Quilt Inspiration Classics: Easter Quilts

We've always had a soft spot for Easter, bunnies, and eggs. The quilts in this post first appeared on March 31, 2010, when we had about 7 followers... so you may not have seen these before!  This is one of our favorite posts from that year.

Egg cups quilt, ~ 20 x 30, by Jean Loken



We came across the beautiful quilt, above, and were impressed not only by the 18 different Delft style egg cups, but also by the colorful, three-dimensional lattice work. The quilt was made by the late Jean Loken, who generously shared the story with us in 2010: "It was from a Dutch company, and friends of mine imported some of their fabulous fabrics and wondered if anyone they knew would tackle a quilt with instructions in Dutch... I found a Dutch lady who translated it for me. Then I had to change the centimeters into inches that I could cut with a rotary cutter. The diamond intersections were harder than I thought they would be, but we love the quilt." You can read about Jean Loken, her life and her quilts, at SJ Loken. 

Garden Bunnies, 66 x 77, by Darcy Ashton at Ashton Publications




Darcy Ashton has created a series of wildly popular bunny patterns and quilts. This marvelous quilt features ten hand-appliquéd bunnies set among log cabin blocks, done in the colors of spring. The patterns for all of the bunnies - and for eleven different quilts featuring them - are in Bunnies & More, a book by Ashton Publications.

Baltimore Bunnies,64 x 79, by Anne Sutton for Bunny Hill Designs




The beautiful Baltimore Bunnies Quilt by Bunny Hill Designs has twelve different appliquéd blocks, in the style of an heirloom Baltimore album quilt. Two of the ornate blocks, which feature bunnies framed by flower wreaths, are shown above. Also check out these classic Bunny Hill patterns: Garden Bunny, Sugar Bunnies, The Bunny Run, The French Rabbits, and Rabbits Prefer Chocolate.

Bunny Medallion Quilt, by Darcy Ashton at Ashton Publications




The bright pink cabbage roses, above, provide the perfect backdrop for the little white bunny. The bunny is from Darcy Ashton's original Grandma's Bunnies book. Although the book itself is out of print, the loose-leaf collection of 30 rabbit patterns is still available. To order, see Ashton Publications' patterns page.

Bunnies & Egg, 18 x 19.5, by Diane McGregor at Castilleja Cotton



Three bunnies and an egg: do the math. In this whimsical mini quilt, the white bunnies peer out from behind a giant egg, while pink and red butterflies... flutter by. The pattern is available at Castilleja Cotton along with the adorable Bunny and Egg, below.

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

Arizona Quilt Show 2012: The Finale

Welcome to the last day of photos from the Arizona Quilter's Guild Show this month !  We had a wonderful time attending this show, and we always love to read your comments about which quilt is your favorite.

Starfire by Audrey Longhurst. First Place, Pieced- Medium

First place winner for medium-size pieced quilts, Audrey Longhurst says, I began this quilt in a workshop taught by Judy Niemeyer.  It may not be obvious, but the quilt is composed of square blocks."  Audrey did an excellent job of color selection for this vibrant pattern. There are enough neutral hues placed around the center stars, that they really blaze forth and create a very eye-catching design.

 Royal Crown with Fans, collection of Quilt Appraiser Nora Mohr, White Mountain Quilt Studio

This elegant, stately Hawaiian quilt is believed to be created about the year 1930. Although the quiltmaker is unknown, the experts at the Hawaiian Quilt Project think it is the the work of Hannah Ku'umililani Cummings Baker (1906-1981). Hawaiian quilts made before World War II were both appliqued and quilted with white thread, using a very thin cotton batting. Nora Mohr notes that the echo outline of these quilts is described as one finger or two finger. This quilt is echo quilted at one finger, in rows 3/8 " apart.

From Quilt Inspiration's posts and research on Hawaiian quilts, we have learned that the outline of the crowns shown here is a way of honoring the Hawaiian kings and queens. The crowns motifs are a popular theme in Hawaiian quilts of past decades.

Picnic Time by Angie Steveson, quilted by Jessica Jones.

Second place winner for small mixed technique quilts, Angie Steveson writes, "My love for food was the inspiration for this original quilt. Seven different food appliques are scattered about as ants join the picnic." We really enjoyed this cheerful, whimsical quilt, with the ants (who were even carried over to the quilt back !), the red checkered tablecloth, and the realistic picnic food appliques.

