Twelve Days of Hearts, Flowers and Friendship: Day 1

Welcome to our tribute to Valentine's Day quilts ! With its emphasis on love, kindness and caring for others, Valentine's Day is one of our favorite celebrations. We're calling it "Twelve Days of Hearts, Flowers, and Friendship."  Let's get started with Day 1 :

Hearts 4 You by Ildiko Dancs

We saw Ildiko's quilt at the Quilt Arizona ! show in Mesa, Arizona; and we really liked the vibrant colors and swirling energy of this work. Ildiko explains that it is based on the "Sedona Surprise" pattern by Sarah Vedeler Designs.

The lovely machine embroidery was done on a track-mounted machine. This quilt is so cheery that it will brighten up even the cloudiest day in February. It's difficult not to smile when looking at this fun and playful valentine motif.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilts of Florida (part 2)

We're so excited to feature Quilts of Florida ! As you may know, Florida is the Sunshine State, and many Florida quilters have incorporated bright colors in their entries - along with some impressive workmanship!  All of these quilts were exhibited at the January 2015 World Quilt Show in West Palm Beach.

Words, 70 x 75", by Sarah Michael, quilted by Helia Ricci

Here's a charming quilt that was part of a special exhibit on using light and dark grays as a neutral background. Sarah explains, " [This background with its varied neutral hues] are the perfect colors to offset a rainbow colored crossword of inspiring thoughts." We love how the border's  secondary and tertiary solid tones of orange, aqua blue, and lime green complement the warm and cool hues of the quilt's focal point. This crossword puzzle quilt is based on the Express Yourself embroidery designs by Sarah Vedeler.

Close up, Words by Sarah Michael

Each block of this cheerful quilt has its own quilting motif, and each letter has its own style of machine embroidery. This positive and uplifting words really "pop" against the subdued, nuanced background fabrics.

Willow, 41 x 51",by Debra Crine

Third place winner in the Florida Quilt Competition, Debra says, "[I used] hand dyed fabric for applique and a silk background. Some applique  motifs were designed by Deborah Kemball. The border quilt design is by Sharon Schamber." We imagine spring wildflowers gently dancing in the breeze, as the first blossoms of the season come to life.

Close up, Willow by Debra Crine

A variety of intricate quilting patterns are used to embellish this delightful and elegant work, including blanket stitch and satin stitch. Debra's original design is machine appliqued and machine quilted.

Granddaughter's Flower Garden, 46 x 56", by Louise Moor

Louise explains, "I'm a very traditional quilter and found it hard to 'go Modern'. Then I saw this [Easy Breezy Hexies] design by Sonja Callaghan and felt it was modern but still let me feel comfortable in my traditional roots." Louise's use of solids and striped fabrics, along with a pale gray and white background lend a three-dimensional perspective to this well-loved pattern. The saying "Everything old is new again" is really exemplified by Louise's contemporary craftsmanship.

Granddaughter's Flower Garden by Louise Moor

Triangular, parallel line, and small circle quilt patterns give this vintage pattern such a refreshing, updated look. Louise adds, "While I would normally hand quilt this, I decided to quilt this by machine." We think the results look spectacular !

In My Garden, 48 x 46", by Phyllis Goffe

This exuberant floral quilt by Phyllis Goffe was inspired by her garden.  The border is made with a tropical hibiscus print in red, pink and green that complements all the colors of the quilt. The center of the quilt is dominated by three bright red hibiscus flowers that are machine appliqued on a silver-gray background. 

Close up, In My Garden by Phyllis Goffe

In Phyllis' original design,  bigger-than-life size flowers and leaves were embellished with an array of fun embroidery stitches.This look is so lively and tropical, that Phyllis's flowers are imbued with a personality of their own.

Points of Pride, 76 x 76", by Kim Noland, quilted by Linda Adamcik

Kim explains, "I chose this pattern because the New York Beauty design always intrigued me. This is the first guild challenge I've participated in since I was asked to join two years ago. I felt this pattern was appropriate because that's how I felt about being asked to join such a talented group:  A Point of Pride."

