Colorful Chains

Trip Around the World quilts are traditional Amish patterns in which the design is made with small squares of fabric arranged by color to form concentric rings. Here is a beautiful contemporary quilt from a recent show! Scroll down for more examples and FREE patterns!

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

Colorful Chains by Kathie Miller, quilted by Kim Votava  

Gorgeous taupe and indigo batiks distinguish this Trip Around the World quilt! Kathie Miller notes that everyone loves this traditional pattern, and that it's exciting to try up-to-date stripping techniques to improve the process. "The most difficult part of this quilt was selecting the fabric and coming up with the order!"  

For dozens of free patterns and variations, visit our Free Pattern Day (CLICK HERE!)

 

Image credits: Photos of Colorful Chains were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show. 

Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (1)

In the beautiful Sonoran desert of Arizona, the Tucson Quilters Guild celebrated their 50th anniversary with a spectacular show. The Quilt Fiesta includes a fascinating mix of styles, techniques, and patterns. We hope you enjoy our photos! This is Part 1 of 5.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter.

My Turtle from Tula's 100 Blocks, made and quilted by Penny Boese.  

Winner of a Judge's Choice award, this fantastic batik quilt was based on Tula Pink's City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, arranged in a unique setting by Penny Boese.  She wanted to take Tula's 100 blocks in a different direction and settled on her favorite sea animal, using EQ8 to design the layout.  

Westerlund 2 Stellar Nursery, made and quilted by Janet Hasson.  

Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the Viewers Choice category, this stunning original quilt by Janet Hasson is composed of 1600 1-1/2" paper pieced squares using a watercolor technique. The appearance of glittering stars is created by thousands of beads and pearls sewn on top of the squares.

The inspiration for Janet's design was a photograph released by NASA celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope's 25th anniversary in 2015 (NASA photo below):  

As NASA describes it, the brilliant tapestry of young stars flaring to life resemble a glittering fireworks display. The sparkling centerpiece of this fireworks show is a giant cluster of thousands of stars called Westerlund 2.

In the quilt by Janet Hasson, subtle gradations of color suggest the swirling gas clouds in Westerlund 2. The beads represent the young super bright massive stars approximately 20,000 light years away.

Carmen Romantica by Barb Lambrecht  

The quilt show included a special display of original works by local art quilters. We love Carmen Romantica by Barb Lambrecht.  It was inspired by a 1973 greeting card that looked much like Carmen Miranda.  This piece is hand appliqued and embellished with paint and a piece of recycled, hand dyed lace.

Through the Stained Glass by JT Taylor, quilted by Kris Neifeld.  

The gorgeous colors and stained glass effect of this quilt really drew us in. Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the Two Person- Medium Pieced category, plus a special award for Best Use of Color, JT Taylor says she collected fabrics for this quilt for about a year in hopes of making a sunset and stained glass quilt. The pattern source was "Striped Surprise" by 3 Dudes Quilting Designs. 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show. NOTE:  Quilt inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning that Amazon pays us a small commission if you purchase an item from a link on this page; there is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration, and for reading our blog!

 

 

Mona Meets Mr. Warhol

Karen G. Fisher comes from both a sewing background and an art background, with degrees in Art and Art Education. Karen has won multiple awards, both local and national, over the years. Here is her spectacular interpretation of the Mona Lisa done in the style of Andy Warhol.

FOLLOW US on Twitter for blog updates and freebies. Also check out our E-Bay shop for bargains on jewelry, clothing, patterns and collectibles ! 

Mona Meets Mr. Warhol by Karen G. Fisher

This work was inspired by Andy Warhol's famous "faces" paintings—referring to his iconic celebrity portraits or repeated facial images. Karen created the Mona Lisa using batik fabrics in different color combinations. She achieved a painterly effect with expert machine applique.

For reference, Andy Warhol's most famous "faces" painting is from his Marilyn Monroe series. The Marilyn works (starting in 1962 shortly after her death) are widely regarded as his most recognizable and celebrated "faces" depictions.  Here is a collection of silkscreen prints from Weng Contemporary Gallery:

 

Image credits: Photos of "Mona Meets Mr. Warhol" were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show. 

Glorious Scrap Quilts (SO much inspiration!)

One of the joys of quilting is using up leftover scraps. We're always looking for new and creative ideas!  Here are 4 gorgeous quilts made entirely from scraps. And for more inspiration, please see our Free Patterns for Scrap Quilts (>PART 1 and >PART 2).