Another One That Got Away by Amanda Thrall Jeffrey

Amanda Thrall Jeffrey writes, "I designed this after taking a class with Susan Carlson in 2007. I am a fly fisherwoman, but have never actually caught one (yet) !"  We love the bright complementary colors of the violets, blues, oranges and golden yellow, the excellent, realistic detail of the fish itself,  and the lively print border.

Hawk by Rita Vautrin, quilted by Rita Vautrin

Of this quilt, Rita Vautrin writes simply, "Inspired by a picture I took in Brazil."  This pictorial quilt impressed us as being very true-to-life. Rita's design and applique work captured the dignity of the hawk and his sharp, watchful eye very well. She carefully blended browns, golds, and grays to depict the nuances of light and shadow on the hawk's wings and on his perch.

Close-up, Hawk by Rita Vautrin

In this close-up, you can see some of the beautiful quilting work, including the use of thread painting to enhance the hawk's face and upper wings. The swirling designs of the sky quilting give us a sense of the wind blowing gustily around the hawk's hidden and high-up perch in the tree branches.

Best of the 2012 Arizona Quilt Show: Part 6

We can't get enough of beautiful quilts ! That's the entire purpose of this blog. What pride these quilters must have felt in seeing their outstanding work displayed at the Arizona Quilter's Guild 2012 show. We were impressed by all these quilts: and we'd love to read your comments about which quilt impressed you the most.

Jerome I by Margot McDonnell

Up in the beautiful foothills of north central Arizona, the old western town of Jerome is well-known throughout the state for honoring its heritage. Margot McDonnell's outstanding use of  all neutral hues shows great detail and flawless perspective in depicting this vintage house standing proudly against the elements of winter. Blue-ribbon winner for Pictorial Quilts, Margot's work is hand appliqued, hand embroidered, and machine quilted.

The Poseidon Adventure by Monika Hancock, quilted by Debbie Stanton

Blue ribbon winner in the category of Large Pieced Quilts, artist Monica Hancock writes,  " (Longarm quilter) Debbie Stanton picked this pattern from Judy Martin's "Stellar Quilts", hinting that I needed more challenging projects.....she was right ! It took time and thinking about the process." The modern Greek Key design using a range of lovely blue batiks, interspersed with traditional Ohio Star blocks really caught our eye in this king-sized quilt.

Close-up, The Poseidon Adventure, quilted by Debbie Stanton

In addition to the blue ribbon for piecing, "The Poseidon Adventure" also won the turquoise ribbon Exemplary Award for machine quilting with a track mounted machine. Debbie Stanton's beautiful swirled quilting pattern provides a perfect contrast to the geometric, angular design of the blocks.

Magical Midnight Garden by Judith Ritner and Designing Women members, quilted by Cindy Phare

First place winner for Best Quilt by a Group, Judith Ritner says,  "An original design created and executed by Designing Women group members. (This quilt was)  paper pieced, regular pieced, and hand appliqued." These gorgeous colors and the sprightly art nouveau style flowers interspersed with modern Mariner's Compass blocks remind us of a glowing, lit-from-behind Tiffany stained glass window.

A Baltimore Album by Barbara Klink, quilted by Sharon Brooks

Barbara Klink notes, "I machine embroidered this Baltimore Album quilt taught by Claudia Dinnell ( who digitized the patterns)." Machine embroidery patterns and designs have burgeoned in the past two decades, and in the hands of skilled artists like Barbara Klink and Claudia Dinnell, stunning quilts like the one above have been created. This is a great example of new technology being used to create time-honored and well-loved quilt blocks.

Simply Quilts Quilt, round robin, Lorraine Owen, Cindy Phare and Charlotte York.  Quilted by Lorraine Owen.

Lorraine Owen states,  "This was a Round Robin with some friends. The center was made by me, the butterflies (in the corners) were made by Cindy Phare, and the moustaches (at the sides) were made by Charlotte York." Red and white quilts are always so cheerful, and this delightful pattern is no exception. Look closely at the center of the quilt, and you can see how the pattern appears to "spin around " with dynamic energy.

Close-up of Simply Quilts Quilt

This is a quilt after the circa 1900 Vortex quilt in the American Folk Art Museum, which we posted in our Infinite Variety in Two Colors: Red and White feature.  There is also a link to a reproduction vortex quilt pattern in our Free Pattern Day - Red & White Quilts. We love this pattern and the fascinating optical illusions created by it.

