Modern Quilt Month: Torque!

Today's featured quilt was a response to a Mavericks art quilt theme: Four Shades Make Beautiful Quilt. Four shades of commercial teal cotton fabrics were used to create the spiral. The geometric shapes were then finished by free-motion quilting. 

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Torque, made and quilted by Lynnita Knoch.  

Lynnita Knoch says the design was inspired by Polygon Grid Art seen on Pinterest. "As an engineer, torque — a rotational force — interests me as it is the "oomph" to get things going.  Torque is used in many engineering projects, like motors, as well as in simpler applications, like opening jars."  

The beautiful quilting was done by hand-guided free-motion quilting.  

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Quilt Arizona show.

Modern Quilt Month: Puget Sound!

This original design quilt captures the complexity of one of the most famous waterways on the West Coast: Puget Sound, on the northwest coast of Washington state. Its striking scenery is beloved by sailors, residents, and visitors alike. This piece was finished by hand guided quilting on a stationary machine. 

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Puget Sound, made and quilted by Mary Hill.  

Winner of a Third Place (yellow) ribbon in the Art-Innovative category, Mary Hill explains: My sister requested I make her a quilt, as I had never done so.  I asked what type of quilt she wanted.  (Note to self:  never ask a non-quilter an open-ended question like that!)  She requested a map of Puget Sound, [so] I took the challenge on." The waterways were beautifully outlined by couching in white cord, shown below. 

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 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Arizona Quilters Guild show. 

FREE quilt patterns for Halloween (oh my!)

 New Halloween quilts are popping up everywhere!  Here is one adorable FREE pattern with spiders and cauldrons (oh my!)  Make a lap quilt or use a single row for a table runner!

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Shadowplay, ~62" square, free pattern by Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

 For more free patterns, visit our Free Pattern Day for Halloween quilts (CLICK HERE!)

 

Modern Quilt Month: What's That Block?

What's that block, you may ask? This fascinating quilt explores aperiodic tiling - a mathematical concept where shapes cover a surface without gaps and without the layout ever repeating. We love the way in which the blocks "fade" into the gray background on the edges of the design. 

English Paper Piecing was used to create this quirky geometric challenge.  Read on for details and a FREE pattern link!

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What's That Block? by Beth Norris, quilted by Jessica Dickinson.  

The “Einstein Tile” is a thirteen-sided shape, discovered in 2022 by David Smith, as a shape that covers a plane using only itself, with no gaps, and no repeats in the placement. It is called an Einstein Tile, not after Albert Einstein, but a play on “ein stein” in German, meaning “one stone”.  

 

Can you see the 13-sided shape in magenta, in the closeup photo below?  NOTE: The FREE Einstein Tile Design can be found at PaperPieces.com !

 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Arizona Quilters Guild show.
 

Modern Quilt Month: Joy

This original art quilt by Karen McCarty captured our attention with its flowing lines and beautiful color scheme.  Karen says, "I wanted this piece to be uplifting and express a joyful feeling".  Joy was quilted on a stationary machine with a different quilted design in each of the colorful strips.

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Joy, made and quilted by Karen McCarty  

Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, Karen McCarty now splits her time between Arizona and Oregon. She has been quilting about 40 years. She started before rotary cutters and mats, using machine piecing and hand quilting. Over the years she has delved into raw edge and turned applique, paper piecing, playing with hexies, landscapes, painting on fabric, and free motion quilting. 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

 

Modern Quilt Month: Rigamarole

Here's a gorgeous abstract art quilt by Claire Victor made with English Paper Piecing (EPP). It was double batted and free motion quilted on a domestic Bernina machine. Claire's amazing geometric quilting really stands out on this piece (scroll down for a closeup photo!)

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Rigamarole, made and quilted by Claire Victor.  

Ribbons of color weave in and out, crossing and overlapping in a complex Mobius strip that keeps the eye moving! Claire Victor says Rigamarole represents "an exciting change, taking me in a different direction as it was not designed using a grid or computer, it was drafted freehand.  My focus is the same as I am looking for depth, movement, and action."   

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Arizona Quilters Guild show.  Rigamarole won a 3rd place ribbon in the Art-Abstract category.

 

Modern Quilt Month: Spiral Galaxy

A black-and-white spiral spins through the cosmos in this dynamic wall quilt. An array of beautiful fabrics were chosen to create the rainbow spokes. Some impressive piecing can be seen in the spiral!

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Kathryn's Spiral Galaxy, made and quilted by Kathryn Wald.  

Kathryn Wald explains that this quilt began in a "Cosmic Spirals" workshop taught by Barbara Olson in 2013.  "The black and white spiral and colored spokes inside it were finished then.  I finally finished by adding the black and white inner border, extending the spokes and quilting it."  

