Two-million-view milestone : Part 1

Quilt Inspiration recently hit a major milestone, with over 2 million page views.  We're very pleased, and we think it's time to say THANKS to the many talented designers who inspire us all.   Join us for a two-part retrospective with a few of the artists we've featured.

Eye of the Storm by Peggy Martin

'Eye of the Storm' by Peggy Martin is an excellent example of a medallion quilt, where there is one large circular or symmetrical object in the center, surrounded by concentric rings or diamonds which draw the eye inward. For more information on this storm-at-sea quilt, see our March 2011 post, Eye of the Storm.

Surprisingly Red by Jacqueline de Jonge

Beautiful roses, soft pastels and warm reds are brought together in perfect harmony in this stunning quilt pattern by Jacqueline de Jonge. The medallion is surrounded by an undulating wave of skinny New York Beauty points.  For more information see our December 2011 post, Christmas around the world: The Netherlands.

Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith

"Simply Delicious" was the second block-of-the-month pattern at Piece O'Cake Designs and it is still going strong. This classic quilt was inspired by vintage botanical prints from the 1800's.  For more information see our August 2012 post, Simply Delicious.

Diamond Wedding Ring by Judy Niemeyer

 

In Judy Niemeyer's  clever Diamond Wedding Ring quilt, the pieced arcs are arranged in a triangle shape, with a star in the center.  Judy says that this pattern is great for both the beginner and advanced quilter.  For more information see our February 2013 post, Wedding Ring Quilts Part 2.

Memories of Monet by Joen Wolfrom

"Memories of Monet" is a deceptively simple design by color expert Joen Wolfrom.  Joen combined two historic blocks, Summer Winds and Storm at Sea, in an analogous color scheme. For more information see our December 2012 post, Color Play by Joen Wolfrom.

Magnolia Quilt by Sue Spargo

The gracious old homes and flower gardens of  Magnolia, Ohio, inspired Sue Spargo to create her enchanting "Magnolia" quilt. Sue's folk-art imagery reflects her multi-cultural background and her fascination with folk art from around the world. For more information see our September 2010 post, Our Town Part 2.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

Some summery quilts

At the recent 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show we saw some quilts whose beautiful colors of orange and raspberry sherbet, periwinkle blue, lemon yellow, and sage meadow green, reminded us of the joys of nature during the summer season. We hope you like them as much as we do.  And, if you're working on a quilt this season, please let us know in the Comments below !  We love to read about your latest creations.

Grandma’s Stellar Array by Ann L. Petersen

Second place winner for Mixed Techniques -Small Quilts, Ann says, "This was a challenge quilt using an Oriental print. I thought the background looked like Civil War reproductions, so I made a traditional-looking quilt." 

Close up, Grandma’s Stellar Array by Ann L. Petersen

 

Here, you can see Ann's excellent and accurate piecing of the tiny diamonds in the feathered star blocks.

Through Hubble’s Window by Alicia Sterna

Honorable Mention winner for Art/Abstract Quilts, Alicia notes," [This quilt was] originally conceived as an exploding flower inspired by Peggy Martin's Millenium Star. The final design reminded me of images sent back from the Hubble Telescope." We think that the black and deep blue backgrounds really create a dramatic "deep space" effect for this quilt.

OMG- A Million Tiny Pieces by Joan McNamara

Third place winner in the Large Pieced Quilts category, Joan writes, " I love this miniature piecing. Thee are over 15,000 pieces in this quilt and 40 different fabrics- 100% cotton, with wool batting." The design,  "Omigosh", is by Sue Garman.

Close up, OMG- A Million Tiny Pieces by Joan McNamara

Take a look at the pretty nine-patch sashing which separates the larger, traditional Monkey Wrench or Churn Dash squares ! The nine patches that create the chains are 1-1/2" finished, as are the half square triangles. The little four patches on point are 1" finished. With the refreshing white background, this large quilt provides the perfect decor for a summertime bedroom.

From Sunup to Sundown by Barbara Jansen

Honorable Mention winner for Best Use of the 2013 Theme, "Trends and Traditions", Barbara states: "Traditional quilting is honored in the familiar blocks revived over decades of American quilting. Batik colors and patterns reflect the global influence in today's fabric trends."

