A View from Above

Today's featured quilt illustrates the magic of optical illusions combined with solid color fabrics. This is modern quilting at its best!

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Sky Top 3 by Nancy Lambert (Greensboro, Georgia)

Various circular shapes are fit into the landscape to depict the environment and have an optical illusion of a sphere.  Both variations of color intensity and hue are used to creat the illusion.  Sky Top 2 is machine pieced and machine quilted without a frame.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show.

Transparency Quilts: 5 FREE patterns!

 Here are 5 of our favorite FREE patterns for transparency quilts! The fabric selection gives the illusion of seeing through a sheer curtain to the design beyond.  Download your favorite patterns today!

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De Novo quilt, 60 x 75", free pattern by Stephanie Sheridan for Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

Color Wash Transparency quilt, 40 x 60", free pattern by Modern Quilt Studio for Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

 

 Waves quilt, 56 x 68", free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Woven Radiance quilt, 77 x 95", free pattern at Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Transparency Crossing quilt, 50" square, free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

 

Highlights of Quilt Arizona! (4)

The annual Quilt Arizona show is a highlight of spring!  Here are some great quilts from this year's show (part four of 4)!

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Baltimore Spring by Pearl Sceviour, quilted by Spools: The Workshop. 

 Winner of a Blue Ribbon for 1st Place in the Applique-Duet category, Pearl Sceviour says this is her third in this series of quilts.  it is based on the Baltimore Spring pattern by Pearl Pereira (P3Designs). "I love the technical challenge of the tiny detail in this pattern and it has been one of the most satisfying quilts I've made to date. I did a lot of the quilting within the applique motifs, as I was willing to spend the time with color changes." 

Pretty in Pink, made and quilted by Barb Tatera. 

 Winner of a 3rd place ribbon in its category, this quilt began in an AQG class on the Crimson Christmas pattern by Krista Moser.  Barb Tatera says, "I changed the largest poinsettia to pink to create a fresh, contemporary color palette.  The free-hand feathers emphasize the petals of these classic winter blooms.  I'm so glad I took the class!"

Chasing Dreams by Pamela Elliott, quilted by Jessica Jones.  

Winner of a 2nd Place ribbon in the kit quilt category, Pamela Elliott says that she loves color and paper piecing and this pattern caught her interest.  "It was a joy to work on."  It was based on the published design: Chasing Dreams by Jacqueline de Jonge.

 Unfolding, made and quilted by Claire Victor  @cvqquilts

Winner of a Blue Ribbon for 1st Place in the Modern-Small category, Claire Victor says that this quilt was designed using Procreate.  "I am trying to create dimension and motion without shading or painting.  It was constructed by English Paper Piecing (EPP) and machine quilted on a domestic Bernina machine with no stitch regulator."

 Claire Victor says, " The background quilting design is my modern tribute to crazy quilting."

  Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Quilt Arizona show.

Optical Illusions: Arabesque!

Purple lovers, unite! This beautiful medallion quilt was made with foundation paper piecing. Asymmetrial diamonds create a spiral, going from small to larger blocks as they radiate from the center. Read on for details, and a link to FREE patterns for optical illusion quilts!

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Amethyst Spiral, made and quilted by Karen Gieske 

Purple is my favorite color and I just love a good spiral.  Paper pieced.  Machine quilted, hand guided.  Published design: Arabesque by Orange Dot quilts (CLICK HERE!) 

Here is the original Arabesque design in beautiful blues from Orange Dot Quilts. A "Color Me page comes with the pattern so you can create your own design and color combination. 

And last but not least: For FREE patterns for optical illusion quilts, CLICK HERE! 

Image credits: Photos of Purple Spiral were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

The Magic of Tumbling Blocks

Tumbling blocks are quilts of illusion! The traditional tumbling blocks pattern lends the appearance of three dimensions. When made from strip sets, they do not required complex piecing or Y-seams. Here are two fabulous quilts we enjoyed at recent shows!

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3-D Blocks, made and quilted by Laura May.  

