Quilt Arizona 2017! day 1

For us, springtime in the desert means three things: spring flowers, spring training (baseball), and Quilt Arizona!  This is our 8th year blogging about this fun show, which draws visitors from many parts of North America. Here are some of our favorites from this year's show.

Please note: We're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter ! Check us out here !  

Whimsey in Bloom. 78 x 78", by Ann L. Petersen

Ann L. Petersen has won awards at every Quilt Arizona! show in recent memory.  The fabulous Whimsey in Bloom won 1st place - Mixed Technique and a special award for Excellent Use of Color.  Ann says, "I've been laying with adding applique to paper pieced designs for curves.  The top reminded me of Art Deco so I quilted it to reflect that."

close up, Whimsey in Bloom 

Six original black and white Dresden plate blooms are arrayed over a background of squares that move from green, at the bottom of the quilt, to sunny skies at the top.  In the photo below you can see the Art Deco style quilting designs created by Ann Petersen.

Unfortunately this quilt was hung right under a canister light in an otherwise dark hallway, which created the uneven lighting you see in our photo.  For a better photo of this quilt and other beautiful creations, please visit Ann Petersen's gallery at Obsessive Quilter.

Southwest Spirits, made and quilted by Linda Hopkins

We loved this southwest-style crazy quilt.  Done in copper and turquoise, with beautiful stitching and embellishments, there was something to see in every corner.. Linda Hopkins says, "Southwest Spirits embraces the diversity of cultures and colors of this region's past.  Mythical figures, rock etchings, and vivid colors are incorporated in this quilt."

detail, Southwest Spirits by Linda Hopkins

The closeup photos show some of the amazing beadwork and stitchery in Southwest Spirits.

The Harbor at Portofino by Linda Schoenfeld

This was a small quilt, maybe 15" across,with details that lend a photo-realistic quality.  Linda Schoenfeld explains that her photo of Portofino Harbor invokes fond memories of many trips to Italy.  The boats set against a backdrop of colorful buildings create the quintessential picturesque scene.  In the closeup photo below you can see the window shutters with painted details.

Cheryl's Fantasy Flowers by Cheryl A. Giovenco, quilted by Sheila Osbrink

Bursting with spring flowers, this is such a pretty quilt!  Cheryl A. Giovenco started Fantasy Flowers in 2012 and finished in June 2015. It is based on the Fantasy Flowers pattern by Pearl Pereira at P3 Designs. Cheryl says,  "I just love P3 Designs patterns! I enjoyed collecting the fabrics, then hand appliqueing each block." 

The Delft blue prints were a perfect choice for this flower pot.  See if you can spot the bumblebee enjoying the flowers!

Foxy Lady by Monika Hancock, quilted by Debbie Stanton

We are fans of Monika Hancock's work, and the larger-than-life face on this quilt really drew us in.  It received First Place - Pictorial (Non Original Design),  Monika Hancock says,  "I'm a big fan of Toni Whitney's paintings.  I couldn't resist the Red Fox.  I increased her pattern 150%.  Debbie Stanton always brings them to life."

The eyes, whiskers, and fur are so lifelike!  Monika's fabric selections and applique work were perfect in every way. Check out her award-winning Mama Loves You, Baby in our 2016 post.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. We have made efforts to identify the websites for the makers, quilters and designers; please leave a comment if you have additional information.

Miniature Works of Art

Let's begin the week on a small scale! In a true miniature quilt, the blocks are often scaled down from 12" to only 1". Some of the pieced quilts have over 1,000 pieces of fabric, and many pieces are smaller than a centimeter!  To create your own miniature work of art, scroll down for a FREE miniature quilt pattern from AQS!

Please note: We're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter ! Check us out here ! 

In Flanders Fields by Robin Gausebeck

Winner of Best Miniature Quilt at AQS - Paducah in 2014 and other awards, Robin explains, "Honoring veterans of all wars - the survivors and the dead in Flanders fields and elsewhere - this miniature quilt celebrates the poppies of remembrance. The title pays homage to the extraordinarily moving poem by John McCrae  which was written in 1915."  These pale blues, greens, oranges, and light reds look beautiful against the dark background.

Closeup, In Flanders Fields 

Robin's quilt is machine-stitched and fused with raw-edge applique. It is also hand embroidered, hand couched, and machine quilted on a domestic machine. For this lovely original design, Robin used commercial and hand-dyed cotton, silk thread, and perle cotton embroidery thread.