We admire the teensy pieced triangles that make up the center of the spiral, disappearing into infinity! 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Modern Quilt Month: Paradox!

See how many blocks you can name in this fun modern sampler! We love the bright solid fabrics which contrast nicely with the pure white background. The negative space gives this design an open, airy feel.

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Paradox, made and quilted by Kimberly Zody.  

Kimberly Zody won a second place ribbon for this fun modern sampler quilt! She says, "For my first foray into modern quilting, I took an online Quilt Maker Academy class by Brigitte Heitland. The fabrics I selected were curated to follow the guidelines of incorporating solids with the use of negative space. I drew my inspiration from a pattern by Zen Chic Designs and modified it to fit my vision for this quilt."

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Modern Quilt Month: Daybreak!

This original design is a beautiful modern representation of the sun rising over water. It is done all in solid colors with quilting following the curves of the water and sun.  Daybreak won the 1st Place award in the Modern Quilt category at the 2026 Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show.

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Daybreak, made and quilted by Rachel Radspinner 

The artist, Rachel Radspinner, says that the design was inspired by a New Year's resolution to master curves. "This rising sun recalls mornings spent walking with my husband and dog along the Delaware Shore.  I thank my parents, brother and husband for their thoughtful input."

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Modern Quilt Month: Circles and Arcs!

Circles and arcs distinguish this stunning modern piece! It is one in a series by Debbie Schultz developed from a single doodle/sketch —in this case, she challenged herself to see how many circles and arcs she could piece, applique or stitch into the appliqued basket weave background.  

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My Red Circles #2 by Debbie Schultz (Arizona)  

My Red Circles #2 was machine pieced, machine appliqued, and machine quilted without a frame (domestic). Debbie used the "six minute circle" technique by Dale Fleming* along with Karen Kay Buckley's bias stem technique for arcs and circles less than 1/2" wide. After completely quilting and embellishing the piece with stitching, she added "ghost quilting" in white and over the top of the prior quilting to draw in the viewer asking 'what is that' or 'do I really see that?' 

*The "Six-Minute Circle" (or "6-Minute Circle") technique is a fast, pinless piecing method for sewing circles into quilt blocks or fabric, developed by quilter Dale Fleming. It uses temporary fabric glue (instead of pins) to baste layers together before machine sewing, allowing precise curves without puckering or shifting.

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

Modern Quilt Month: Orange Blast!

July is Modern Quilt Month! We admire the many talented artists making their names in the modern quilt movement! Émilie Trahan is a textile artist and quilter living in Joliette, Québec, Canada. Fascinating curves, colors and shadows distinguish her Orange Blast. 

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Orange Blast, 78 x 82", by Émilie Trahan (Joliette, Quebec, Canada) @mili.tra  

Winner of a 1st Place ribbon in the Piecing category at the 2025 QuiltCon show, this was the first of a series of quilts by Emilie Trahan exploring the relationship of the color red with every other color. This quilt focuses on red and orange. Remarkably, this quilt was made entirely with upcycled fabrics (mainly bed linens) along with upcycled flannel sheets for the batting. 

Emilie says, "In this particular quilt, I was envying painters for their abilities to mix colors and make new ones.  So I attempted to make my own new colors with fabrics by combining stripes of fabric together."  Orange Blast was improvisationally pieced and machine quilted without a frame on a domestic machine.  

Image credits: photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Summer Watermelon Quilts (FREE patterns!)

Summer reminds us of watermelon. So cool and delicious! Here are three FREE watermelon quilt patterns to enjoy! Download your favorites today.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, follow us on X/Twitter.  

Mod Melons quilt, free pattern by Suzy Quilts for Birch Fabrics (CLICK for description) + (CLICK for PDF download)

 Summer Watermelon quilt, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

  Fruitopia quilt, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Let Freedom Ring!

The 250th anniversary of U.S. Independence—known as the Semiquincentennial or America 250—celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This quilt celebrates our country and its flag, a symbol of freedom. Happy Independence Day!

"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."

Freedom Starburst 2026, made and quilted by Char Gasker.  

Char Gasker designed this quilt to celebrate our country's 250th birthday.  "I used EQ8 and a scrappy block from Judith Gauthier's book "Sensational Quilts for Scrap Lovers" to make this quilt. Except for the large white stars, all the red, white and blue blocks are made from the same "scrappy" block."

Char picked some beautiful starry fabrics in just the right shades of red and blue. The bright white stars really stand out against the blue! Computer guided quilting was used to complete the quilt. 

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 Image credits:  Freedom Starburst was photographed by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Arizona Quilters Guild show, where the show theme was Let Freedom Ring.