Glorious Scrap Quilts (SO much inspiration!)

One of the joys of quilting is using up leftover scraps. We're always looking for new and creative ideas!  Here are 4 gorgeous quilts made entirely from scraps. And for more inspiration, please see our Free Patterns for Scrap Quilts (>PART 1 and >PART 2).

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Make Lemonade, made and quilted by Katherine Kenward  

This is an original quilt by Katherine Kenward. Each block is monochromatic, but she arranged the blocks in a unique design and set them on point.  She says:  "I love using scraps, my own and those given to me. Scraps are like wonderful sweet lemons which by themselves may not be useful but when combined make sweet lemonade."

 Strips Leftover by Becky Ruhl, quilted by Barbara Angerhofer  

Here is a really lovely string quilt. Becky Ruhl created lots of contrast by using fabrics ranging from very light to dark, with plenty of bright colors.  She says, "This quilt was made as a challenge to my stash organization.  I cut up many smaller fabrics into cuts that can be used for other projects. This quilt is made from the 1-1/2" strips resulting in the process.  I'm very happy with the result."

 

Breeze by Kathie Miller, quilted by Tawnya Freeman

 

Gorgeous complementary colors distinguish this batik quilt, which is made from strips of different widths. The quilt was a collaboration between Tawnya Freeman at Quilters' Market and Kathie Miller.  Kathie says: "I got the fun part of stitching, forming blocks and determining the layout. Tawnya worked her quilting magic and the result is amazing." Kathie added the black-and-white striped inner border, adding tremendous interest to the design. The quilt was based on the pattern called Breeze by Claudia Pfeil. 

 

Bushel Basket, made and quilted by Marcia Jacobson  

Marcia Jacobson made this wonderful large quilt totally from scraps. She estimates that it used 7 yards of scraps (WOW!)  "It was fun to see what pretty blocks emerged from these random scraps of fabric!"  The quilt was based on the Bushel Basket pattern by Edyta Sitar in Scrappy Firework Quilts.  There are so many fun cotton prints to see throughout this quilt.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show. NOTE:  Quilt Inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning that Amazon pays us a small commission if you purchase something from a link on this page.  There is no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration!

Best of the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2019 (day 2)

Held annually in Santa Clara, California, the Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A.  It features a wonderful variety of beautiful quilts! Here are some of the highlights of the festival. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

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Rajah, 38 x 50, by Leigh Layton, Indiana

Leigh says, "Machine work and cats are my 'Quilty Pleasure.' I use both in my work. Rajah is a resident of a rescue center, and [this quilt] started as a photo."

Leigh continues, "[The photo] was manipulated with software and printed on fabric. Lots and lots of thread painting later, then quilted." We admire this very evenly and carefully done thread painting, because in person, it gives Rajah's face an almost irridescent, glowing look. Leigh's original design is all sewing machine quilted.

Looking Toward the Light , 30 x 26, by Nell Mays, California

Nell explains, "[I am] mostly a self-taught quilter who loves mixing bright colors and interesting fabric remnants to create what the cloth ultimately tells me to do. Occasionally, I will accept institutional theme challenges or try making a traditional quilt pattern, but I find both more stressful and sometimes less creative."

Nell's lovely original design is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted. She's done a wonderful job of selecting batiks that coordinate well with each other in terms of design and also provide complementary shading in hues of gold, purple, blue, and orange.

Bricks n Gears, 86 x 71, by Claudia Pfeil, Germany

Claudia notes, "In my imagination, old used gears and wheels are piled along a wall of bricks - a still life of technical relics." Her original design is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and longarm machine quilted.

Claudia won First Place for Best Longarm Machine Workmanship in the Innovative Quilts category, and it's easy to see why she won!  Her work, including the beaded embellishments, is spectacular.

A Sunburnt Country, 121 x 81, by Terri Ahrens, Australia

Second place winner in the World Innovative Quilts category, Terri writes, "A Sunburnt Country was commissioned by my daughter, to be used as a backdrop for her final recital to complete her Masters of Flute in Antwerp, Belgium. It was inspired by a visit to Uluru, (a giant rock outcropping in central Australia) in 2004."

Terri adds, "The piece was made using Susan Carlson's fabric collage  technique. The goal was to only use fabrics from Australian indigenous designers, and only 3 fabrics used did not fit this brief. The quilt was quilted on a Handi-Quilter longarm."  Terri's three panel landscape work is stunning, and the aboriginal fabrics, with their intriguing spirals and circles, give it an extra sparkle.

Evolution,74 x 54, by Thom Atkins, California

Thom remarks, "It started with yet another Kaffe Fassett fabric I just had to have, [which was] quilt-backing material with six large rondelles across. I cut one out, then started cutting loose the rows on one side, opening them, and adding more units. Voila ! A jellyfish (sort of). The diamond shaped pieces in between the large rondelles morphed into smaller jellies."