Blocks and Blooms by Marjorie Imperatrice

We photographed Blocks and Blooms with a hand in front (not touching) to show the small scale of the blocks. Winner of an Honorable Mention Award at the Arizona Quilter's Guild 2015 show in Mesa, Arizona, Marjorie writes, "I hand-pieced the mini Tumbling Blocks with traditional piecing. I used pictures from a Helen Stevens book to build the [hand-embroidered] border." 

Closeup, Blocks and Blooms

We marveled at how these tiny little pieces were so accurately placed together. Marjorie did an outstanding job with her hand quilting and embroidery.

Here is Marjorie's mini-quilt shown with the award ribbon, so you can get additional perspective of the size of her quilt.

Forest Aglow by Julie Mossier

Another Honorable Mention Award winner at the Arizona Quilters' Guild show (in 2014), Julie notes, "I enjoy the challenge of working small. This little quilt is paper pieced and has over 1200 pieces." The inspiration for this quilt came from George Siciliano's Tree Dimensional pattern.

Closeup, Forest Aglow by Julie Mossier

Julie's elegant, precise motif reminds us of tiny pine needles reflecting the light of the morning sun. We can only imagine the patience that went into piecing this fabulous creation.

La Petite Chef D'Oeuvre by Helen Williams Butler

Winner of Award of Excellence at the 2016 Springville (Utah) quilt show, Helen Butler says: “La petite chef d óeuvre means “my little masterpiece.”  I have always wanted to make a true miniature and I have been amazed at the seemingly endless number of decisions necessary... just to complete the quilt." The tiny flowers are invisibly hand appliqued with a trapunto effect.

closeup, La Petite Chef D'Oeuvre

La Petite Chef D'Oeuvre is machine quilted. Helen says, "After completing this little challenge I now know there will never be another one."

Dutch Flower Pots by Lahala Phelps

Dutch Flower Pots won a Judge's Recognition Award at the 2014 AQS QuiltWeek in Paducah.  It was inspired by the full-sized Pots of Flowers from the book A Flowering of Quilts by Patricia Cox Crews. Lahala decided to make this miniature version using a cheddar-colored background seen in many Pennsylvania Dutch quilts. It is hand appliqued and hand quilted with stitches so tiny they appear to be pin pricks.

Some Assembly Required by George Siciliano (Pennsylvania)

George Siciliano is famous for his intricately-pieced miniature quilts.   This masterpiece is foundation pieced with 4,860 pieces of jewel tone Dupioni silk.  George explains that the name of the quilt came to him when all the silk pieces were laid out in order.  His family had once passed a flatbed tractor-trailer loaded with all the materials needed to build a house, and his then-young son whispered, “some assembly required.”

closeup, Some Assembly Required

We'd say that some precision is needed to piece these tiny bits of silk.  Here is another photo of Some Assembly Required (with a hand in front, not touching, to show the scale):

Dancing Ribbons, 12 x 12", by Cindy Rounds Richards, free pattern for AQS

Here is a classic that has inspired many quilters! Random colored swirls of hand-pieced shot silk from Thailand give the appearance of ribbons dancing across the surface. Dancing Ribbons was the winner of the First Place prize, ART-MINIATURE from “Quilts: A World of Beauty” at the 2008 fall show of the International Quilt Association.  The process of creating this quilt started with Richards drawing the pattern onto woven fusible interfacing, then numbering and lettering each patch according to her diagram.  You can download this *free* PDF quilt pattern at the American Quilters' Society website.


Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. Dutch Flower Pots was photographed at the 2016 Brigham City Art Quilt Invitational exhibit. In Flanders Fields and Some Assembly Required were photographed at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Show.

Enchanted Garden

Our featured quilt this week celebrates all things GREEN.  Enchanted Garden is an original design by Cathleen Miller, who is renowned for her hand quilting. Cathleen moved from Wisconsin to New Mexico in 2004.  She explains that she moved from an area of rich black soil, where gardening was her passion, to a land of sand; she turned her passion into designing a garden with fabric.

Please note: We're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter ! Check us out here !

Enchanted Garden 81" x 80.5" by Cathleen Miller (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Enchanted Garden took Best of Show at the 2013 Denver National Quilt Festival and Second place, Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted at 2013 AQS QuiltWeek in Lancaster, among other awards.  We photographed it at the 2016 International Quilt Invitation Exhibition in Brigham City, Utah.

Cathleen Miller chose beautiful, bold colors for her applique.  The close-up shows Cathleen's award-winning hand quilting. The applique is many-layered, as vines twine around, under and over the layers of flowers and leaves.  The flower petals are outlined with hand quilting and embellished with beads. 

The leaves are hand embroidered to suggest veins. Leaves and flowers were also created with trapunto, adding even more depth to the quilt.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Free pattern day: St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is often celebrated with parades, shamrocks, and other decorations. Here are free patterns for quilts, table runners and pillows! NOTE:  This post has been updated.  For the latest patterns, please go to our Free Patterns for St. Patrick's Day (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 !

