of this design.

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Ancient and Modern Petroglyphs, made by Mary Jones, quilted by Julie House  

A petroglyph is form of rock art associated with prehistoric peoples. Mary Jones used petroglyph prints in the centers of the blocks, and included many other unique batiks and prints for visual interest. Mary says, "This quilt is a reminder that I can do anything I put my mind to." 

Wild and Free, made and quilted by Kathy Kutansky.  

Winner of a 1st place ribbon, these block centers are made with Marcia Derse fabric (it looks pieced, but it's a print). The other fabrics were from Kathy Kutansky's stash. Kathy says, "The pattern by Karen Stone requires time and patience to be as accurate as possible so that all the blocks line up properly. All in all, I had fun with this one."

Green and Purple, Oh My! made and quilted by Janet Chumbley 

This quilt was paper pieced with lots of green and purple fabrics, hence the title.  Janet Chumbley says, "I like green and purple together!" What a great combination this makes!

Wild Women Don't Get the Blues, made and quilted by Sara Quigley 

The beautiful floral centers remind us of summer...all the fabrics were from Sara's stash! 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson (Arizona) quilters guild show.

New from Old: Quilts from Vintage Linens!

Are there any precious vintage blocks or linens in your cupboard? Here are some fantastic quilts made with reclaimed vintage materials. We love the way in which these quilters honored the materials and handwork, bringing them back to life. 

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Vintage Fiesta by the Pam Snow Group (Pam Snow, Marion Stearman Skaggs, Agatha Despain Stearman, Flora Warren DeSpain & Various Artists), quilted by Pam Snow. 

Vintage Fiesta was inspired by Rhonda Cox Dort's online vintage linens classes.  The quilt is made from a variety of vintage pieces including table linens, embroidery, quilt pieces, stamped items and a vintage hankie.  The center block is Saucy Senorita by Jane Tenorio Coscarelli.

Spring Morning by Carol W. Carpenter, quilted by Kris Neifeld.  

How lovely to see the cross-stitch embroidery in this quilt! Donated from the estate of Maggie Mullins, the embroidered blocks remind us of a bygone era. Carol Carpenter says, "The modern floral fabric and settings add additional richness to the original blocks and I was delighted to create something special from Maggie's handwork."

1939 Nosegay by Kathryn Bramley Clark and Katrin Bramley (d. ~10 years ago) 

Kate Clark made Nosegay from blocks originally made by her mother. Kate says, "The squares were hand pieced by a 16-year-old in 1939. Nine years later she became my mother. Complementary fabric was found, enabling these rediscovered squares to become a quilt using an original square set and machine quilting design." The choice of border fabric is brilliant!  Also check out Kate's machine quilting, which created a bouquet (in dark thread) on top of the pieced bouquet.

 Seeing Stars by Katherine O' Brien, quilted by Penny Boese.  

This is such a cool quilt! Katherine O'Brien found the antique string stars at an antique shop (in Mesa, Arizona). The block setting was inspired by the book, Smashing Sets: Exciting Ways to Arrange Quilt Blocks by Margaret J. Miller (out of print, but sometimes available on eBay).  The alternate square blocks were pieced using vintage fabrics.

detail, Seeing Stars

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters guild show (Nosegay, Spring Morning) and the 2025 Quilt Arizona show (Vintage Fiesta, Seeing Stars.) 

Arizona Blooms

Here is a gorgeous quilt filled with flowers - cactus flowers, to be exact! This Arizona design is so pleasing to the eye. Read on for details!

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Arizona Blooms by Betsy Wycislak, quilted by Valerie Greenwell. 

We love the gorgeous colors and contrasts in this quilt, along with the large print floral border.  Betsy Wycislak says, "I moved to Arizona three years ago. When Edyta Sitar named her pattern Arizona, I knew I had to make it and I had to use all cactus fabrics.  So, I did!"   

Here is the original Arizona by Edyta Sitar in her Dahlia fabric collection. As of this writing, you can find the pattern on Edyta's website HERE!

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

Glorious Scrap Quilts (MORE inspiration!)

One of the joys of quilting is using up leftover scraps!  Here are 5 more stunning quilts made entirely from scraps. For more inspiration, please see our Free Patterns for Scrap Quilts (>PART 1 and >PART 2).

