Free Pattern Day: Canadian Flag Quilts!

Canada Day is July 1!  In honor of the day, here are some FREE Canadian maple leaf patterns!  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.

Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, patterns, and collectibles !
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Canada block, free pattern by Celine Ross for Janome (CLICK for PDF download)

Maple Leaf block, free tutorial at Canadian Living (CLICK for tutorial)

Maple Leaf trivet or table runner by Elm Street Quilts; based on the free block pattern at Fat Quarter Shop (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Radiant Maple Wall Hanging, free quilting tutorial by Tamara Kate (CLICK for description) + (CLICK for PDF template)

 Oh Canada cushion, free pattern by Tamara Kate for Janome (CLICK for instructions) + (CLICK for template)

Maple Leaf block and quilt,free pattern by Northcott Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Our Home and Native Land quilt, 76 x 90", free pattern by Patti Carey for Northcott Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Maple Leaf Quilt block flag tutorial by Denna's Ideas (CLICK for tutorial)

Canadian Maple Leaf table topper, ~29" square, free pattern by Ann Johnson at Connecting Threads (CLICK for PDF download)

Maple Leaf, 12“ block, free pattern at McCall’s Quilting (CLICK for tutorial)

Paper pieced maple leaf, free pattern by Berene Campbell at Happy Sew Lucky (CLICK for PDF download)

Maple leaf block, free paper pieced pattern by Christina at Christina Creating (CLICK for tutorial)

Canada 150 years, free paper piecing pattern by Dana Szucs Hayden (CLICK for PDF download); the finished quilt below is by Jen Johnston 80 at Instagram

Festive Leaves quilt, 72" square, free pattern by American Quilter (CLICK for PDF download)

 Jumbo Leaf quilt, 72" square, free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits: This post was updated on June 17, 2025. 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.

Our Northern Neighbors

July 1 is Canada Day. Best wishes to all our Canadian readers!  Here are two beautiful quilts featuring intricate maple leaves and flying geese from a pattern called Northern Neighbours.by Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Designs.

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

Northern Neighbors by Joyce Holley, quilted by Nancy Goans

Red and white quilts are instant classics.  The contrasts are perfect for these maple leaves! Joyce Holley says, "[With its] intricate maple leaves and flying geese, this quilt celebrates our Canadian Neighbors to the North. Made for Canada's 150th Anniversary."

Lake Superior, made and quilted by Jean Firestine

We love the wintry feel of this gorgeous blue and white quilt by Jean Firestine.  The quilt was "based on the maple leaf & flying geese blocks from the Northern Neighbors pattern, which was developed for an event between quilters in Minnesota and Canada." Beautiful batiks and creative quilting (by Jean herself) can be seen in the closeup photo below.

Jean explains, "I grew up on Lotus Lake in Minnesota and spent my freshman year of college in Duluth, which is on Lake Superior.  The quilt design contains snowflakes and waves to remind me of winter on the north shore."

Note: The Northern Neighbors pattern uses Deb Tucker’s Corner Beam, Split Rects, and Wing Clipper 1 tools for ease of construction.

For more quilt inspiration, check out this FREE Snow Geese pattern by Deb Tucker (CLICK for PDF download):

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson (Arizona) quilters guild show.

Celebrating Canada

We spotted this beautiful stained glass quilt within a special exhibit at the 2020 Road to California quilt show, and wanted to show it today, as Canada Day (Fête du Canada) is coming up soon.

Canada Day celebrates the anniversary of July 1, 1867, the effective date of the Constitution Act, 1867, which united the three separate colonies of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada.

True North - Strong and Free by Rita Kovatch (Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada)

This striking quilt depicts a polar bear fishing on an ice pack.  The scene is backed by the Canadian flag. Designer and quilter Rita Kovatch says,  "As a proud Canadian, I wanted to represent the Canadian Flag and I chose to showcase that in the background by using my version of the stained glass and reverse applique technique." The bright red maple leaf stands out brilliantly against the sky blue background fabric.

As you can see from the closeup photo above, the polar bear is going after a fish that is leaping out of the water! The entire piece is machine stitched and quilted using a tiny zigzag stitch."

Rita says she was inspired to make True North - Strong and Free after seeing a quilt titled "Catch-A-Hold This One" by quilter Corey Ralph (you can see a photo of that quilt at Amanda Jane Textiles.)  Seeing that quilt inspired Rita to make her quilt based on the theme of fishing in the north.

Image credits:  The photo was taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2020 Road to California quilt show.

O Canada! Canadian quilts

Since Canada Day is coming up (July 1), we wanted to share some of these wonderful quilts.  They were made by Canadians to honor the country's 150th anniversary in 2017.  Each of these outstanding quilts incorporates a nine patch design, either overtly or in a subtle way.  The quilts represent Canada’s history, geography, and culture as expressed by each artist.

p.s. For bargains on quilt books, magazines, and jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - we're Top Rated Sellers ! For continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter !

I Must Go Down to the Sea Again by Leah Gravells (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

Leah Gravells says she was inspired by Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island’s potato fields, the Westpoint Lighthouse, and the sea. "My maternal grandfather and my father were lobster fishermen. The Westpoint Lighthouse (now iconic) guided them home to a safe harbor. I spent my early years at the shore and the lighthouse. I make a pilgrimage annually, as I must go down to the sea again."

This beautiful landscape quilt was created with machine piecing, hand applique, hand embroidery, and quilt-as-you-go techniques using cotton batik, wool, velvet, rayon, toile, silk, and ribbon.

