Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta! (3)

We attended the 2025 Quilt Fiesta in Tucson, Arizona, and had a wonderful time.  This show is produced by the Tucson Quilters Guild, and there were so many beautiful quilts to admire. We hope you enjoy our photos of the show! Here is part 3.

Note: Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns, jewelry, and collectibles. You also can follow us on Twitter!

Retro Living, made and quilted by Tami Graeber

This fantastic, large art quilt was one of the top award winners at the show.  The original design was awarded 1st Place - Viewers Choice, Judge's Choice, and 1st Place - Art Whimsy.  Tami Graeber says, "I grew up in the 50's - sat in front of a TV like this.  The good old days! [It was] fun creating the mid-century modern iconic images." Check out the retro wallpaper, a pole lamp (on the right), stylized cats, a French poodle, and even a martini glass on the arm of the sofa. 

The black poodle has a daisy collar and a real bow in her hair. She sits next to a modern potted plant.

Tami says, "I wanted to use "I Love Lucy" on the TV, but copyrights made me use the NBC peacock that was first used in color in 1957."

Summer's Night and Day by Caroline Ellermann, quilted by Glenda Davis

Multiple borders surround this fabulous medallion quilt with its lollipop flowers, houses, Dresden plates, hearts, and more beautiful elements. Caroline Ellermann says, "After seeing this Sarah Fielke pattern made by one of our accomplished guide quilters, I decided to make it. With all of the machine applique, it was a very big challenge.  However, I now have new skills." Pattern source: Sarah Fielke with adaption.

The Blue Door, made and quilted by Lisa Fryxell

Lisa Fryxell is known for her original paper pieced quilt designs.  She says, "This quilt is based on a photo I took in France in June 2024.  It is foundation paper pieced and quilted on my domestic machine."

Psychedelic Carpenter Square, made and quilted by Penny Boese 

A stunning color combination with its an ombre effects truly light up this modern quilt.  It is made with numerous brightly colored batiks. Penny Boese says that her design was inspired by a traditional pattern and Carpenter Square pattern.  The detailed machine quilting adds considerable interest to the design.

 Firewall by Carol W. Carpenter, quilted by Kris Neifeld  

A wonderful stained glass effect is achieved with this design, thanks to the vertical black borders and bright geometric fabrics. The pattern Source is Free Spirit Fabrics' "Play Quilt" by Adrienne Leban (this is a free download).  Carol Carpenter says, "I'm unsure why these wild, swirly fabrics from Adrienne Leban captivated me, but they certainly did. I had a great time under the tutelage of Susie Weaver, making sense of diverse directions, shapes and colors with a cohesive, beautiful result."

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

Free pattern day! Red and White quilts (part two)

Here are free red-and-white quilt patterns from the Quilt Inspiration archive!  For Part 1 of red-and-white quilts, click here.

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.

Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Red & White Burgoyne Surrounded Quilt by Leisure Arts (CLICK for PDF download) 

Red and White quilt, 42 x 55", by Lynn Harris for Fairfield World (CLICK for PDF download)  

Shooting Stars quilt, ~65 x 85", free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Hot Tamale quilt, 71 x 80.5", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Cheerful quilt, 70" square, free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Heroes + Helpers quilt, 66" square (alt colorway), free tutorial by Emily Cross for American Quilters Society (CLICK for tutorial)

Classic Star Quilt, 58", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)  

Contata Quilt, ~54 x 63", free pattern at Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

 Scandi 3 quilt, 60 x 60" seen at Plush Addict, free pattern by Lynne Goldsworthy for Makower (CLICK for PDF download)

Ruby Sparkler quilt, 96 x 96", free pattern at McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

Scandi Star quilt, 60 x 60", free pattern by Lynne Goldsworthy for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Charmer quilt, ~51 x 63”, by Anneliese Johnson of Eye Candy Quilts for Dear Stella Design (CLICK for PDF download)

Red and White quilt, 60 x 72", free pattern by Susan Emory for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Infinite Possibilities quilt, free lap quilt pattern by John Kubiniec for McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

Made in Cherry quilt pattern by Sarah Fielke for Lecien (CLICK for PDF download)

Patchwork Pillow, free pattern at Fabric Editions (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits:  This post was UPDATED on January 7, 2026. 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.

Modern Quilt Month: Ups and Downs

It's Modern Quilt Month here at Quilt Inspiration! We'll be posting a new modern quilt each weekday... we hope you enjoy our photos! Today's pieced quilt highlights a variety of Kaffe Fassett fabrics in a dynamic design.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Ups and Downs by Monique Baczewski, quilted by Creative Lines Quilting

Monique Baczewski based her modern quilt on the "Ups and Downs" pattern in the book Hand Quilted with Love by Sarah Fielke.  Monique says, "I was attracted to this quilt because of Sarah Fielke's use of a textured linen background against the smooth, bright colors of patchwork fabrics. My quilt is made with linen blend and a variety of colorful Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  It was really fun to make." Some of the fantastic fabrics can be seen in the closeup photo, below.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Quilt Fiesta (Tucson, Arizona).

Free pattern day! Christmas ornaments

Looking for a fun project to brighten up your holidays? We've found 40 free patterns for fabric and felt ornaments. They make a great gift for friends and a fun project for the whole family! NOTE: This post has been updated.  For the latest patterns, go to this post: Free Pattern Day for Christmas Ornaments (CLICK HERE!)

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

Image credits: 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. Thank you!

Quilts from the Springville Museum of Art (part 2)

Each year, the Springville Museum of Art (Utah) has one of the best quilt shows around.  It features award-winning quilts from Utah, a state blessed with an abundance of accomplished quilters. Here are some highlights of this year's show!

