Southwestern Quilts

On these winter days in the northern hemisphere, we're looking to the southwestern United States for some warm and sunny inspiration! Here are highlights of quilts with a southwestern theme.

Please note: We're selling beautiful quilting and crafting books and fabrics at low introductory prices on e-Bay! Also, we're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter!

Kayenta Formation by Ann Petersen

Blue ribbon winner for Best Pieced Small Quilt and Exemplary Machine Quilting at the Quilt Arizona ! show, Ann says of her original design, "Originally a Hoffman Fabrics Challenge quilt, [this] remnds me of the layers of rocks in northern Arizona called the Kayenta Formation , [which often is comprised of tall vertical cliffs that are red or brown in color]."  We are impressed with the way that Ann set some of the blocks en pointe or on the diagonal to convey the impression of the vertical cliffs.

Closeup, Kayenta Formation

We love these intriguing quilting patterns which add so much to the beauty of the quilt. Ann quilted this herself on a stationary machine.

Dancing to the Sky, 41 x 64", by Janet Haefner (Arizona)

Dancing to the Sky was juried into the 2014 American Quilting Society Show in Phoenix, Arizona. This quilt was based on a clay sculpture Janet Haefner made in 1983 of Kachina children climbing a ladder to a mesa top for a dance. The figures were extensively embellished with beads, charms, buttons and embroidery threads.

She painted silk for the feathers because real feathers were too fragile. For more information on Dancing to the Sky, see the description at The Quilt Index. 

Faux Navajo Rug, 54 x 60,  by Cindy Seitz-Krug

Cindy notes, "I've always loved Navajo rugs and dreamed of owning one. But they are quite expensive ! So I decided that until I save up enough money to buy my dream rug, I'd make a quilt that resembled one"

Cindy continues, "This really isn't done in traditional Navajo rug colors, but it's beautiful nonetheless and definitely has a Southwest feel."  Cindy's striking contemporary work is machine pieced, paper-pieced, and machine quilted.

Fade In, Fade Out by Melissa Dunworth

Melissa explains, " I was inspired by the Native American rugs that my parents had hanging in our house when I was a child. The spiral quilting was done to represent ripples in a pond, as each of our lives adds ripples to the world around us, whether we realize it or not."

Closeup, Fade In, Fade Out

Melissa adds, "I wanted to keep the colors simple with a bright pop right in the center." We think the spiral quilting is very effective and perfect for this pattern, as it contrasts beautifully with the strong angular, geometric patchwork.

Desert Rose Serenade by Nancy M. Howell

Third place winner in the Small Pieced Quilts category at the Quilt Arizona ! show, Nancy's quilt is based on the Two For Us BOM quilt by Sue Nickels and Pat Holly for The Quilt Show in 2013. We admire the primitive motif style of the small turquoise bears, which add southwestern charm to this work.

Deep teal blue provides an excellent contrast to the overall rust and cinnamon colorways on the ivory background. 

Kathi's Round Robin by Kathi Martin

A "Round Robin" is the construction technique of multiple quilters adding to a quilt one by one, because the quilt is passed around the group, from one person to the next. Kathi notes, "I made a 24 inch quilt center and sent it on to 4 friends to each add a 6 inch border, then finished it off with 3 more borders."

Closeup, Kathi's Round Robin

We loved the vibrant colors of the center of Kathi's quilt, which are comprised of 8 inch blocks, done in southwestern colors of teal, orange, and copper. Kathi quilted her pretty creation herself, using a track-mounted machine.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilt Inspiration Classics: The Best of Basket Quilts

There is no doubt that baskets are among the most popular themes in quilting.  Filled with flowers or fruit, basket quilts are perfect for spring and summer. As you will see in this Quilt Inspiration Classic, there's almost an endless variety of pretty basket blocks.  If you love romantic, graceful patterns that evoke the elegance of yesteryear, we think you'll love these quilts. 

Virginia Bouquet by Pearl P. Pereira at P3Designs

As a guest artist and teacher at the esteemed Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy in 2010, designer Pearl Pereira created this beautiful Virginia Bouquet. Her stunning design features a tall basket with curved handles that reflect the curves of the stems of the delicate dogwood blossoms, bluebells, and berries. The fruit-laden vines that drape languorously from each side provide a lovely symmetry to this work, while the proud cardinal and inquisitive bumblebee add a joyful touch. The complete quilt, with its red swag border, is shown below.