Best of the 2012 Arizona Quilt Show: Part 5

Another day, another beautiful quilt -- or five !-- from the 2012 Arizona Quilter's Guild Show in Mesa, AZ. Even though the show's organizers had thoughtfully set up a "Viewer's Choice" ballot box where attendees could vote for their favorite, we couldn't choose just one. We thought they were all terrific ! What about you ?  Let us know your "Viewer's Choice" selection in the comments below.

Colorburst by Julie Mossier

Second place winner for pieced, medium-size quilts, Julie Mossier says,  "I love Jacqueline de Jonge's designs, but I modified the pattern a bit. With over 1000 pieces and 100  + fabrics, it was very challenging to keep everything organized. " Look carefully at the focal point, the 8 pointed star in the center.Can you see the fascinating three dimensional effect that makes the points and planes of the star appear to fold backward and forward like a paper fan ?  Julie has used pure, color-drenched fabric to create a spectacular work.

Scraps and Roses by Bev Lawrence

Like a burst of springtime flowers that all of a sudden blossom forth, this stunning king size quilt really captures the viewer's eye. Creator Bev Lawrence describes it as a "scrap quilt", but the colors are so beautifully coordinated, that it becomes a perfect blend of pinks, oranges, yellows, and purples. The flying geese sashing and elegant border of flowers give this quilt so much sparkle and charm. "Scraps and Roses" was one of our very favorites at the show this year.

Close-up of Scraps and Roses

Observe the beautiful applique work, the careful echo quilting, and the attention to fine detail, including the little French knots on the petals of the flowers !  We wish this quilt would have won a prize, as the workmanship and colors were so lovely.

Roseus by JoAnn Kilgroe, quilted by Jessica Jones.  Honorable Mention.

JoAnn Kilgroe writes,  "I love pinks, purples, and batiks.Collecting the 80 different fabrics was as much fun as making my quilt." We think that JoAnn has done an excellent job of fabric placement, achieving a sun-dappled effect of light and shadows together. "Roseus" uses batiks to their maximum potential in creating both high contrasts and a soft, restful, luscious pastel effect at the same time.

Spinning Blocks by Louise Tilby, quilted by Linda Visnow

Geometric three-dimensional designs in quilts have always amazed us, and this one's no exception. Louise Tilbey notes, "The hand applique was done using the English paper piecing method, which entails basting the fabric to paper templates, then appliqueing them to the background fabric."  Look at Louise's marvelous craftsmanship and flawless eye for monochromatic color selection of these blocks. They appear to be floating through deep space, like mysterious celestial jewels.

Sashiko Hexagon Sampler by Julianne Dodds

Julianne Dodds tells us, "Loving oriental fabrics and designs led me to Sashiko (Japanese hand embroidery). This wall hanging is paper-pieced and hand-quilted." Formal and elegant, this sampler is a wonderful tribute to Asian fabric patterns and symmetrical, graceful designs.

Close-up of  Sashiko Hexagon Sampler

We were very impressed by the precise, painstaking stitching and the selection of Sashiko designs to match the patterns of the printed fabrics.  Julianne Dodds' embroidery, quilting, and piecing skills are most admirable!

Free Pattern Day: Easter and Spring Quilts !

Here 30 free patterns for Easter and Spring! It's a great time to whip up an Easter bunny, egg, carrot or tulip to celebrate the season. NOTE: This post has been updated.  For the latest patterns, please visit our Free Pattern Day for Easter & Spring quilts (CLICK HERE!)

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

Image credit: The 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; email us at Quilt Inspiration.

Green, green: Arizona Quilt Show 2012

Céad míle fáilte (in Gaelic: a hundred thousand welcomes)! This is Day 4 of The Best of the 2012 Arizona Quilt Show, and we've assembled a collection of some beautiful green quilts.  We always love your comments - so let us know your favorites!

Irish Spring by Carol Miller

Carol Miller says: "The quilt began with the monogram…. followed by 'I want to make it for Spring'. Then green swapped Churn Dash blocks came to mind and finally the name." The quilt won a third place ribbon in the Group Quilt category. Our photo was taken from the side due to the crowd of people nearby! We loved the celtic knot applique surrounding the initial 'M' (below).