Thom's brilliantly colored, imaginative original design is machine sewn, soft-edge appliqued, and longarm machine quilted. He's created a magical undersea world.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Highlights of the 2018 Pacific International Quilt Festival ! (part 1)

The Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A. Many thanks to our good friend, quilt artist Bonita McFadden, for her excellent photos. Let us know which quilts are your favorites !

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Marie's Treasure, 77 x 77", by Marilyn Badger (St. George, Utah)

Best of Show winner, Marilyn says, "This quilt is a tribute to my favorite Aunt. She crocheted doilies like no other. When I saw this hand-dyed doily in [fabric designer] Wendy Richardson's booth, I knew I wanted to make this quilt. Tie that together with some beautiful Paula Nadelstern fabric and lots of beads and crystals; and this is what you get."

Closeup, Marie's Treasure

This stunning center medallion, done in radiant ombre colors,  is actually a crocheted doily carefully appliqued to the quilt background. Marilyn's spectacular original design is machine appliqued and longarm machine quilted. More photos of this breathtaking award winner can be found on The Quilt Show Blog.

In the Old Way, 48 x 36", by Linda Anderson (La Mesa, California)

 Linda explains, " Traditional textiles in Oaxaca, Mexico,  are disappearing over time. Each village has its own design motif that tells their story. Trying to continue this tradition, this woman still dresses her granddaughter in the old way from time to time. That'll be the day when she is as old as gradnma and carries on the tradition of textile with her granddaughter."

Closeup, In the Old Way

Linda's very artistic original design is machine appliqued. This exquisite quilting emphasizes the tender affection expressed by the grandmother as she imparts cherished cultural adornments to her little granddaughter.

My Rhodie, 54 x 46", by Andrea Brokenshire  (Round Rock, Texas)

Blue ribbon winner for Best Innovative Quilt and Viewer's Choice Award winner, Andrea notes, "I made this to celebrate my parents. This quilt was inspired by a visit to the Rhododendron Gardens in Portland during the spring high bloom.

Closeup, My Rhodie

These delicate light and bold deep tones of pink are so lovely!  Andrea's original design is machine appliqued and sewing machine quilted.

Water is Life, So Why Are We Doing This, 61 x 44, by Thom Atkins (Santa Cruz, California)

Blue ribbon winner for Best Use of  Color in an Innovative Quilt,  Thom states   "[This was] inspired by a painting of a breaking wave by F.J. Anderson. I decided to make it a commentary on what we are doing to our oceans, hence the bits of distressed plastic embedded in the foam. "

Closeup, Water is Life

Thom continues, "I machine appliqued cotton fabric and lace, then hand-sewed on glass, pearls, and shell beads around the bits of plastic. I was looking for "beautiful" and "terrifying."  Thom's unique original creation is designed for maximum three-dimensional impact; so the the viewer feels almost like being in the ocean, looking through the pipeline effect of the wave.

In Full Bloom 83 x 69, by Claudia Pfeil ,  (Germany)

Claudia writes, "That'll be the day..........when everything is 'In Full Bloom', a magic hidden garden. The day when you relax and enjoy the peace and nature."

Closeup, In Full Bloom

Claudia's gorgeous, fanciful garden with these vibrantly colored, bead-embellished happy flowers is machine pieced, hand-appliqued, and longarm machine quilted.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Bonita McFadden for Quilt Inspiration.

Welcome to the 2017 Pacific International Quilt Festival: Day 3

Welcome to PIQF! This annual quilt show takes place each October in Santa Clara, California. Here are some of the highlights of this show including more top award winners (and some that should have won). We'd love to hear which ones are your favorites!

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Fractal, 85 x 92”, by Claudia Pfeil (Germany)

Fractal won a blue ribbon as the Bernina First Runner Up. Claudia Pfeil says, "The term “fractal” was first used by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975, based on the Latin “fractus” which means “broken.”

The pieced background was overlayed by painted circles (acrylic paint and alcohol based ink).  It was machine appliqued, organza and silk elements. The layers are enhanced by the choices of quilting designs. Finally, the quilt was embellished with 30,000 Swarovski Crystals.

Ammonite Confusion, 54 x 80”, by Kimberly Lacy (Colorado)

Winner of a blue ribbon for Best Use of Color – Innovative, this quilt was made by painting many ammonites on silk dupioni. They were then sliced horizontally and reassembled with different colors like a puzzle, then fused to the background. They were then sliced again vertically and assembled in their final positions. Kimberly Lacy says, "Because this piece is heavily fused applique, it named itself Ammonite Confusion."

Liz, from a Selfie, 24 x 24”, by Sandra L. Mollon (California)

Winner of an Award of Merit from the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ),  Sandra Mollon says, “My daughter Liz has taken many “selfie” shots. I borrowed this one from her social media site, posterized it, and made a quilt. Best viewed at a distance, this quilt looks just like her.