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Scrap the Universe, made and quilted by Barbara Harrell  

Truly stunning! Blue ribbon winner Barbara Harrell says that she designed this quilt to work on her curved piecing. "I wanted to scrap the individual elements to see how they played together."  Scrap the Universe won First Place in the Scrap-Solo category at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

Thanks for the Scraps, made and quilted by Katherine Kenward 

Katherine Kenward wanted to practice curved piecing and play with crumb blocks with non-square edges. This original quilt is the result! "A friend gave me lots of her scraps, so I was able to separate by shade as well as color."  (The title, Thanks for the Scraps, is a thank-you to her friend.)  

Bad Kitty by Heather Nothum, quilted by Penny Boese from the 2025 Quilt Arizona show. 

Heather Nothum used scraps to create a color wheel quilt.  She changed the middle to look like a black paint splotch, and used her cat's paw print to look like the cat had walked in the paint and on the quilt.  

 Bits and Pieces, made and quilted by Diana Anderson

 

This crumb quilt has almost 200 different fabrics in it! Diana Anderson says, "I love using scraps of fabric and I was challenged by one of my quilting sisters to see how many different fabrics I could use in a quilt."  Diana's design was inspired by a "Shadow Boxing" video by Donna Jordan.

WOW by Karen Fisher, quilted by Judith Davis

Winner of 1st place in the Two Person Small Pieced category at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show. To start the collaboration, Judith Davis gave 32 mismatched, old and sundry fat quarters to Karen Fisher as a challenge to create a quilt, and the result was "WOW"! The quilt was then returned to the "giver" with the challenge, "Now quilt this"!  Beads and other embellishments add tons of visual interest.

Image credits: Photos of Thanks for the Scraps and WOW were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the the Tucson Quilters Guild 2024 show. Photos of Scrap the Universe, Bad Kitty, and Bits & Pieces were taken at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

 

Glorious Scrap Quilts (SO much inspiration!)

One of the joys of quilting is using up leftover scraps. We're always looking for new and creative ideas!  Here are 4 gorgeous quilts made entirely from scraps. And for more inspiration, please see our Free Patterns for Scrap Quilts (>PART 1 and >PART 2).

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Make Lemonade, made and quilted by Katherine Kenward  

This is an original quilt by Katherine Kenward. Each block is monochromatic, but she arranged the blocks in a unique design and set them on point.  She says:  "I love using scraps, my own and those given to me. Scraps are like wonderful sweet lemons which by themselves may not be useful but when combined make sweet lemonade."

 Strips Leftover by Becky Ruhl, quilted by Barbara Angerhofer  

Here is a really lovely string quilt. Becky Ruhl created lots of contrast by using fabrics ranging from very light to dark, with plenty of bright colors.  She says, "This quilt was made as a challenge to my stash organization.  I cut up many smaller fabrics into cuts that can be used for other projects. This quilt is made from the 1-1/2" strips resulting in the process.  I'm very happy with the result."

 

Breeze by Kathie Miller, quilted by Tawnya Freeman

 

Gorgeous complementary colors distinguish this batik quilt, which is made from strips of different widths. The quilt was a collaboration between Tawnya Freeman at Quilters' Market and Kathie Miller.  Kathie says: "I got the fun part of stitching, forming blocks and determining the layout. Tawnya worked her quilting magic and the result is amazing." Kathie added the black-and-white striped inner border, adding tremendous interest to the design. The quilt was based on the pattern called Breeze by Claudia Pfeil. 

 

Bushel Basket, made and quilted by Marcia Jacobson  

Marcia Jacobson made this wonderful large quilt totally from scraps. She estimates that it used 7 yards of scraps (WOW!)  "It was fun to see what pretty blocks emerged from these random scraps of fabric!"  The quilt was based on the Bushel Basket pattern by Edyta Sitar in Scrappy Firework Quilts.  There are so many fun cotton prints to see throughout this quilt.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show. NOTE:  Quilt Inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning that Amazon pays us a small commission if you purchase something from a link on this page.  There is no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration!

Optical Illusions: Arabesque!

Purple lovers, unite! This beautiful medallion quilt was made with foundation paper piecing. Asymmetrial diamonds create a spiral, going from small to larger blocks as they radiate from the center. Read on for details, and a link to FREE patterns for optical illusion quilts!

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Amethyst Spiral, made and quilted by Karen Gieske 

Purple is my favorite color and I just love a good spiral.  Paper pieced.  Machine quilted, hand guided.  Published design: Arabesque by Orange Dot quilts (CLICK HERE!) 

Here is the original Arabesque design in beautiful blues from Orange Dot Quilts. A "Color Me page comes with the pattern so you can create your own design and color combination. 

And last but not least: For FREE patterns for optical illusion quilts, CLICK HERE! 

Image credits: Photos of Purple Spiral were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.