Irish Spring, center medallion, by Carol Miller

Blue Birds of Happiness by Catherine Vaught

Folk art and wool applique have really taken off in the quilting world, and we were excited to see this lovely quilt! Catherine Vaught says:  "The pattern’s vibrant colors and folk art designs drew me in. Wool felt elements are hand appliqued (on a cotton background), embroidered, and embellished. All my favorite techniques." The design is by Gretchen Gibbons (info and link below). 

Blue Birds of Happiness - Center, by Catherine Vaught

This design is the subject of the book, Pennies from Heaven: Celebrated Quilt and Companion Projects by Gretchen Gibbons. At Gretchen's website, Celebration of Life Designs, you can obtain block-of-the-month kits, books and patterns.

Shannon, Irish chain, by Penny Dimick

Penny Dimick pieced and quilted this green-on-green Irish chain quilt as a high school graduation gift for her granddaughter; she used a cheerful shamrock fabric between the "chains". Penny says: "With an “Mc” last name, she had to have shamrocks and an Irish Chain."

Stars Within the Wonders by Caryl Spenny. Quilted by Janna Clark

Caryl Spenny writes that she really enjoys working with Stack-n-Whack and One Block Wonder techniques. Her stars and open cubes really stand out against the black space in this dazzling quilt!

Peek-A-Boo Monsters by Ann L. Petersen – First place, Mixed Techniques – Small

This is such an adorable quilt, and it won a blue ribbon too.  Ann Petersen says: “My daughter-in-law planned a nursery with cute monsters in black, white and green. This is the quilt I designed to hang on his wall”.  The top border reads: “Seventeen little green monsters” and the bottom border reads: “Waving, smiling, and saying ‘Boo!’” The detail photo below shows a toothless three-eyed monster in the shape of a saguaro cactus; he is carrying a flower in one "arm" and waving the other "arm" !

Arizona - My Fair Lady by Peggy Nehring - Second Place, Theme

To wrap up this post, here is a gorgeous ruffled Dresden done in the special Arizona Centennial Fabric. Peggy Nehring won a second place ribbon for the Theme category for this stunning quilt.  In the green areas of the quilt, you can see saguaro cacti which were quilted with copper thread.  The light blue areas surrounding the center Dresden plate were embellished with crystals.  The stack-n'-whack-style fans take full advantage of the Arizona Centennial "Southwest Beauties" fabric by Jason Yenter (shown below).  Can you see which motifs Peggy selected for the Dresden Plate?

Arizona-My Fair Lady, center plate by Peggy Nehring

Arizona Centennal Fabric, design by Jason Yenter, In The Beginning Fabrics

Day 3: Arizona Quilters' Guild Show 2012

Here are some more intriguing quilts from the weekend of March 9-10.  As you can see, a wide range of styles and techniques were on display. Write us a comment below, as we'd love to know which one is your favorite.

The Ladies at Sunset by Nancy Norrander - Judge’s Choice Award

Nancy Norrander said: “I pieced and quilted 'The Ladies at Sunset' for our new home in Arizona. It represents a very peaceful time of day and a time to reflect.” The faces of the Ladies were made of ultra suede, and the dresses, made of crushed velvet, stood out from the surface of the quilt.

Close-up photo, The Ladies at Sunset by Nancy Norrander

All three ladies are adorned with real turquoise necklaces as shown in the close-up photo above. We recognize this quilt as the "Navajo Treasures" pattern from Sara Cibelli, which can be seen at Flamingo Island Designs (Florida).

Vintage Roses by Barbara Polston, quilted by Terri Doyle. Blue ribbon: First Place Mixed techniques- Large.

Vintage tatted linen inspired this original design by Barbara Polston, showcasing painted appliqued roses. We were impressed by the tatting, which was appliqued around the center panel, shown below.  Tatting was common in our grandmothers' day and it is not often seen.

Close-up, Vintage Roses by Barbara Polston

All of the roses were painted off the quilt surface and turned into appliqué elements.  Barbara Polston says that the quilt concept lived in her head for almost two years. From start to finish, the quilt took 18 months to complete and was meant to be a competition piece.

Arizona Charm by Reni Dieball, quilted by Diane Pitchford

Tumbling Blocks were hand-pieced and hand appliqued to borders; there are hundreds of hand-pieced Y-seams in this quilt. Reni Dieball decided to arrange the blocks by colors. The  wide variety of fabrics were obtained by exchanges with her quilting and sewing friends.  The detail below shows some of the fun fabrics which Reni used: a scarecrow with sunflower, candy cane, sun with smiling face, spools of thread, and a family of geese can be seen.

