Blooming Nine Patch: A Perennial Favorite

Did you ever construct a quilt which looked really challenging, but was incredibly fun to make? The blooming nine patch is one of those intriguing patterns. Each fabric square alternates with a nine-patch that uses the two adjacent fabrics, creating a subtle "color wash" transition from one fabric to the next. (For more blooming nine patch quilts, see our original post from 2011!)

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Kaffe Blooming Nine Patch by Pat Morris, quilted by Athena Taylor

The Blooming Nine Patch design was first published in 1996 by Blanche Young with her daughter, Dalene Young Stone, in their classic book Tradition With a Twist.   Another daughter, Helen Young Frost, arranged the design in concentric diamonds, much like the Amish Trip Around the World pattern.

Pat Morris says, "It's a fun quilt to make using alternating nine patches and plain squares. I used Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics assembled in a kit by All About Color Quilting.  It was machine quilted using edge-to-edge computerized quilting by Athena Taylor." (Can you see the nine patch blocks in this closeup photo?)

 The Blackhole, made and quilted by Debra Kaweske 

 Debra Kaweske says that this stunning quilt, made in beautiful batiks, was inspired by the photo of a black hole.  The photo made her want to create an original quilt which would transition from a bright inviting center to a vast outer space. The lovely details and quilting can be seen in the closeup below.

 

Note:  For those who love batiks, Robert Kaufman Fabrics has a free "Luminous Nine Patch" pattern for the Kasuri collection, shown below. To download the free PDF, CLICK HERE! 

Image credits: The original quilt photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show. 

Best Use of Color (2)

The recent QuiltCon show was filled with beautifully designed and made quilts. "Best Use of Color" was not a specific entry category, but these beauties stood out - not only for design and technique, but also for their color.  (For PART 1 of this series, CLICK HERE!)

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Blooming Star by Daphné Parthoens (Belgium) @octopurse 

Blooming Star is made out of 6144 half-inch diamonds (!) arranged in a flower-like shape. It is beautifully machine pieced and hand quilted! Its bold and contrasting colors form a harmonious gradient and give the quilt the impression of being three-dimensional.  Daphne explains that the quilt is an ode to nature and its everlasting beauty. All the little hand quilted pieces are meant to represent seeds planted in the ground to later bloom into luxurious flowers.

 The 95 by Vicki Ruebel (Nevada) @OrchidOwlQuilts (Additional piecer: Judy Dale).  

The cool analogous color scheme provides a lovely backdrop for the expert longarm quilting on this piece. Vicki Ruebel says, "This quilt was a team effort between my mom and I.  I designed the quilt in EQ8, my mom pieced it and I quilted it.  We used vinyl to create the circles.  I explored using soft and stable as the base layer of batting with wool on top to pop the quiltng.  The intricate [longarm]quilting is my favorite part of this quilt."

The Pointy Beast by Susan Braverman (Texas) @wildpoppyquilts  

Winner of 1st Place in the Modern Traditionalism category, The Pointy Beast updates the classic New York Beauty block with large scale and striking high-contrast colors.  It says "look at me" from across the room.  Dense grid quilting anchors the design's structured form, as shown below.  A variety of thread colors were used to create nuanced value shifts throughout.

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

Faith, Hope, and Love at Easter

On Easter, many of us take the time to reflect on the promise of hope and new life in the Easter story. Here is a luminous stained glass quilt with a beautiful message of Faith, Hope and Love.

Rays of Hope - Stained Glass version by Carolyn Morris

This quilt was exhibited at the 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild show and shown on Q.I. that year. Carolyn Morris says: "Using gradation batiks, each section was cut individually, ironed in place, and quilted with irregular satin stitches.  The trapunto cross was machine embroidered and then appliqued to the front." 

You can find the pattern at Rays of Hope Quilts at Etsy and see Carolyn explain the full story on YouTube.

The design came to Carolyn Morris on Easter, 2011, in response to her own prayer. Carolyn says: "My life is dedicated to serving others. For many years that involved my three children and their training. Now that they have children of their own, I use the talents that I have to enrich the lives of others. Many of the quilts I make are small 15" squares with embroidery messages or scriptures on them. I give many away to those in need of prayers."

p.s.  If you enjoy Stained Glass quilts, you might also enjoy our Free Pattern Day (CLICK HERE!)

Best Use of Color

The recent QuiltCon show was filled with beautifully designed and made quilts, but these really stood out. "Best Use of Color" was not a specific entry category, but we would've awarded ribbons to these outstanding entries.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on jewelry, patterns, and collectibles!

Vesta by Julia Wachs @juliawachs.designs, quilted by Jana Royal (Seattle Modern Quilt Guild)

Vesta is an Art Nouveau-inspired design meant to evoke the roaring 20s spirit.  Julia Wachs says, "I named it after my grandmother, Vesta Wachs.  She didn't teach me how to quilt (she made one and decided it wasn't for her) but she did teach me to always use my creativity and to approach challenges with a positive attitude.  

It incorporates both foundation paper piecing and machine applique, and was custom quilted by Jana Royal on a frame (longarm).

