Scrap Happy Scrappy

Made entirely from scraps, this award-winning quilt was hand pieced, needle-turn appliqued, and embroidered by Susan Parker. The kaleidoscope of colors and prints makes a truly happy quilt.

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Scrap Happy Scrappy, made and quilted by Susan Parker

 

 

Susan Parker used a huge variety of prints and batiks to make these fun blocks. She followed a Block-of-the-Month program at The Quilt Show, based on the Pick-a-Petal design by Jen Kingwell. 

 

Jen says: "I'm known as a scrap quilter and so I knew I wanted this design to reflect this. The color palette is bright and fun mixing a range of prints." 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Quilt Arizona show. Scrap Happy Scrappy won First Place in the Scrap - Solo category.

Quilting with Kaffe Fassett fabrics! (1)

What do we love about Kaffe Fassett's fabrics? Their vibrant colors! For more than two decades, Kaffe Fassett has inspired quilters to go wild with color and texture. Here are some gorgeous quilts showcasing fabrics from the Kaffe Fassett Collective.

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Color Garden, made and quilted by Jana Knutson  

Bring on the color in this garden of trees and flowers! Some of the "branch" fabrics blend with the "tree" fabrics, while others have a strong contrast. The overall effect comes in and out of focus as you look at the quilt. Horizontal bands were created by grouping blocks with similar colors. Jana Knutson says that Color Garden was based on a quilt design called Arboretum by Springleaf Studios.  

Queens Cross by Elizabeth Sonnenfeld, quilted by Quality Quilterz 

This stunning New York Beauty-style quilt was based on the Queens Cross pattern by Jen Kingwell. We love the color combinations, spiky points, and contrasts! Elizabeth Sonnenfeld says, "This pattern really appealed to me, especially using colorful Kaffe Fassett fabrics.The process of making the blocks was longer than usual but very enjoyable." Check out the teal blue and olive green combination below!

Hot Tucson Nights, made and quilted by Linda Cote  

Wow, this quilt is as hot as the summer nights in Tucson, Arizona! So many wonderful fabrics were used. The orange and red blocks are interspersed with pops of blue and purple, providing a respite and focal points for the design. Linda Cote says that Hot Tucson Nights was based on a "Scrappy Surprise" pattern by Virginia Robertson Designs.

Note: If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy dozens of *FREE* patterns for Kaffe Fassett Quilts:  CLICK HERE for Part 1 and CLICK HERE for Part 2!

 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show.

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (4)

Welcome back to the 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! This show features some of Utah's finest quilters. Each quilt displays a convergence of artistry and creative decision-making, with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

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Boho Heart (2023), made and quilted by Marcia Peterson. 

We love the warm colors in this large sampler heart quilt. Marcia Peterson says, "My quilt group each used their own favorite fabrics to make Jen Kingwell's Boho Heart pattern. I loved seeing how each quilt turned out different.  This was my take on the pattern."

Ezi's Quilt by Mary Duke, quilted by Dawna Sine.

Mary Duke says, "This is my first collage quilt. I started this quilt when my daughter was pregnant with our sweet granddaughter, Ezi. Some people say the baby has too much hair. When our sweet girl was born, her hair was over 2 inches long in some spots. I changed the pattern a bit to look more like my daughter. It was so fun creating this quilt... This quilt now hangs over our granddaugher's bed."

My 100 Block Journey (2024), made and quilted by Helen Butler.

Helen Butler says, "What started out as one quilt ended up being a completely different quilt simply by laying these 100 "Log Cabin" blocks out a completely different way.  Each block began with a black velvet square and was surrounded by a variety of silk, batik, and cotton fabrics. One day I was playing with these blocks and I artfully laid them out in the "Barn Raising" pattern according to their color.  It turned out to be a completely different quilt!"

 

The hand quilting lines can be seen in this closeup photo, below.

My "Happy" Carnival Flower (2024), made and quilted by Diane Wilber.

Diange Wilber says, "My "Happy" Carnival Flower is merrily twirling within sun-kissed waves. I colored the quilt in Quiltster, try8ing to capture Mother Nature's vibrant organic blends with my fabrics.  This quilt features hand appliqued dots and gumdrops, original center yellow flange, scalloped/wave border with double flange split binding, and braid trim edging" [shown below].

Mariners in a Pickle with Sunset (2023) by Sherrie Chambers, quilted by Cecile Wilson.

Winner of a Blue Ribbon (Award of Excellence), Sherrie Chambers says: "I thought the pattern looked lovely, so I accepted the challenge to make this lovely quilt. The sunset came from a picture I took while on a cruise in Alaska." Details of the beautiful batiks and precision piecing are shown below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville (Utah) Museum of Art.

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (1)

 Welcome to the 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! This exhibition features quilts of all shapes and sizes created by some of Utah's finest quilters. Each quilt illustrates a convergence of artistry and creative decision-making with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process.  We hope you enjoy our photos.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for quilt materials & patterns, jewelry, and collectibles! We also invite you to follow us on Twitter ! 

Heavenly Splendor (2023) by Pat Bell, quilted by Chadra Poulson.  

Winner of a blue ribbon (Award of Excellence), Pat Bell says, "In a small way, enjoying the beauty of a sunset feels like enjoying a bit of heaven. My grandson took a sunset picture in 2021 at Lake Powell which was the inspiration for my original design."  

Pat says that she first began quilting in 2023. "This is my second quilt and it was created in the 2023 "Kaffe Club Quilt Class", taught by my sister, Kaye Evans. I chose to create a king size New York Beauty quilt using paper pieced patterns from the book New York Beauty Sampler by Cinzia White. I added One Block Wonder blocks using my focus fabric, "Love Always" by Anna Maria.