Close-up, Arizona Charm by Reni Dieball

Hexagonal Spirals by Sue Whaples, quilting by Barbara Harrell

This colorful quilt is an elaborate variation of a snail's trail, based on an original design by John Flynn.  Sue Whaples used John’s Hexagonal Spirals templates to make all the arms of the snails tails match up; she made the quilt rectangular and added borders.

Close-up, Hexagonal Spirals by Sue Whaples, quilting by  Barbara Harrell

The quilting, which was done by Barbara Harrell, was really exceptional; as you can see in the photo above, each triangle in the spiral was quilted separately - an enormous amount of work. 

My Civil War Bride by Janice Hartman - Exemplary Hand Quilting Award

This is the first Civil War Bride quilt we've seen in person and it received an Exemplary Hand Quilting award (turquoise ribbon) along with a 2nd place (red ribbon) in the Applique-Large category. Janice Hartman used reproduction fabric collected over several years. The applique stitching, which was done with silk thread, was nearly invisible.  Hand quilting was done around each applique and diagonally in the borders. It was a stunning quilt that must have taken thousands of hours to applique. Our apologies for this less-than-perfect photo of a perfect quilt; the quilt was hung in a back hallway where the lighting was really challenging; the left side was in darkness and the right side was under a spotlight.

The Civil War Bride quilt pattern, designed by Corliss Searcey of Threadbear (Australia), is done in the style of The Bird of Paradise quilt in the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. It is distinguished by heavily appliquéd blocks of flowers & leaves, birds & butterflies, animals and fruit.

Day 2 : Arizona Quilters' Guild Show 2012

Here are more fantastic quilts from the weekend of March 9 -10, where over 300 quilts were on display.   We loved them all ! Write us a comment below, and let us know which one is your favorite !

For Lucilla: Arizona's Skies, Arizona's Glory by Linda Engstrom

The red ribbon in the lower right corner signifies that this gorgeous quilt won second place in the category of pieced small quilts. Linda Engstrom notes,  "Fabrics used are predominantly batiks arranged in half-square triangles. Colors suggest an Arizona sunset and the pattern chosen creates an illusion of Native American motifs."

Close-up of For Lucilla: Arizona's Skies, Arizona's Glory

Linda Engstrom has updated this traditional geometric Amish pattern by using contemporary batiks streaked with the yellow-orange, pink, and violet colors of  dawn and dusk.  She quilted her work in long horizontal lines, giving a brilliant representation of  the sky at the beginning and end of day.We were very impressed  by the careful planning that resulted in a quilt where every element works together for maximum artistic effect.

Bubble Gum and  Lemon Drops by Janet Grant

What a great title for this fun, colorful quilt full of swirling, dynamic energy!  Janet Grant says, "I love curves ! Each block is made using five acrylic templates. All fabrics came from my stash, and I quilted it with 18 different fill patterns." We think that Janet did a super job in selecting lively, high-contrast fabrics which are perfect for a work with curved piecing.

Fans for Victoria by Karen G. Fisher

Third place winner for small pieced quilts, Karen G. Fisher writes,  "Using a variation of a pattern from my upcoming book, Easy Grid Quilts, the colors and embellishments were inspired by Victorian-era crazy quilts." The lace-edged center medallion provides an innovative and very pleasing setting for this well-loved vintage block.

Close-up of Fans for Victoria

Look at the darling lacy hearts and the tiny fans in the center of the medallion.  They add a sweet, feminine touch to this  pretty design !

Iris Fields by Cynthia Huettner

In "Iris Fields", we were captivated by the wonderful use of monochromatic colors to create a dazzling, three dimensional effect through the use of light and shadows. Cynthia Huettner notes, "Originally inspired by bargello quilts and through experimenting with hand-dying graduations of color, this quilt evolved into an abstract iris, enhanced by appliqued leaves. 

Lucy in the Skies by Rebecca Schroeder

The quilt artist takes the title of her vividly colored quilt from the famous Beatles' song,  "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". Rebecca notes, "Machine pieced and machine quilted using a pattern from the book Maverick Quilts by Alethea Ballard with a sawtooth border added."  We love the vibrant contemporary fabric selection and the juxtaposition of both circular and geometric blocks in this unique, eye-catching design