Color Schemes, made and quilted by Cathleen Kilpatrick (Philadelphia Modern Quilt Guild) 

Each block of this quilt is a color scheme starting with Violet, or its complimentary color Yellow. The blocks are arranged so the composition moves from darkness to light. The combination of the block pattern, the arrangement of the colors and the quilting creates an optical illusion.  The blocks recede to the background, and the circles are dominant. The arcs of circles within the larger outer circle were added to create a spinning effect.  

 

The Crush by Abigail Vargas @avargusdesigns (Sacramento [California] Modern Quilt Guild) 

Abigail Vargas says, "This quilt is part of my Kinetic Series inspired by Newton's Cradle Pendulum. Energy is transferred through a stationary object when colliding with an object in motion then propelling an object on the other end into movement." The Crush was machine pieced and machine appliqued.

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

Free Pattern Day! Dresden Plate quilts

Dresden Plate quilts are named after the ornately decorated tableware of Dresden, Germany. Some fantastic Dresden Plate variations and settings can be found in the free patterns below.  To go to a pattern: Scroll down the page until you see the quilt you like, then click on the words "CLICK for PDF download" (or the hyperlinked website name) in the title above the quilt.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on jewelry, patterns, and collectibles!

Cosmos quilt, 46 x 36", free pattern by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Dresden quilt and bag, 40 x 60" quilt, free pattern at Simplicity (CLICK for PDF download)

Color Spoken Here, 45 x 60", free pattern at Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF Download)

Garden Dresdens, ~56 x 56", free pattern at Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Fan Flower quilt, 55 x 70", free pattern at Tilda's World (CLICK for PDF download)

Sentimentalities Quilt, free pattern by Bonnie Christine at Going Home to Roost (CLICK for PDF download)

Panache quilt, 48 x 48”, free pattern at RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bohemia quilt, 50 x 50", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Antiquities Medallion quilt, 43"square, free pattern by Marinda Stewart (CLICK for PDF download)

Growing Tall quilt, ~64" square, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Cat-tastic quilt, 68 x 85", free pattern by Christine Stainbrook for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Denim Flowers quilt, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Windham Fabrics  (CLICK for PDF download)

Four Eyes quilt, ~62" square, free pattern at Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Southern Belle quilt, 72 x 90", free pattern by Patrick Lose for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Rainbow Blooms quilt, 74 x 84", free pattern by Stacey Day for P&B Textiles (CLICK for PDF download)

Cutie Tootie quilt, 74 x 94", free pattern by Barbara Jones for Henry Glass Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Daisy Carousel quilt, 72" square, free pattern by Lynne Goldsworthy for Lecien (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Color Wheel quilt, 85" square, free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Piece of Pi quilt, 48 x 64", free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Round Robin quilt, 76 x 76", free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 
Rise and Shine quilt, ~72 x 82", free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

In Living Color quilt, 71 x 94", free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Hoffman California Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Sunflowers quilt, ~63 x 77", free pattern at Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Chevron flowers quilt, 63 x 82", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Little Aurora Borealis quilt, free pattern at Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Dancing Dahlias quilt, 40 x 56”, free pattern by Marinda Stewart for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Belaire quilt, ~60 x 70", free pattern by Heidi Pridemore for Blank Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

Fanfare quilt, 54 x 78", free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Color Wheel Runner by Karen Montgomery for Timeless Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

Radium quilt, 75 x 75", free pattern by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Krystal Fans quilt, ~28 x 52", free pattern by Marsha Evans Moore for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Fan Dance quilt, free pattern by Anna Maria Horner for Janome (CLICK for PDF download)

Whirling Fans quilt, ~59 x 67", free pattern by Nancy Mahoney for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bohemia quilt, 60 x 60”, free pattern by Lily’s Quilts for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

A Few Too Many quilt, 72 x 72", free pattern by Bethany Fuller for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Flower Dance quilt, 48 x 60", by Laura Gilvin for Studio E Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Award Ceremony Quilt, 60 x 72”, free pattern by Anna Maria Horner (CLICK for PDF download)

Petal Play quilt, 72 x 72" or 48 x 48", free pattern by Brenda Ratliff for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Song Bird quilt, 96 x 96", free pattern by Franchelle Contreras for Henry Glass Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Fruit Slices quilt, 54 x 63”, free pattern by Whistler Studio for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Chevron Kaleidoscope quilt, free pattern by Emily Herrick for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Floral Faire by Project House 360, 81 x 81", for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Sunburst Baby Quilt tutorial by Shelley at Elsie's Girl (CLICK for tutorial)

 
Decadent Pear by Samantha Lee Walker for Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Flirt Dresden Plate Quilt, ~50 x 50",  by Marinda Stewart for Free Spirit Fabrocs (CLICK for PDF download)

Dresden Blooms quilt, 68 x 88", free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Milady's Mural quilt, 38 x 47", free pattern by Debbie Beaves for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Color Play quilt, 48 x 60", free pattern by Project House 360 at RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Color wheel Block, free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits: All images are copyrighted by their owners. Please respect their generosity in sharing their free patterns, and the restrictions they have placed on the use of these designs. Complete information can be found at the designers' websites provided in the links. If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.