In this beautifully made quilt, each block is created with light, medium, and dark solids, creating the 3-D illusion. The red ribbon on the right denotes a second place prize at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show!  Laura May says, "When I met my husband in 1975, this design was painted on a wall in his bedroom, using just three colors. When I saw this pattern I decided to make it for him." Based on a published design: Arcade Game by Jaybird Quilts. 

Cat's Meow - 3D Stacked Blocks by Natalie Baker, quilted by Wanda Ginn.  

Beautiful batiks create the sophisticated look of this quilt. Natalie created this quilt from strip sets; no Y-seams were required! Natalie Baker says, "Starting as a strip quilt this ordinary beginning quickly turns into a geometric challenge... Mastering left and right sides of triangle accuracy completes the 3-D block illusion." (Can you see the vertical seam that bisects the light-colored diamond on top of each block? That shows where the strip sets are sewn together.)

Note: We searched for this pattern by name {Cats Meow - 3D Stacked Blocks} and found a link on Pinterest to a book titled ABC 3D tumbling blocks... and more by Marci Baker.]  For more Quilt Inspiration, please check out our FREE Pattern Day for Tumbling Blocks (CLICK HERE!) 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show (quilt by Laura May) and the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show (quilt by Natalie Baker.

Quilting with Kaffe Fassett fabrics! (2)

What do we love about Kaffe Fassett's fabrics? Their vibrant colors! For more than two decades, Kaffe Fassett has inspired quilters to go wild with color and texture. Here are some gorgeous quilts showcasing fabrics from Kaffe Fassett Collective.

Note: Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on beaded jewelry, patterns, & collectibles! For continuous free quilt patterns, please follow us on Twitter. 

Stone Log Cabin, made and quilted by Ann Martinez  

This quilt was based on the "Stone Log Cabin" pattern in Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in Italy. Ann Martinez says, "My inspiration came from my stash of Kaffe Fassett's fabrics... I only had enough fabric to make a wall version of the pattern."  We love the color combinations and black-and-white accents!

 Shadow Block Illusion, made by Gail Witt, quilted by Jessica Jones 

Gail Witt says, "I used my extensive collection of Kaffe fabrics for my Shadow Block quilt.  The optical illusion of a shadow provides depth and dimension.  Jessica (Jones)' straight line quilting is the perfect complement to the design.  The quilt was based on the 2015 Shadow Block online tutorial by Debora Exum.

Midnight Sensation by Yvonne M. Flores, quilted by Quality Quilterz

This quilt has a fascinating kaleidoscope effect! Pattern for this quilt was a mystery quilt by Michelle Renee Hiatt (the Holiday Sensation Medallion Series 2022).  Yvonne Flores says this was her first Mystery Quilt!  "I decided to purchase the kit because the outcome was unknown.  The class was taught by Joyce Holley.  Piecing was done using the Studio 180 precision rulers to achieve perfect points."

 

Note: For more Kaffe Fassett fun, check out our *FREE* patterns for Kaffe Fassett Quilts:  CLICK HERE for Part 1 and CLICK HERE for Part 2!

 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show (Shadow Block Illusion) and the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show (Stone Log Cabin, Midnight Sensation.) 

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Best Use of Color (2)

The recent QuiltCon show was filled with beautifully designed and made quilts. "Best Use of Color" was not a specific entry category, but these beauties stood out - not only for design and technique, but also for their color.  (For PART 1 of this series, CLICK HERE!)

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Blooming Star by Daphné Parthoens (Belgium) @octopurse 

Blooming Star is made out of 6144 half-inch diamonds (!) arranged in a flower-like shape. It is beautifully machine pieced and hand quilted! Its bold and contrasting colors form a harmonious gradient and give the quilt the impression of being three-dimensional.  Daphne explains that the quilt is an ode to nature and its everlasting beauty. All the little hand quilted pieces are meant to represent seeds planted in the ground to later bloom into luxurious flowers.

 The 95 by Vicki Ruebel (Nevada) @OrchidOwlQuilts (Additional piecer: Judy Dale).  

The cool analogous color scheme provides a lovely backdrop for the expert longarm quilting on this piece. Vicki Ruebel says, "This quilt was a team effort between my mom and I.  I designed the quilt in EQ8, my mom pieced it and I quilted it.  We used vinyl to create the circles.  I explored using soft and stable as the base layer of batting with wool on top to pop the quiltng.  The intricate [longarm]quilting is my favorite part of this quilt."