Liz is made from fused batik and hand-dyed fabric.  Up close, you can see the bits of fabric that are hand cut.

Dancing at the Pow Wow, 63 x 40”, by Marty Boles (California)

This original design quilt was machine appliqued and sewing machine quilted. It was based on a photo taken at the Great Mohican Pow-Wow in Loudenville, Ohio, 2013. Marty Boles says, "The dancer celebrates his culture with his interpretive steps. The quilter celebrates the spirit of our Native Americans."

Nobuko: Believe, 43 x 43”, by Edwina Ow (California)

This quilt's theme was based on the fabric design called Kimmidoll Nobuko (Believe).  It includes Dresden plates, flying geese, origami flowers, and Swarovski beads. It was machine pieced, machine appliqued and sewing machine quilted.

Moon Dancer | Super Moon Migration, 56 x 54”, by Joanne Howe (Wisconsin)

Joanna Howe says this quilt began in 2016 at a time of immigration, migrations, and the Super Moon. The blue circle represents the Super Moon, and multi-national women immigrating with their flocks are represented by the multi-colored lame. The flying geese go from ½” wide at the top to 1” wide at the bottom. The quilting includes flying geese motifs and thread painted accents.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilts of the World Part 2: Germany

Part of the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival was the World Quilt Competition XX, which is a special exhibition within the larger P.I.Q.F. This competition, which is open to quilters from many different countries, starts out each summer on the East Coast of the U.S.A.; then the best quilts from that show go on tour to the various regional shows in America. Each week, Quilt Inspiration will feature highlights of quilts from a different country. We hope you enjoy this presentation, continuing with quilts from Germany.

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Gear Wheel 11 - Spiral of Life, 36 x 50", by Barbara Lange

Barbara says, "Life to me evolves like a spiral - constantly in movement,, changing direction, but at the same time repeating itself in a good way. We are all a little wheel in this big machinery, contributing to the big overall movement. Nobody is unimportant, and as soon as one wheel goes missing, we all are affected."

The beautiful contemporary quilting motif really emphasizes the idea of the inter-connectedness and mutual dependency of human kind. Barbara's original design is machine pieced and sewing machine quilted.

Blattgold (Leaf Gold), 43 x 63", by Brigitte Morgenrath

Winner of a blue ribbon for Best of Country (Germany), Brigitte says this is the 10th time that she is participating in the World Quilt Competition! Her color combination was "inspired by golden silk and green cotton fabric embellished with golden blossoms, I created these leaf-bearing twigs."

Blattgold was machine pieced using a paper piecing technique for highest accuracy, then hand quilted in all the ditches to highlight the leaf pattern.

Woven Journey, 91 x 89", by Claudia Pfeil

Blue ribbon winner in the Innovative Quilts category, Claudia notes that this quilt is her interpretation of the 2016 P.I.Q.F. theme, "Then and Now." Claudia is known for her award-winning quilting; you can see her instructional videos at her website.

Claudia's original design is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and long arm quilted. Here, you can see some of the pretty beaded embellishment that Claudia has added to her quilt. This woven motif reminds us of how the strands of time weave various events in and out of our lives.

Art and Craft meet Art Nouveau, 37 x 37", by Katrin Schroeder

Katrin explains, "I'm an admirer of the Art Nouveau epoch, in particular of the work by William Morris... The motifs used in the border are inspired by a mosaic from the Art Nouveau church "Am Steintor" in Vienna, Austria. The borders have been hand-pieced in the English paper-piecing technique using gold lame and regular cotton fabrics. The binding has been applied by hand."

Katrin continues, " I made one of his most lovely flower paintings the centerpiece of my quilt. The leaves and blossoms I have cut from felt and are appliqued by hand." Katrin's lovely original design is  all hand pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted.

Reflections on the Nine Patch, 36 x 36", by Uta Lenk

This original design by Uta Lenk is a playful variation of a traditional nine-patch pattern using modern fabrics (scraps) and design options on the quilt top. The quilt was machine pieced and sewing machine quilted.  As shown below, the tails of the machine quilting threads were left on top of the quilt to add to the texture and improvisational feel. 

Passion Always Wins, 61 x 44", by Frauke Schramm

This dynamic quilt makes a powerful statement. It depicts the contrast between peace and human rights versus the flames and destruction created by ISIS. Frauke Schramm says, "So-called ISIS not only slaughters people – they believe they can destroy the fundamental ideas of everyone who does not share their beliefs, for instance, by burning books. Nothing does ISIS know about the resilience of ideas – they will survive. They always have."

Passion Always Wins was created with cotton, linen, and polyester fabrics using string piecing, free-motion applique, and free-motion quilting.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.