Close-up,  From Sunup to Sundown by Barbara Jansen

Barbara's very interesting and well-designed center motif of native women carrying their baskets and their children in the traditional style contrasts perfectly with the contemporary New York Beauty blocks on the outside border of the quilt. There's so much to see in this very eye-catching quilt.

Summer Kaleidoscope by Valene Sattler

Summer Kaleidoscope is part of the Red Rock Round Robin Challenge, where one quilter begins a quilt design, then other quilters add to the quilt and eventually complete it.  The split complementary colors of orange, blue, green, and lavender create a lovely effect and remind us of taking an outside stroll in the summer twilight.

In the close-up below, notice how the semi-trapunto butterflies float gaily and almost ethereally in the closely quilted periwinkle sky background.

Close-up- Summer Kaleidoscope by Valene Sattler

Check out the tiny ladybugs, adorned with small beads, which carefully make their way among the tall grasses. The multi-color border of narrow strips creates a cheerful, lively effect and adds to the quilt's personality.

Watermelon Smiles by Sharon L. Angelo

Sharon writes, "Tedious paper piecing done, I beamed with relief and celebrated with some juicy watermelon. Upon finishing the quilt, I broke into an enormous grin."  We can certainly empathize with Sharon, as we've experienced the sense of accomplishment and relaxation that comes with completing a major quilt project.

This distinctive design is known as "Rattlesnake" by Karen Stone; for further information, please see Wanda Hanson's "Exuberant Color" blog.


Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Free pattern day! Storm-at-Sea Quilts and block diagrams

Storm at Sea uses small changes in straight angles to create an optical illusion of rounded shapes.  Here are some free storm-at-sea quilt patterns!  Note: This post has been UPDATED.  For the latest free patterns, please visit our Free Pattern Day for Storm-at-Sea quilts (CLICK HERE!)

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

Image credits and links: This post was updated on May 12, 2025.  The photo montage shown on this page is a derivative work that is the property of Quilt Inspiration. If any links are broken, we'd love to know so we can fix it. Please email us at QuiltInspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.

Winter Quilts: snow, ice and starry nights

We're wrapping up our Winter Quilts Series! Thanks to these remarkable artists, we've had a blast learning about all the different techniques that can be used to create snowflakes: reverse shadow trapunto, quick strip paper piecing, kaleidoscopes, Notan, sun printing and more. Here are all the quilts we've shown over the last two weeks, along with links to the original websites where you can find books, patterns, prints and other products. And now, it's time for us to move on to our next Free Pattern Day and a special featured artist. See you on Monday!

Row 1: Snow Flurries by Peggy Martin at Peggy Martin Quilts; Flurries by Cheryl Wittmayer at Sew Be It; Snowflake Delight by Angie Padilla at Angie's Quilt Pattern Shop. Row 2: Winter Wonderland by Leah Day at Day Style Designs; Notan Snowflake by Nancy Schlegel at NRS Quilter as seen at the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge; Glistening Frost by Susan Varanka at Susan's Quilt Creations. Row 3: Kaleidoscopic XXII: Ice Crystals, c. 2000, Paula Nadelstern; Floating Mariner, block and quilt, by Jennifer Ofenstein at Sew Hooked. Row 4: Kaleidoscopic XXII: Ice Crystals, detail, c. 2000, Paula Nadelstern; Frosty Window by Sue Andrus at Andrus Gardens Quilts; Dancing Twilight by Cheryl Malkowski at Cheryl Rose Creations.

Snow Flurries

It's Day 8 of our Winter Quilts Series! Intricate and innovative, the snowflakes on this quilt are created by paper-piecing and the sun-printing method. Let's take a look at how quilt artist Peggy Martin achieved these fascinating effects.

Snow Flurries, 40 x 40, by Peggy Martin at Peggy Martin Quilts

Peggy Martin is a very popular and internationally known artist, author, and teacher who was selected as the 2010 Quilting Teacher of the Year by The Professional Quilters Association.  In "Snow Flurries", Peggy has constructed the three larger snowflakes with a paper-piecing method.  Each snowflake consists of six pie-shaped blocks which are pieced together to all meet in the middle, creating a hexagon shape.

The smaller snowflakes are created using a sun-printing technique. To make sun-printed snowflakes, take white fabric and paint it with Setacolor transparent fabric paint.  While the paint is still wet, take a snowflake that you have cut out of freezer paper and finger-press it on top of the fabric. Allow the paint to dry in bright sunlight, then peel off the freezer paper, and there is your snowflake printed on the fabric!