Virginia Bouquet - full, 26 x 26, by Pearl Pereira

For Virginia Bouquet and more delightful patterns from Pearl, please visit her website, p3designs.

Flower Basket Medallion, 84 x 84, by Kim McLean

Kim McLean has created a marvelous, richly detailed quilt pattern with fabrics designed by Kaffe Fassett, whose bold colors explode right off the page. Brilliant orange-reds, blue-violets, and pinks create a vibrant basket bouquet medallion, surrounded by borders of absolute floral delight. You can purchase the pattern, along with a separate starter fabric pack at Glorious Color.

Sixteen Baskets, 38 x 38, by Kay MacKenzie

These adorable baskets by Kay MacKenzie are brimming with the bounty of life, including flowers, food, valentines, and best of all -- fabric ! The red, white, and blue motif provides country charm to this darling design, and the dogtooth border adds extra sparkle. All 16 of these basket designs are available at her Quilt Puppy website. Kay also has a wonderful blog, All About Applique.

Bekah's Basket Sampler Quilt,  84 x 84, by Betsy Rickles

The irrepressible gaiety of Kaffe Fassett's fabrics are featured in his book Country Garden Quilts,  which includes this delightful variation of a Cherry Basket pattern by Betsy Rickles.  Instead of a single large appliqued handle, there are smaller handles on each side of the basket, separated by a stack of cherries piled in the basket, which gives a pleasing symmetrical effect. Like most basket blocks, these blocks are set on point, and the vibrant border of half square triangles mirrors the half square triangles of the basket blocks.

Delphia's Baskets, 80 x 80, by Denice Lipscomb at Common Threads Quilting

 

We were so excited to discover Common Threads Quilting. The bricks-and-mortar shop is in Waxahachie, Texas, but many products are available online, including the pattern for the cheerful red-and-green quilt shown above.  Delphia's Baskets was inspired by an antique quilt in Denice Lipscomb's collection, and the quilt was named in memory of her great-grandmother, Mary Delphia Lowrance. This is just one of Common Threads' original patterns.

Ashley's Flower Basket, 18 x 18, by Sue Nickels and Pat Holly

Sue Nickels and her sister Pat Holly, both award-winning quilters, have designed an applique guaranteed to brighten up any room in your home. Sage green, tomato red, and sky blue blend together perfectly for this basket design, and the red border with prairie points adds an extra pop to the background. Suitable for a confident beginner, this quilt pattern is available from Sue Nickels' website. As a bonus, the pattern is included for the sprightly feather quilting design around the border. For more ideas on creating appliqued floral displays in containers, please see Sue Nickels' and Pat Holly's book, Stitched Raw Edge Applique.

Hawaiian Rainbow Basket Quilt, Red and White Variation, by Lisa Boyer

For a basket quilt with a modern twist, here's an adorable cherry basket quilt made from a variety of luscious red fabrics. For a traditional look, Lisa has pieced one large wide triangle for the main part of the basket, with two small triangles for the base.  She has then turned the square block on the diagonal and appliqued the curved handle. Lisa has achieved a lovely contrast by using white background fabric to really make the baskets come alive. The pattern can be obtained at Lisa Boyer's website.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists. These quilts first appeared in Basket Quilts Part 1, Basket Quilts Part 2 and Inspired by Red and Green.

Basket Quilts Part 2

In our Baskets Part I article ( from July 10 below),  we featured basket quilts made from pieced patchwork. This time, we are spotlighting basket quilts made by applique. If you love romantic, graceful patterns that evoke the elegance of yesteryear, then you'll love applique patterns featuring baskets as their focal point.

Virginia Bouquet,  by Pearl Pereira

Pearl Pereira was a guest artist and teacher at the esteemed Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy in February 2010, near Williamsburg, Virginia. She has fashioned a tall basket with curved handles that reflect the curves of the stems of the delicate dogwood blossoms, bluebells, and berries.  The fruit-laden vines that drape languorously from each side provide a lovely symmetry to this work, while the proud cardinal and inquisitive bumblebee add a joyful touch. Pearl has used delicate pinks, reds, and blues to create a basket of botanical wonders. For more goodies from Pearl, including her excellent DVD,  Applique Techniques With Pearl P. Pereira,  please see her website, p3designs.