Close up, Points of Pride by Kim Noland

Kim adds, "The quilt (size 76 x 76)  consists of 28 gray fabrics and 22 red fabrics. I lovingly refer to it as "the elephant in the room."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilted in Honor

This is Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., and we thought you might enjoy some inspiring red, white and blue quilts. The Quilted in Honor exhibit, which benefits Operation Homefront, features over 50 quilts by celebrity designers. Read on for details and links to designer patterns... some of them are free!

And The Flag Was Still There by Rob Appell (Morro Bay, California)

Depicting the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima in 1945, this original art quilt was designed by Rob Appell, who says: "When I was offered the opportunity to use my art to help provide assistance to those who have served our country in the armed forces, I decided to dive in headfirst... I was true to my soul in the creating of the quilt."  For information about Rob's quilts, see Rob Appell Designs.

Dawn’s Early Light, 59 x 71", by Doug Leko (Blaine, Minnesota)

"This quilt is dedicated to all the men and women who have served our country. Because of their service, we live in a free country."  As of this writing, you can download a free pattern for Dawn's Early Light. We love the gently waving quilting lines as shown below.

Honor, 66 x 82", by Kari Nichols (Centennial, Colorado)

This is such a clever bargello design for a flag. Kari Nichols says:  "[This quilt is] dedicated to my father, Louis Gowen, a Bronze Star recipient...  May the courage and sacrifice of all veterans and service members never be forgotten." As of this writing you can download a free pattern for Honor by Kari Nichols.

Stars and Stripes Forever, 62 x 70", by Ricky Tims, quilted by Cyndi McChesney

Ricky Tims says:  "When first asked to design a quilt for the Quilted in Honor project, I wanted to honor the brave men and women who serve our country and the world by creating a quilt that symbolized our flag and what it stands for."

The pattern for Stars and Stripes Forever is available for $5.00 at C&T Publishing. All proceeds from the sale of this pattern benefit Quilted In Honor, a fund-raising initiative for Operation Homefront. The blocks are paper pieced, and the project is suitable for most advanced beginner quilters.

Stars and Stripes, 63 x 63", designed and quilted by Jackie Robinson, pieced by Marilyn Eider (Eureka, Montana)

Jackie Robinson says:  "John Philip Sousa knew how to write the music that makes patriotism ring in our souls. This quilt is dedicated to the memory of our fallen soldiers. The protection of the Stars and Stripes was in their hearts."  As of this writing, you can download a free pattern for Stars & Stripes.

Patriotic Stars II, 36 x 36", by Sarah Vedeler (Scottsdale, Arizona)

Sarah Vedeler says:  "This quilt was made in honor of all who have served, all who are currently serving and all who will serve in the future."  As of this writing, the pattern for Patriotic Stars II by Sarah Vedeler can be purchased for $5.00 at the Pattern Spot; all proceeds benefit Quilted In Honor. 

The stars are nestled in between log cabin blocks.  Log cabin paper piecing templates for the 7.5" blocks are available for free download at Sarah Vedeler Designs.  In the above photo you can see Sarah's decorative machine embroidery designs on the stars.  Sarah Vedeler has created an extensive embroidery design collection to work with her GO! Stars dies at Accuquilt.  An example is shown below.

Embroidered star by Sarah Vedeler for Accuquilt GO!

Image credits:  Photos of quilts were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2014 AQS Quilt Week-Phoenix and the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.  You can see more free Quilted in Honor patterns at Island Batik. The exhibit may be coming to a quilt show near you... check out the exhibit schedule here.

Happy Valentine's Day (part two!)

To celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday, February 14, here are some really fun heart quilts from California, Florida and Virginia. For Kaffe Fassett fans, there is an award-winning Hearts and Flowers quilt made in The Netherlands!

Tatted Hearts, 64 x 68", by Cheryl L. See (Ashburn, Virginia).  2013 Houston IQF and 2014 Road to California

Cheryl See says: "[This is a] contemporary design of hearts and circles with both vintage embellishment (20 yards of my Great Grandmother's hand tatted lace and doily) and modern "bling"- 1,980 Swarovski crystals."  Cheryl adds, "In the quilting, you will find a necklace, ring, two eyes, and a tooth. The edge is hand embroidered."

Close up, Tatted Hearts by Cheryl L. See

Cheryl included cording, trapunto, and custom hand quilting in this wonderful piece, which is all done by hand. Her original design was inspired by a pattern printed on a gift bag.  We first saw the Tatted Hearts in November 2013 at the Houston IQF, and a few months later at the Road to California in January 2014. At the Road to California,  it won $1,000.00 for Excellence in Hand Quilting, sponsored by Bohin France.