The Pointy Beast by Susan Braverman (Texas) @wildpoppyquilts  

Winner of 1st Place in the Modern Traditionalism category, The Pointy Beast updates the classic New York Beauty block with large scale and striking high-contrast colors.  It says "look at me" from across the room.  Dense grid quilting anchors the design's structured form, as shown below.  A variety of thread colors were used to create nuanced value shifts throughout.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.

Optical Illusions

Optical illusion quilts give the illusion of movement, shadows, transparency, and/or depth.  We really enjoyed this optical illusion quilt at the recent QuiltCon show.  Calm Amidst Chaos positively vibrates, keeping the eye moving around the quilt! Try concentrating on a red square to see the effect.

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Calm Amidst Chaos by Patti Bourland (Colorado) 

Patti Bourland used EQ8 to draft the blocks, which were machine pieced andmachine quilted without a frame (domestic).  Patti says, "In this hectic world, it is sometimes hard to calm the mind and focus on what brings you joy.  I find that I can tune out distractions when I am creating beautiful quilts."  The machine quilting amplifies the effect; it looks as if sound waves are emanating from the centers of the blocks.

The quilt's message was hand embroidered as shown above.  Calm Amidst Chaos was displayed in the Windham Fabrics Ruby+Bee fabric challenge, which allowed quilters to use three to six fabrics from a specific palette:

Note: This type of optical illusion is also called a "Bento Box." If you enjoy optical illusion quilts, you might be interested in Free Patterns for Optical Illusion Quilts (CLICK HERE!):

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Windham Fabrics 2025 Challenge Quilts

One of the top exhibits at the recent QuiltCon show was the Ruby+Bee fabric challenge! The featured speaker for this show, Tara Faughnan, selected six beautiful solids from the fabric collection. Quilters were instructed to use from 3 to 6 colors in the palette to create their quilt. It was so much fun to see what quilters came up with!

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

Folk Bloom No. 2 by Jenn McMillan (Ontario, Canada) @jennmcmillan

Jenn McMillan says, "Based on an original drawing, and inspired by symmetrical folk floral motifs, the design was created as an ode to my love and obsession with the Evil Eye.  A charm to protect oneself from evil, ill intentions or inadvertent curses, I also see it as a reminder to be kind lest I unintentionally curse someone with my RBF." [We had to look up RBF to see what the acronym stands for... LOL!]

In this closeup photo you can see the blue stitching lines that make up the iris of the eye! This quilt was machine pieced and hand appliqued with needle-turn applique. The heart was foundation paper pieced and tied with matching thread.  Other areas were machine quilted without a frame, using a domestic machine with a walking foot. p.s.  Jenn made great use of the 6 fabrics offered in the challenge, shown below:

 

Reverb by Michaela Romesburg (California) @Michaela_G_Romesburg.  

Winner of 1st Place in the quilt challenge, this stunner is a modern twist on a classic log cabin design. Michaela Romesburg says: "My hope was to create movement through the utilization of color and pattern.  The combination of warm and cool colors create the illusion of space and depth. The added hand applique ring adds to the illusion of reverberation."

Michaela explains that Reverb was designed with harmony, balance and depth in mind. The exceptionally straight fabric lines were foundation paper pieced (FPP).  The final product was machine quilted without a frame using a domestic machine. 

Petal Blossom Fabric Challenge by Jenn Smith (Washington, USA) @Jenn B Quilts

Petal Blossom is a quilt pattern which Jenn Smith designed in the fall of 2024.  At first glance it looks familiar - an orange peel block.  But then you notice it's also a Drunkard's Path* block, with the orange peel sitting inside the Drunkard's path, creating a new block.  We love the way in which Jenn Smith used the challenge fabrics to maximize contrasts. This piece was machine pieced and longarm machine quilted.

 *If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in our Free Pattern Day for Drunkard's Path Quilts (CLICK HERE!)

 

Image credits:  Quilt photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.