FOLLOW us on Twitter for blog updates and freebies. Also check out our E-Bay shop for bargains on jewelry, clothing, patterns and collectibles !

Make Lemonade, made and quilted by Katherine Kenward  

This is an original quilt by Katherine Kenward. Each block is monochromatic, but she arranged the blocks in a unique design and set them on point.  She says:  "I love using scraps, my own and those given to me. Scraps are like wonderful sweet lemons which by themselves may not be useful but when combined make sweet lemonade."

 Strips Leftover by Becky Ruhl, quilted by Barbara Angerhofer  

Here is a really lovely string quilt. Becky Ruhl created lots of contrast by using fabrics ranging from very light to dark, with plenty of bright colors.  She says, "This quilt was made as a challenge to my stash organization.  I cut up many smaller fabrics into cuts that can be used for other projects. This quilt is made from the 1-1/2" strips resulting in the process.  I'm very happy with the result."

 

Breeze by Kathie Miller, quilted by Tawnya Freeman

 

Gorgeous complementary colors distinguish this batik quilt, which is made from strips of different widths. The quilt was a collaboration between Tawnya Freeman at Quilters' Market and Kathie Miller.  Kathie says: "I got the fun part of stitching, forming blocks and determining the layout. Tawnya worked her quilting magic and the result is amazing." Kathie added the black-and-white striped inner border, adding tremendous interest to the design. The quilt was based on the pattern called Breeze by Claudia Pfeil. 

 

Bushel Basket, made and quilted by Marcia Jacobson  

Marcia Jacobson made this wonderful large quilt totally from scraps. She estimates that it used 7 yards of scraps (WOW!)  "It was fun to see what pretty blocks emerged from these random scraps of fabric!"  The quilt was based on the Bushel Basket pattern by Edyta Sitar in Scrappy Firework Quilts.  There are so many fun cotton prints to see throughout this quilt.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show. NOTE:  Quilt Inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning that Amazon pays us a small commission if you purchase something from a link on this page.  There is no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration!

Basket of Rainbows (Dreaming of Spring!)

With blizzards and icy temperatures sweeping across the country... it's time to start dreaming of Spring! With a star and sunrays in the middle, surrounded by baskets of flowers, this beautiful quilt that reminds us of the warm days to come.

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

Basket of Rainbows, made and quilted by Diane Melde 

Diane Melde says that she bought this quilt kit in 2020 (during Covid)... but that it looked a lot simpler than it turned out to be!  "Beautiful, but lots of curved paper piecing and overlapping machine applique made it a challenge." 

This quilt uses Batik Textiles “Rainbow Sherbet” fabric collection with brightly saturated colors on a colorful dotted white background that really makes each fabric pop. Diane did a beautiful job with the piecing, applique, and quilting. 

The project is based on a published design called Basket of Rainbows by Certified Instructor Kelly Grant using components of Judy Niemeyer at Quiltworx.  (As of this writing the quilt kit can be found at Creekside Quilts.

For more basket quilt inspiration, please visit our Free Pattern Day for Basket Quilts (CLICK HERE!)

  

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

Spooky Season: Free Patterns !

With Halloween on the horizon, this season's palette is focused on orange, purple, and black. Pumpkins, black cats, and witch's hats abound! Moreover, dozens of FREE quilt patterns are available to get your creative juices flowing. Here's a free pattern from Hoffman California Fabrics featuring beautiful batiks. 

Happy's Place, ~60 x 74", free pattern by Karen Hanson for Hoffman California Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

 We love the wonky stars and flying geese in the borders of Happy's Place!  For more FREE patterns for large and small projects, check out our Free Pattern Day for Halloween quilts (CLICK HERE!)

 

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!

Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectible items !
For news, please follow us on Twitter.

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.

Blooming Nine Patch: A Perennial Favorite

Did you ever construct a quilt which looked really challenging, but was incredibly fun to make? The blooming nine patch is one of those intriguing patterns. Each fabric square alternates with a nine-patch that uses the two adjacent fabrics, creating a subtle "color wash" transition from one fabric to the next. (For more blooming nine patch quilts, see our original post from 2011!)

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on jewelry, patterns, and collectibles!