 

 

 Irish Chain wall quilt or table topper, 36" square, free tutorial by Quilt Inspiration (CLICK for tutorial)

 

 

Image credits: This post was updated on March 2, 2025. If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.

Giant Blogiversary Sale Part 4: Batiks and Contemporary Fabrics

This is the last part to our Blogiversary Sale ( promise !)  All this pretty fabric will remain available at Quilt Inspiration E-Bay  until purchased.  

Unless otherwise noted, these fabrics are from Princess Mirah , Hoffman California International, or
Tonga Batiks by Timeless Treasures. Click on the link just above the fabric photo, and you'll go directly to the E-Bay listing.

And, please stay tuned for a Free Pattern Day coming up soon !

1 1/4 yds total - Two pieces of raspberry-tangerine batik with circular floral motif

Sold. Thank you so much !



1/2 yard Magenta-Turquoise-Lime Green Batik with Pebbles Motif 

Sold. Thank you so much !
1 5/6 yds- 4 fabrics medley Hoffman/California Intl. batiks in Woodblock/Thumbprint Motif 

Sold. Thank you so much !
 

One yard- 3 separate pieces- Batik in pastel warm shades- pinks and yellows 

Sold. Thank you so much ! .
One-half yard red and orange batik with off-white spirals 
Sold - Thank you so much ! 😊

One yard fuchsia and blue-violet print from Baum Textiles 
Sold- Thank you so much ! 😊

7/8 yard Triangular Geometric Print in Black, Pink, Lavender, Yellow, Blue from Blank Quilting 
Sold - Thank you so much ! 😊

( More batiks and contemporary fabrics will be added soon to this blog post. Thanks very much for your patience).

 

Giant Blogiversary Sale Part 3: Quilt Books

We love to support our local quilt shops by purchasing beautiful quilt books full of  "eye candy" quilt photos. Then we realize we're so busy reading the books we already have, that we'll never get to the new ones ! Since quilt books are not returnable to the shop, we're selling them on Quilt Inspiration E-Bay  for greater than 50% off the original store price.  

Click on the colored letters just above each photo, and you'll go directly to the listing for the book.

 Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope of Quilts: 20 Designs for Patchwork and Quilting -
 SOLD ! Thank you so much !

Store price: $24.95  Your price: $11.99  ( plus $3.12 shipping)

Gloria Loughman - Quilted Symphony - A Fusion of Fabric Texture and Design
SOLD !  Thank you so much ! 

Store price: $29.95  Your price: $12.99  ( plus $3.12 shipping)

Kaffe Fassett's Country Garden Quilts: 20 Designs from Rowan for Patchwork and Quilting
SOLD ! Thank you so much !  

Store price: $24.95  Your price: $10.99 ( plus $3.12 shipping)


In the Studio With Angela Walters: Machine Quilting Design Concepts
SOLD! Thank you so much !

Store price: $22.95   Your price: $9.99 ( plus $3.12 shipping) 


Kaffe Fassett - Passionate Patchwork: Over 20 Original Quilt Designs
SOLD !  Thank you so much ! 

Store price : $24.95  Your price: $9.99 ( plus $3.12 shipping)

Thank you for viewing, and please stay tuned for a Free Pattern Day coming up next week ! 

Giant Blogiversary Sale Part 2: Springtime Fabrics

We're celebrating the 7th anniversary of writing our Quilt Inspiration blog, so we call it our "blogiversary." So many quilt patterns, such little time !  We acquired so much brand new fabric, that we'll never be able to sew all of it. So, we're selling it at super low cost on E-Bay Quilt Inspiration !

Click on the colored letters above each photo, and you'll go directly to the listing for the fabric.
 
1 yard- Fresh Fusion Cream Floral Explosion by Legacy Studio

An innovative, modern design is printed on sturdy fabric that irons beautifully. Off-white background, large print,with contemporary abstract round blossoms in peach, soft red, muted gold, sage green, and chocolate brown. Blossoms are about 3-4 inches in diamter.This fabric coordinates well with peach, soft orange, gold, or ivory shades. Perfect for table toppers, table runners, placemats, or wall quilts. Low price - $3.99 (plus shipping)


1 yard "Dreamcatcher" cotton by Windham Fabrics in aqua green, gold, rust, with primitive horses and arrows
Sold - Thank you so much ! 😊

1 1/8 yds Kaffe Fassett 4 fabrics medley in orange/yellow, lavenders, and blues
SOLD!  Thank you so much !