In addition, we're thrilled to announce that Pearl Pereira will introduce her gorgeous Virginia Bouquet pattern for sale this autumn, at  the Houston TX International Quilt Market .

Quilt Jamboree, by Judy Severson

Judy Severson is another renowned guest artist at the Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy. With its hushed burgundies and golds,  "Quilt Jamboree" is reminiscent of an enchanting Victorian rose garden. We also love the captivating sampler blocks carefully placed around the sophisticated border. One of Judy's many specialties is the centuries-old tradition of Broderie Perse, whereby flowers printed on fabric are carefully "fussy cut" ffrom that fabric and appliqued onto a wholecloth quilt to make an exquisite bouquet, as shown above. Judy writes, "When creating a floral motif (Broderie Perse) quilt, I start with the layout of the flowers in the fabtric and study how they are grouped with other flowers.  I let it suggest if it would make a medallion center, or whether it would be better used in a border, or both. Studying and seeing quilts from the past, as well as the quilts made to day, gives me inspiration."

For more information, take a look at Judy's highly rated, fascinating book, Flowers In Applique: Fast and Simple Quilting With Printed Motif Fabrics.

Botanical Artisan Basketry  by  Janice Vaine

In Botanical Artisan Basketry, Janice Vaine has created a breathtaking block by combining traditional applique with stunning embroidery.  Using embroidery with silk floss, wool, and ribbons, she has embellished the tulips, rose buds, lilies, and gerbera daisies joyfully arranged in the basket, to create a dazzling dimensional effect. The little robin on the rose branch lends a lighthearted touch to this floral feast.

A well-known expert in the applique field, Janice was the guest designer of the ancillary projects for Elly Sienkiewicz's noted book, Baltimore Elegance. Also, check out Janice's website, the Graham Cracker Collection, an awe-inspiring offering of patterns for needleart fans, which includes minature punch needle embroidered quilts along with full size quilts. Best of all, Jan writes that this block  above will be part of a quilt top of blocks that she has taught as a guest artist at the Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy ; and she will be introducing her new book on applique and embellishing at the Houston TX International Quilt Market 2010 this autumn.

Flower Basket Medallion, 84 x 84, by Kim McLean

Kim McLean has created a marvelous, richly detailed quilt pattern with fabrics designed by Kaffe Fassett, whose bold colors explode right off the page. Brilliant orange-reds, blue-violets, and pinks create a vibrant basket bouquet medallion, surrounded by borders of absolute floral delight. You can purchase the pattern, along with a separate starter fabric pack at Glorious Color, a website that is a real feast for the eyes.

Sixteen Baskets, 38 x 38, by Kay MacKenzie

Some of the cutest, most imaginative quilts around are designed by Kay MacKenzie, and "Sixteen Baskets" is no exception. These adorable baskets are brimming with the bounty of life, including flowers, food, valentines, and best of all -- fabric ! The red, white, and blue motif provides country charm to this darling design, and the dogtooth border adds extra sparkle. All 16 of these designs and very clear instructions are included in one of  Kay's many  books,  Baskets To Applique, available at her Quilt Puppy website. Kay also has a wonderful blog, All About Applique. If you're headed to the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach,California, which starts on July 23, 2010, be sure to stop in  and say hello to Kay, who will be in booth # 922.

Ashley's Flower Basket, 18 x 18, by Sue Nickels and Pat Holly

Sue Nickels and her sister Pat Holly, both award-winning quilters, have designed an applique guaranteed to brighten up any room in your home. Sage green, tomato red, and sky blue blend together perfectly for this basket design, where cheery flowers spring up exuberantly like a jack-in-the box. The ebullient red border adds an extra pop to the background. Suitable for a confident beginner, this quilt pattern is available from Sue Nickels' website. As a bonus, the pattern is included for the sprightly feather quilting design around the border. For more wonderful ideas on creating appliqued floral displays in containers, please see Sue Nickels' and Pat Holly's recent very inspiring book, Stitched Raw Edge Applique.