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Exuberance by Helen Butler

Winner of an Award of Excellence, this stunning heirloom quilt was a decade in the making. Helen Butler says, "Having started this quilt 10 years ago, this is the feeling I had upon its completion.  The mere size created a degree of difficulty on my home machine to quilt. Thus the feeling of exuberance entered my soul when I was able to pronounce it done!"

It is a reproduction of an antique quilt on display at the Henry Ford Museum (in Dearborn, Michigan). Helen Butler created this masterpiece using needle turn applique, trapunto, thread painting, and piping add to the dimension of this quilt.  All of the quilting designs are original.

Beauty All Around by Myrt Gehring, quilted by Carole Lifferth

Myrt Gehring says,  "I really enjoyed working with wool.  This is my second wool quilt but [it] was a challenge for me and stretched me to learn new concepts.  I loved all the colors and felt they blended well.  All Jewel tones that I love. This quilt took me over a year to complete and most of the time was very enjoyable!"  (Note: The design is by Joyce Weeks at Geoff's Mom Pattern Company.)

Teal Unstopped by Toni Sharp, quilted by Cindy Williams

Teal Unstopped was begun in a class, and each month the class focused on a different lone star design.  Toni Sharp says, "The teal fabrics tied the stars together, and Cindy Williams' custom quilting further enhanced the stars." We loved the interesting fabric choices and colors, and admired Toni's perfect piecing technique!  Here are two closeup photos.

Seminole - Southwest by Marian Murdock

This quilt is all Seminole strip pieced, using both traditional and non-traditional Seminole designs in a large scale.  Winner of Honorable Mention at the show, Marian Murdock says, "I chose colors of the desert Southwest, but my design inspiration came from the Seminole Native Americans of South Florida.  The Seminoles are known for their brightly colored intricate pieced bands used in their traditional clothing."

Marian explains, "The most challenging part of designing it was figuring out the size of the strips so the pieced bands did not cut off in an odd place. I wanted to keep the focus on the piecing, so I kept the quilting simple, mostly in-the-ditch, which I did on a home machine."

Love Groves by Jennifer Gunnell, quilted by Lisa White

There is a bevy of colorful trees in this eye-catching quilt! Love Groves is made from thousands of diamond shapes, using hundreds of batik fabrics, and each tree has a unique quilted pattern.  Jennifer Gunnel says, "I have a tradition of making wedding quilts for my daughters.  This one was made for my youngest daugther whose nickname is "Tree". Our family tree is forever growing in Groves of Love."

Each tree canopy is made from four equilateral triangle sections, made from diamond-shaped patches in a manner similar to a Bethlehem star quilt.The source of the design was not listed on the quilt description, but it reminds us of the blocks in "From Little Things, Big Things Grow" by Sarah Fielke for Lecien Fabrics (see the free PDF download here.)

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

Free pattern day: Easy Modern Quilts (2)

Here are 25 more free and easy patterns, for a ton of quilt inspiration! Many of these are big block quilts that go together quickly.  Also see Easy Modern Quilts - part 1.
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.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles! For continuous free patterns, please visit us on Twitter !     

A Blue Moment, 55 x 64", free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

Archive quilt, 54 x 73", free pattern by Heather Akerberg for Paintbrush Studio (CLICK for PDF download)

Barn Star quilt, 64 x 64", free pattern by Stephanie Prescott for Hoffman Fabrics (click for PDF download)

Here and There Squares, 96 x 96”, free pattern by Bonnie Vangool for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

 

Thea’s Puzzle quilt, 64 x 64”, free pattern by Amy Butler (CLICK for PDF download)

Brick Path quilt, 60 x 60”, free pattern by Alexia Marcelle Abegg (CLICK for PDF download)

Make Your Mark quilt, 60 x 76”, free pattern by Heather Jones for Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download) 

Retro Plaid quilt, 55 x 61”, free pattern by Suzy Quilts for Birch Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Tiger Plant Quilt, 52 x 60”, free pattern by Sarah Golden for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Piece of Sky quilt, 64 x 72”, free pattern at Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Relay Race quilt, 72 x 80”, free pattern by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Cobblestone II quilt, 60 x 70”, free pattern by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bloominescent quilt, 48 x 54, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download) 

Fat Quarter Fizz, free pattern by Fat Quarter Shop (CLICK for PDF download) 

Simple Streamers quilt, 70 x 70”, at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download)

Lark quilt, ~ 72 x 72”, free pattern by Amy Butler Design (CLICK for PDF download)

Made in Cherry, ~80” square, free pattern by Sarah Fielke for Lecien (click for PDF download)

London Star quilt, 41 x 41”, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download)

Sapphire quilt, 61 x 61”, free pattern by Stephanie Sims for Clothworks (CLICK for PDF download)

Shibori Star quilt, 56 x 56”, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download)

Tropical Dash quilt, 64 x 64”, free pattern at Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Double Cross quilt, 48 x 48”, free pattern by Pam Rocco for Quilter’s Newsletter (CLICK for PDF download)

 

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

Liberated String Medallion, ~38 x 38”, free pattern by Gwen Marston for American Quilters Society (CLICK for PDF download)

 
Lights On Broadway, 51 x 53”, free pattern at Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Rustic Autumn quilt, 86 x 103”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics  (CLICK for PDF download)

Greek Key quilt, 40 x 54”, free pattern by Pam Rocco for Quilters Newsletter (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits: This post was updated on February 9, 2026. 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. We have uploaded several (retired) patterns to Google Drive for sharing; please do not copy and post the PDFs to your own website. If any links are broken, we'd love to know so we can fix the problem. Please email us at QuiltInspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.