Paint The Town Jelly Bean by Shelley DeHay-Turner (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

Paint The Town was inspired by the brightly colored, whimsical Jelly Bean houses of Newfoundland. Shelley DeHay-Turner says, "My quilt pays homage to the people of Newfoundland who showed tremendous compassion, kindness, and generosity in their support of the many passengers re-routed to Gander, Newfoundland following the tragedy of 9/11."

Spinnaker Sails by Leslie and Ronald Prokop, quilted by Shelley DeHay-Turner (Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada)

Canada can boast the longest coastline in the world with over 200,000 km of shoreline (over 152,000 miles)!  It is no surprise that Canada has a proud nautical history.   In this quilt, competitive sailors at the regatta, with colorful spinnaker sails full of wind, make a patchwork of color across the horizon.  This colorful quilt was hand appliqued, machine pieced and quilted.

Winds of Change by Kathy Mundy (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

Winds of Change is a tribute to the First Nations of Canada. It is based on a dreamcatcher pattern from No Hats in the House, a dreamcatcher pattern. It is the belief of the Ojibwa, that the dreamcatcher allows only good thoughts to pass through and provides a positive lens for the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of future generations. Kathy Mundy incorporated blue jay feathers as she loves catching a glimpse of the vibrant blue color throughout the four Canadian seasons.

Late Skate by Janet Waurechen (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

Late Skate was hand pieced, appliqued, embroidered, and embellished, machine pieced. Janice Waurechen says, "I wanted to create a quilt to portray an iconic Canadian image. My Canadian nine Patch quilt pictures a lone figure skater on a frozen pond at night. She is illuminated by the Northern Lights, the moon and the stars. I called my quilt Late Skate, ice dancing under the stars."

Fall in Canada by Helen Monighan and the Stoney Creek Quilters’ Guild, quilted by Ginny Hoages (Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada)

The Stoney Creek Quilters Guild members were each asked to create a Maple Leaf square. The 56 maple leaves were brought together by the design of member Helen Monighan. Each Maple Leaf square is unique, as each guild member comes from a different cultural background. Fall in Canada was hand appliqued and embroidered, machine pieced, appliqued, and quilted.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

O Canada ! Canadian Nine Patch quilts

What are Canadian Nine Patch quilts?  They are quilts made by Canadians to honor the country's 150th anniversary in 2017.  Each of these outstanding quilts incorporates a nine patch design, either overtly or in a subtle way.  The quilts represent Canada’s history, geography, and culture as expressed by each artist. Since Canada Day is coming up (July 1), we wanted to share some of these wonderful quilts.

p.s. For bargains on quilt books, magazines, and jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - we're Top Rated Sellers ! For continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter ! 

Maple Leaf by Susan Therrien (Winona, Ontario, Canada)

Maple Leaf was hand appliqued, machine pieced and quilted, and paper pieced. Susan Therrien says, "I am proud to be Canadian! Finding a variety of symbols representing life in Canada became the inspiration for my Canadian Nine Patch." The nine-patch center of the quilt, inspired by clip art from the web, reflects the many aspects of Canadian heritage and cultural activities.

The red Maple Leaf and small quilted leaves are internationally recognized as symbols of Canada.

Canadian Tartan by Rebecca McAlpine (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

This map quilt was inspired by the Canadian Nine Patch theme, the map of Canada, and Scottish heritage. All of Canada’s provinces and territories have official tartans. The Canadian Tartan quilt is a map of Canada with each province and territory depicted by its tartan as registered in The Scottish Register of Tartans.

The Tartan map of Canada is on a background of the Maple Leaf Nine Patch. The quilt is bound in the national tartan, The Maple Leaf. The Canadian Maple Leaf tartan was designed by David Weiser, for Canada in honor of the country’s centenary in 1967. If you look closely you can see the maple leaf block in the white-on-white background, shown below:

Modern Hudson Bay by Joanne and Jenna Prokop, quilted by Leslie Prokop

Machine pieced and quilted, Modern Hudson Bay is a modern interpretation of the iconic Hudson Bay Blanket. This quilt uses a variation of the traditional Nine Patch to illustrate Canada’s patchwork history.

Founded in 1670, the Hudson Bay Company was at the center of Europe’s exploration of what would become the second largest country in the world, Canada. Driven by the fur trade, HBC was the driving force in developing the trade routes across Canada, connecting Newfoundland and the Atlantic Ocean to Vancouver Island and the Pacific.

True North by Karen Brown (North York, Ontario, Canada)

Machine pieced and quilted,  Karen Brown's Canadian Nine Patch quilt takes a modern approach to traditional blocks. You can see traditional blocks, such as the Maple Leaf, viewed from a perspective.  She says, "Learning from the past and building toward a future brings Canada together as a country at the top of the world."

O Canada in Morse Code by Susan Richard (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

Susan Richard says, "I have always been intrigued by Morse Code, a special alphabet represented by a series of dots and dashes... In this strip pieced quilt, I used the combination of dots (replaced with Canadian maple leaves) and dashes to spell out Canada’s National Anthem, “O Canada”. Within the quilt, there are two places where the dots and dashes line up and appear as three mini Canada flags sitting one on top of the other. Each flag, composed of three pieces of fabric, creates a Canadian Nine Patch out of Canadian flags."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.  The Canadian Nine Patch exhibit was organized by Leslie Prokop and Shelley DeHay-Turner in honor of Canada's sesquicentennial.

Free Pattern Day: Canadian Flag Quilts!

Canada Day is July 1!  In honor of the day, here are some free Canadian maple leaf quilt patterns!  NOTE: This post has been updated.  For the latest updates, please go to our Free Pattern Day for Canadian Flag quilts (CLICK HERE!)

Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on hand beaded jewelry, patterns, and collectibles !
And for more free quilt patterns, please follow us on Twitter.

Image credits: This post was updated on January 27, 2025. 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.