Graffiti Heart by Susan Bianchi, Saratoga, California

Susan notes, "The inspiration for this quilt came from a photograph my husband took of some graffiti in San Jose, California. I wanted to play with translating this highly graphic, textured image in buttons and beads. The quilt was made with cotton batting stabilizer sandwiched between black silk and cotton. The combination of new and vintage buttons and beads were hand sewn." This charming miniature quilt is only about 12 inches square.

We've never touched a quilt show quilt in our lives (and will never do so), but we were sure tempted with this one ! We loved the intriguing texture !

The Road to Love, 40 x 46", by Elizabeth Dackson

The Road to Love was one of 32 quilts in the first AQS Modern Quilt Challenge. These quilts will be traveling for one year and seen by thousands at AQS QuiltWeek events across the country. We loved the way in which Elizabeth Dackson's colorful string-pieced blocks stand out on the neutral gray background (made with Essex Yarn Dyed Linen Blend in black by Robert Kaufman).

Close up, The Road to Love by Elizabeth Dackson 

To construct the heart, Elizabeth used Madrona Road fabric by Violet Craft. The background is comprised of large strips of sashing, which Elizabeth added first at the sides, then at the top and bottom. This very fun work was free-motion quilted by Elizabeth herself. You can read about the design of The Road to Love at Elizabeth Dackson's blog, Don't Call Me Betsy.

Hartjes en Bloemen by Trees Bol-Dingjan, Houten, The Netherlands

Winner of a Judge's Choice Award, along with a Second Place Award in the Novice category of the Open European Quilting Championships, Trees says, "I love this quilt, 'Hearts and Flowers', especially because of the colours and motifs. During my quilt course, when we started to learn applique, I immediately decided, this is the one !" This colorful, adorable work is all hand-pieced and hand-quilted.

Close up, Hartjes en Bloemen by Trees Bol-Dingjan

This Hearts and Flowers quilt pattern is by Kim McLean of Australia.  It was published in Kaffe Fassett's book Quilt Romance: 20 Designs from Rowan for Patchwork and Quilting.

Healing Hearts, 66 x 68", by Pamela McIntyre, Gainesville, Florida, 2014 AQS-Phoenix

This quilt won Honorable Mention in the Wall Quilts-Computer Aided category at the2014 AQS (Phoenix). The embroidered applique designs are by Sarah Vedeler. The designs remind us of Norwegian rosemaling. 

Close up, Healing Hearts by Pamela McIntyre

We enjoyed Pamela McIntyre's cool color scheme and precision quilting, along with the many decorative stitches. Pamela's beautiful work is certainly proof that a hearts- and- flowers motif does not need to be done in pink or red to make a quilt worth celebrating on Valentine's Day!


Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Free pattern day! Sun & Moon quilts

Happy solstice! Here are some fantastic FREE patterns for Sun and Moon quilts.  NOTE: This post has been UPDATED.  For the latest patterns please visit our Free Pattern Day for Sun & Moon Quilts (CLICK HERE!) 

Also check out our E-Bay shop for designer jewelry, patterns, and collectible items !
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Image credits: This post was updated on June 20, 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.  Some of these are tutorials while others have downloadable (.pdf) patterns; we have tried to note which is which in the title above each photo.  If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at Quilt Inspiration {at} gmail {dot} com. 

Fun in the Sun: Day 3 of the Arizona Quilters' Guild 2013 Show

Are you ready for Day 3 of the Arizona Quilters' Guild 2013 Show?  We have some great quilts to show you today. 

Majestic Sedona by Nancy M. Howell

Best of Show winner for 2013, Majestic Sedona  (named after a city in northern Arizona) is from the "Sedona Star" pattern by Arizona quilter and teacher, Sarah Vedeler at Sarah Vedeler Designs. Nancy also won the blue ribbon in the Mixed Techniques-Large Quilt category. Nancy says, "This quilt was a block of the month pattern using paper piecing, foundation piecing, machine applique, and machine embroidery. I used only batik scraps on a black background.

Close-up, Majestic Sedona by Nancy M. Howell

Here's a close-up of some of Nancy's beautiful machine embroidery  applique work on the corner embellishments of  the Sedona Star pattern.