Peggy Martin also offers workshops on the whole quilt and on the snowflake block:

In a recent interview on the C and T Publishing Blog,  Peggy says," I began making quilts for my home, mainly in blues and burgundies. Now I enjoy exploring as many different color combinations as possible and playing with the interaction of colors in different ways in my newer quilts."

The bright navy background and icy chambray blue colors here make a lovely monochromatic combination, but there are many colorways options for these snowflakes. For example, this quilt would look very pretty  done with a clear bright pink background, lime green inner border, and white snowflakes for a little girl's room.

*Snow Flurries" by Peggy Martin, free downloadable wallpaper image available at C and T Publishing

Peggy has used her artistic talent to develop forms and shapes which twinkle and sparkle so much that they almost jump off the computer screen. These snowflakes against the deep blue background also remind us of beautiful stars on a cold, clear, winter night. 

The "Snow Flurries" pattern is in Paper Piece the Quick-Strip Way by Peggy Martin: 

We own a copy of  this book, and we cannot say enough good things about its content, organization, quilt ideas, and great writing !  We strongly recommend it, as it is full of useful instructions and dazzling projects.  Also, you can learn Quick-Strip Paper Piecing from Peggy Martin in her new online workshop at Craftsy.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Peggy Martin.  We previously featured her award-winning Eye of the Storm quilt in our series on Storm at Sea.

Storm-at-sea quilt wrapup

Here are some gorgeous storm-at-sea quilts we've shown at Quilt Inspiration. We are so fascinated by the design possibilities of this block !  For free downloadable block diagrams and free storm-at-sea patterns, please see our updated post:  Storm at Sea Quilts and Free Block Diagrams.
  
Eye of the Storm, Heart of the Storm, Summerfest Garden, Oceana, Delft Storm, and Albers at Sea

Row 1:  Eye of the Storm by Peggy Martin, at Peggy Martin Quilts; Heart of the Storm, by John Flynn, at Flynn Quilt.  Row 2: Summerfest Garden, by Joen Wolfrom; Oceana, by Linda Jean Peterson at Cape Cod Art Studio. Row 3:  Delft Storm, by Ionne McCauley, at Ionne Quilts; Albers at Sea, by Debra Levin at the Empire Quilters Guild.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of the designers.

Eye of the Storm

Continuing with our Storm At Sea series, we are featuring a quilt that incorporates another design with a nautical name:  Mariner's Compass.  We enjoy this quilt because the vivid pink and scarlet tones symbolize the highly charged activity of the storm, while the blue and gold tones provide a restful contrast. Just as waves ripple outwardly on a pond,  the energy is concentrated in the center, then dissipates peacefully to the deep navy of the outer border. 'Eye of the Storm' won 2nd prize for Best Traditional Quilt at the 2009 Road to California Show.

Eye of the Storm,  66 x 66, by Peggy Martin, at Peggy Martin Quilts

Eye of the Storm is an excellent example of a medallion quilt, where there is one large circular or symmetrical object in the center, surrounded by concentric rings or diamonds which draw the eye inward. In this case, the "eye" is the circular, spiked Mariner's Compass which serves as the focal point. Medallion quilts are often constructed with 4 equal sides, as it is easier for the quilter to locate the exact center of the quilt where the medallion should be placed. Medallions are especially popular in larger quilts, where a colorful center can attract the eye and provide clarity to the design. Normally a challenging pattern, the Mariner's Compass is often attempted only by advanced quilters. Peggy has made this easier by piecing the medallion using her Quick-Strip Paper Piecing Technique, which she teaches in her workshops. Also, she pieced the surrounding Storm At Sea pattern using Wendy Mathson's TRIMplate method.

In 2010 Peggy Martin was awarded the Quilting Teacher of the Year award by Professional Quilter. She has two top-rated books, Quick-Strip Paper Piecing and Paper Piece the Quick-Strip Way, and a DVD: Peggy Martin Teaches You Quick-Strip Paper Piecing, all with C&T Publishing.  (Note: Peggy also recommends Wendy Mathson's book: A New Light on Storm at Sea Quilts). Please visit Peggy Martin's website for more information on her workshops.

Image credits:  The image shown is with the generous permission of Peggy Martin.