Free pattern day! Africa inspired quilts

Welcome to our Free Pattern Day! Today we're featuring quilts and fabrics inspired by the people and landscapes of Africa.  Some are for current fabrics, while others are for archived collections. We hope you enjoy this post! 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" in the title above the quilt.

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Basketry from Africa quilt, 38 x 44”, free pattern by Project House 360 for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Golden Sunset quilt, free pattern for Timeless Treasures Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Kumbayah wall quilt, 33” square, free pattern by Bev Getschel for Quilters World (CLICK for PDF download) (see the Soweto Gospel Choir rendition of this song at the end of this post)

Africa Inspired quilt, inspired by Rachel Shelburne and Darlene Zimmerman, free pattern at All People Quilt (CLICK for PDF download)

Savannah quilt, free pattern by Nancy Mahoney for Timeless Treasures Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Savanna Shuffle quilt, ~60 x 68", free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Picture Perfect quilt, 57 x 60, free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Pottery Maker quilt, 65 x 72”, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Savanna Adventure, 61" square, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

The Huts at Ubud Corner, 52 x 52" (or individual block, 19 x 20", shown below); free pattern by Linda Ambrosini for Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) + (CLICK for Pattern Templates)

 

Kuba Carpet quilt, 45 x 63", free pattern by Pam Rocco for Quilter's Newsletter (CLICK for PDF download)

Elephant in the Dusk, 45 x 60", free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

African Sunset wall hanging, free pattern by Lucy Fazely and Michael L. Burns for Quilters World (CLICK for PDF pattern) + (CLICK for Templates)

Safari quilt, ~50" square, free pattern by Gina Gempesaw for Quilting Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

Safari quilt, 42 x 56", free pattern by Gina Gempesaw for Quilting Treasures (CLICK for PDF download) 

Safari quilt, 47 x 62", free pattern by Margrit Hall for Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

African Sunset quilt, 66 x 80”, free pattern by Luana Rubin at eQuilter for Timeless Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

Prowl quilt, 60" square, free pattern by Casey York for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Savanna Trails quilt, 63" square, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Animal Kingdom quilt, 58 x 72", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Animal Tracks quilt, 90" square, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Ethnic Edge quilt, 60 x 79", free pattern by Janet Houts for Blank Quilting (CLICK for PDF download) 

Roarrr quilt, 40 x 55", free pattern at Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Out of Africa quilt, 53 x 68", free pattern by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar for Quilting Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

Serengeti quilt, 62 x 74", free pattern at Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

On The Savanna quilt, 49 x 58", free pattern for Julia Cairns fabric at Quilting Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

Wild Style quilt, 50 x 50", free pattern by Teri Lucas for Marcus Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

  Zebra Games quilt, ~40" square, free pattern at Studio E Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 Liberated string medallion wall quilt, ~38" square, free pattern by Gwen Marston for AQS (CLICK for PDF download)

Fractured Jewels quilt, 54" square, free pattern by Debby Kratovil for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 Fractured Jewels quilt done in Gee's Bend solids by Debby Kratovil Quilts

Grassland quilt, free pattern by Tamara Kate for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Safari Sighting, 58 x 68", free pattern at Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Last but not least, let's enjoy this beautiful rendition of Khumbayah by the Soweto Gospel Choir:

Image credits: Note: This post was updated on November 17, 2024. Individual 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. The photo montage shown on this page is a derivative work that is the property of Quilt Inspiration. If any links are broken, we'd love to know so we can fix it. Please email us at QuiltInspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.
 

Modern Quilt Month 2015 (part 4)

We've designated both July and August as Modern Quilt Month 2015. We've enjoyed seeing the modern quilts at various shows, and summer seems like the perfect time to feature these fun quilts. Here is part 4 of Modern Quilt Month !

Raindrops over the Rainbow by Jane Bachus (Arizona)

Who's to say that modern quilts can't convey rainbows in a more abstract form? Jane Bachus says that the quilt is an abstraction from a watercolor painting, which was enlarged and converted to fabric.  It was inspired by a class with Katie Pasquini-Masopust.  "Raindrops" appear as splotches of white paint dripped randomly onto a painter's canvas. We really enjoyed looking at all the different quilting patterns.

Gee's Ocean by Judith Putnam (Paris, Tennessee)

Judith Putnam loves The Quilts of Gee's Bend and was inspired by those amazing quilters to create her own improvisational quilt.  The rich blues reminded her of the ocean, which led to the quilting designs.  Quilted bubbles travel up and down the blue strips.

A Scorching Sun, ~85 x 65", by Reiko Naganuma (Tochigi, Japan)

Here's a great example of a symmetrical arrangement that is very pleasing to the eye and shows a wonderful sense of design and color. The rays of the sun are comprised of small triangular slivers, alternating with sturdy rectangles and trapezoids. Reikos' fascinating work was featured in Martha Sielman’s book Masters: Art Quilts Vol. 2.

Close up, A Scorching Sun by Reiko Naganuma

Reiko enjoys weaving fabrics with different textures using various raw materials. She has embellished this work with small pieces of handwoven textiles which encase sticks and twigs to remind us of the trees in the background.

Cobblestones by Candy Grisham (Washington, Missouri)

This modern minimalist design by Candy Grisham was one of 32 quilts chosen from the first AQS Modern Quilt Challenge.  These quilts were exhibited at AQS QuiltWeek events across the country in 2014.

Close up, Cobblestones by Candy Grisham

We admire all the beautiful shades of gold, maize, and apricot batik, interspersed with slender wedges of gray. The circular pebbles quilting pattern provides a nice contrast to the angular, contemporary squares and trapezoids.

Mark the X, 40 x 53", by Carol Esch and Lois Walter (Pittstown, New Jersey)

Carol was inspired by these fabrics.  She pieced these blocks on telephone book paper, creating a modern-looking string quilt.

Close up, Mark the X by Carol Esch and Lois Walter

The polka-dot sashing provides a vivid contemporary contrast to the rich, purples, golds, greens, and oranges, while the bright turquoise blue serves as a focal point for the quilt.  There are lots of fun fabrics in these blocks.

In Vino Veritas, 39 x 41", by Beth Markel (Rochester Hills, Michigan)

This line study with visual texture was inspired by photographs Beth Markel took of a friend's concord grape vines (hence the rich purple hues) on a beautiful autumn day.

Close up, In Vino Veritas by Beth Markel

This quilt is a fascinating arrangement of quadrilateral shapes in mostly solid fabrics. It's also a study in scale, as Beth has grouped small scraps together, within larger, more massive rectangles.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 Arizona Quilters Guild show (Raindrops Over The Rainbow) and the 2014 AQS Quilt Week in Phoenix (In Vino Veritas, Cobblestones, A Scorching Sun, and Gee's Ocean).