Knocking On Heaven's Door (2023) by Marcia Peterson, quilted by Jen Ostler

This fantastic original design really spoke to us, as a woman bearing her burdens "knocks on heaven's door".  Marcia Peterson says, "At times, I have found myself struggling to carry difficulties and burdens.  Sometimes I feel I can square my shoulders to the challenge, but other times it's overwhelming...  I know I am not the only one - no one is immune from trials.  I needed to express how it feels to "take the hard times to God when I am at my limit."

Posh Penelope (2023) by Averi Smith, quilted by Tanya Colbert.

Averi Smith built some wonderful contrasts and colors into this design.  She says, "This was my first time doing curves and it was a fun project.  I'm happy with how it turned out."  [Note: The Posh Penelope quilt pattern is by Sew Kind of Wonderful. It combines a love for curves with on-point sashing and cornerstones.] 

 What a Wonderful World (2024) by Judy Hainsworth, quilted by Judy Hainsworth

Judy Hainsworth won an Award of Excellence for this quilt, with its fantastic embroidery designs and stitches.  Judy says, "While recovering from foot surgeries, I was "no weight-bearing" for a total of 12 weeks.  To keep my spirits up, I began the embroidery portion of this quilt.  My daughters and Pinterest provided the embroidery designs... Happily, everything came together."  

 

Steam Punk (2024) by Kathleen Gee, quilted by Emmy Evans.

Kathleen Gee says, "After many years of admiring this pattern, I was finally motivated to make the quilt after my friend brought her version to our sewing group.  The color palette is a complete departure from my typical "quilting comfort zone", but I had fun coming up with combinations for the blocks with some help from my daughter.  My curved piecing skill improved along the way, too!" [Note: The Steam Punk pattern is by Jen Kingwell Designs.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville (Utah) Museum of Art in August, 2024.

It's Modern Quilt Month! (1)

 We're celebrating Modern Quilt Month at Q.I. This is the first of FIVE posts, and we couldn't be more excited!  So, what makes a quilt modern? According to The Modern Quilt Guild, the characteristics include the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and/or expansive negative space.  Enjoy!

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Patterns of the Heartland, made and quilted by Cathy Lillie.

We love the composition, colors, and flowing lines of this original design. Cathy Lillie says, "Patterns of earth and landscapes fascinate me. I created this pattern from an aerial photo.  During Sheila Frampton Cooper's class, I learned how to put this together.  It is 100% cotton with cotton batting." The machine quilting, resembling natural forms, adds so much to the effect.

Once in a Blue Moon, made and quilted by Cherie Swanson. 

Churn dash, maple leaf, flower, and house blocks make up this colorful sampler! The white spaces give plenty of room to show off the quilting. Cherie Swanson says, "A variety of blocks and techniques made this sampler quilt fun.  It was a good place to practice free motion quilting!" The pattern source was Autumn Acres by J. Wecker Frisch. 

Fascinating details can be seen under the blue moon, shown above. This house sports an American flag and a smiling puppy dog. Note the quilted "smoke" coming out of the fireplace. Further examination shows some very creative quilting in the blocks and open spaces. In the closeup photo below, an embroidered bee sits on the flower block.

Synopsis Spring 2023, made and quilted by Diane Hartman

Spring was in the air when Diane Hartman made this fun, colorful quilt assemblage (it's an original design!) Diane says, "Each small quilt (square within a square) was inspired by the painted fabric.  The intention was to make the whole greater than the parts but still make the parts distinguishable." Small fabric flowers and embroidery were used as embellishments.

Elemental, made and quilted by Jolene Ficklin

In this original 4 x 4 sampler, each small quilt is an art quilt. The eye is drawn to the different forms: triangles, circles, and lines (horizontal, diagonal, and curved.)  The mini quilts are connected by square tabs made from a graphic batik print. Jolene Ficklin says, "This quilt began as monthly prompts of art elements in my art quilt group.  Inspired by an installation at the Boise Art Gallery, it became an expression of elemental design."

Sharp Women Heart by Colleen Babcock, Diane Bootes, Alice Catallini, Cheryl Collins, Linda Cote, Natalie Furrey, Kenci Lewis, Laura Steiniger, & Judy Tenen. Quilted by Linda Cote. 

A puzzle of beautiful blocks create this dynamic heart quilt. This quilt was a collaboration by the Sharp Women Quilt Bee, hence the title (Sharp Women Heart). Each member of the group selected fabrics to complete the blocks in the Boho Heart pattern by Jen Kingwell and Andrea Blair. The quilt was pieced together by Alice Catallini, and quilted by Linda Cote.

Linda Cote quilted vertical columns of connecting hearts along the background strips, made from a medley of black and white fabrics, shown below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Golden Days

The Pacific International Quilt Festival is held annually in Santa Clara, California. This year's show included over 400 quilts. We're featuring some of our favorite works of art from the show.

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Golden, Golden Days, 88 x 88", by Ann Zemke

Golden, Golden Days was featured in a special exhibit titled Ann Zemke: One-Woman Hand Piecing & Hand Applique Renaissance for All About Color Quilting.  Based on a pattern by Jen Kingwell, the applique blocks and circle borders were created using the freezer paper prepared applique method.

The pieced blocks and diamond borders were created using a plastic template, tracing the back of the fabric piece, cutting a 1/4" seam allowance and then hand piecing into a block.  The four patches and blocks were machine pieced together. The finished creation was custom quilted with a wool batt over a cotton batt with ruler work, free motion and digitized designs.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Pacific International Quilt Festival.