Kaffe Blooming Nine Patch by Pat Morris, quilted by Athena Taylor

The Blooming Nine Patch design was first published in 1996 by Blanche Young with her daughter, Dalene Young Stone, in their classic book Tradition With a Twist.   Another daughter, Helen Young Frost, arranged the design in concentric diamonds, much like the Amish Trip Around the World pattern.

Pat Morris says, "It's a fun quilt to make using alternating nine patches and plain squares. I used Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics assembled in a kit by All About Color Quilting.  It was machine quilted using edge-to-edge computerized quilting by Athena Taylor." (Can you see the nine patch blocks in this closeup photo?)

 The Blackhole, made and quilted by Debra Kaweske 

 Debra Kaweske says that this stunning quilt, made in beautiful batiks, was inspired by the photo of a black hole.  The photo made her want to create an original quilt which would transition from a bright inviting center to a vast outer space. The lovely details and quilting can be seen in the closeup below.

 

Note:  For those who love batiks, Robert Kaufman Fabrics has a free "Luminous Nine Patch" pattern for the Kasuri collection, shown below. To download the free PDF, CLICK HERE! 

Image credits: The original quilt photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show. 

Wedding Stars: A Smaller Scale

Small quilts are a growing trend!  Here are two Wedding Star quilts made with only 4 interlocking "rings". What a great way to try out this technique without making a huge quilt! These were designed to be used as table toppers. We love the use of colorful batiks in this design!

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on jewelry, patterns, and collectibles !  

Wedding Star table topper, made and quilted by Jane Smith

  Jane Smith says, "I have always loved wedding ring quilts as my paternal grandmother made them. This was a fun opportunity to take a class with Rosie Lysinger and make a wedding star for my table.  I also love batiks and the color purple."  Pattern source: Quiltworx.

 Wedding Star, made and quilted by Mary Anne Strauss.  

 Mary Anne Strauss says, "I started this quilt in a class and finished it much later.  This is the first time I've made a Judy Niemeyer pattern and found it very daunting at first.  I'm glad I persevered as I do like the finished table topper." Pattern source: Quiltworx.

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

Highlights of Quilt Arizona! (5)

The 2025 Quilt Arizona show features hundreds of quilters, many of whom spend the winter months in this sunny locale.  Here are some more highlights from the show.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

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

Nandina #4, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin

 Winner of 1st place in the Art/Abstract category, Stephanie Nordlin says that this original design quilt was inspired by her photo of Nandina (a bush with red berries). She says, "I drew it small, tweaked it and had it enlarged. After that I smoothed curves, added detail lines, retraced the design and played with color before appliqueing."

Cinco de Mayo Kaffe Style, made and quilted by Peggy Foster

 This quilt is so cheerful with its bright Kaffe Fassett prints! Peggy Foster says, "A freezer paper piecing demonstration by Ann Peterson on "The Quilt Show" inspired me to try this quilting method.  Karen Stone's "Cinco de Mayo" pattern looked like a fun, colorful challenge.  I also enjoyed using bright threads to quilt the negative space on the quilt top." Her quilting echoes the spiky points of the New York Beauty blocks.

Mostly Sunny, made and quilted by Marianne Nowacki

Winner of Honorable Mention in the Modern-Solo category, Marianne Nowacki says that this "temperature quilt" shows the 2023 high and low temps every day recorded at Falcon Field in Mesa (Arizona). The blue light/dark blocks separate the months.  Small purple triangles on the blocks are the days it rained.  The color chart (which was on the back) shows the colors used for each 5 degrees of temperature.The quilting was done with a sun design!

Color, Color, Color, made and quilted by Merci Apodaca  

Beautiful, and so much fun:  This quilt was based on a published design from the book called Whizz Bang (Adventures with Folded Fabric qults) by Rachel Daisy. Merci Apodaca says, "I was inspired to make this quilt because of the whimsy, opportunity to combine many fabrics and dig into my collection of trims.  I was bedazzled by the simplistic techniques becoming a color feast for one's viewing pleasure." Fussy cut Tula Pink prints can be seen in the centers of the circle blocks. 

Giraffes Out of Africa, made and quilted by Barbara Harrell

We loved this stunning large quilt with its saturated colors, off-center medallion design, and multiple pieced borders. Barbara Harrell says this was a "very fun challenge. The center block and small giraffe blocks were purchased from an African textile booth years ago at a show."

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