Kaufman's Radiance by Gerri Smit

Blue ribbon winner in the category of quilts using techniques other than patchwork and applique, Gerri writes, "This whole cloth quilt is made using Robert Kaufman radiance fabric. I stitched it with APQS longarm [quilting machine] with IQ attached. The binding was a technique taught by Sharon Schamber."

Close-up, Kaufman's Radiance by Gerri Smit

In this close-up you can see the beautiful machine quilting done by Gerri Smit using a design that reminds us of Art Deco patterns, including the Egyptian fans on the border.

Have a Seat! by CJ Fuhrman

C.J. writes, "[This quilt is from] a Four Corners pattern I made at camp to coordinate with my three mini wooden chairs. The pattern was published in 1994." This cute and cozy quilt is accentuated by the striped, diagonally pieced inner border and the matching diagonally pieced binding.

Close up, Have a Seat! by CJ Fuhrman

Notice that each of the chair backs is a different pattern. This navy chair has a back consisting of two small nine patch blocks.

Pedro by Barbara Nicholson

Third place winner for Small Pictorial Quilts, Barbara writes, "I started this quilt at the Rocky Mountain Applique Adventure in October 2011 with instructor David Taylor. Using my photo, I drew the pattern, hand appliqued it, and machine quilted it."  We especially like the monochromatic green fabrics used to comprise Pedro's body and the detailed rendering of his eye and feet.

Echoes of the Past / South West Echoes by Norma Suckle

Norma says, [This] quilt consists of twelve individual 20" blocks with southwest designs. The 10 " center applique design is surrounded by sixten 4 " and appliqued blocks. We recognize this as an Elizabeth Anne pattern, a designer who specializes in Americana quilt patterns and southwestern designs.

Close-up, Echoes of the Past / South West Echoes by Norma Suckle

Here's a close-up of one of the hand-drawn appliqued, figures, the southwest goat. The cobalt blue figure stands out clearly against the terra cotta and beige background.


Image Credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Sarah Vedeler Designs

Sarah Vedeler is one of those amazingly talented quilt artists with a fascinating background. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Brighton in the U.K., and her first successful career was as a software engineer and project manager. Now, Sarah has embarked on her second successful career as a designer, author, and teacher of machine appliqued embroidery. Here's a visually arresting quilt not just for the Valentine's month of February, but a lovely way to brighten your home all year round.

Silk Hearts Quilt, 48 x 48, by Sarah Vedeler

For the Silk Hearts Quilt, Sarah chose the perfect colors of silk dupioni, the perfect colors of Aurifil 50 weight cotton thread, and the perfect combination of hearts and squares. The results is one of the most gorgeous heart-themed quilts in existence. The hearts are appliqued onto each block, decorated with embroidery thread, then the individual borders are added to each block. These contemporary pure, high-chroma colors really cause the hearts to "pop" so that you can clearly see both the warm and cool hues of the design. For this joyous, radiant quilt, Sarah sells the fabric pack of 16 fat quarters of silk dupioni, the thread pack of 12 large spools of cotton thread, and a CD of instructions.

Go ! Be Dazzled, by Sarah Vedeler

We can easily see why Go ! Be Dazzled won First Place in the Computer Aided Machine Embroidery category in 2010 in Houston , TX,  at the International Quilt Association's World of Beauty Show. It's a truly scintillating three-dimensional design, expertly rendered in standout shades of orchid, lavender, and apricot. The shapes are cut from an AccuQuilt Machine, embroidered onto the block, then embellished with decorative stitchery. There are 4 different diamond blocks and 4 different square blocks, plus borders and corner, so Sarah has designed this quilt as a year-long Block-of-the-Month project. However, if you cannot wait a year to finish this stunning quilt, you can work as fast as you wish, as Sarah has written a complete Go ! Be Dazzled CD and comprehensive instructions for the entire project. This is one of those quilts that is elegant and sophisticated, and fun at the same time.

Sarah Vedeler is based in Scottsdale, Arizona where she designs products featuring embroidered applique; she also teaches workshops around the country. For more information, please visit Sarah's comprehensive website, Sarah Vedeler Designs, where you can learn about her schedule of classes, seminars, and personal appearances.