Star Garden Quilt

Spring is here, and it's time to enjoy the longer days and emerging flowers.  Here's a gorgeous quilt that brings the season to life, all year round.  Can you find the birds, bunny, and butterflies?

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Nana's Star Garden by Susan Foster, quilted by Jessica Jones. 

Based on a published design (Star Garden by Minick and Simpson, previously published in Quiltmania magazine,) Nana's Star Garden plan included a larger design area for a free flowing natural garden. Susan Foster says, "I used some of the basic design elements, but added a strawberry thief bird, a variety of flowers, cherries, etc.  She also added broderie perse butterflies, "as no pretty flower garden is complete without them."

Here are a few closeup photos showing Jessica Jones' beautiful flower and feather quilting, which lends the finishing touch to this beautifully made quilt.

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.  This quilt won a red ribbon (second place) in the Applique-Solo category.

La Catrina: Collage Quilt

Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated each year on November 1st and 2nd. The tradition honors those who have passed, whose souls are thought to come back to be with their loved ones. 

One of the strongest and most recognizable symbols of The Day of the Dead is the female skeleton wearing a fancy hat with feathers: La Catrina.

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La Catrina by Alice Catallini

This creative collage quilt was based on a pattern by Laura Heine, titled "Dee-ceased".  The bones and hat are composed of moth-ridden and stained family linens (circa 1930), including handkerchiefs, tea towels, lace dress, napkins, embroidered linen and doilies.  What a great idea!  We enjoyed the many creative details, including the caterpillar eyebrows (!)  Feminine touches include dangle earrings and a necklace.

A banner urging "Happy Gatherings" was appliqued is in the lower right corner of the quilt (see photo below). Some of the vintage linens can also be seen on the 'bones'. A few more creepy details can be seen crawling up La Catrina's arm.

 

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

Celebrating the 'Day of the Dead'

Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated each year on November 1st and 2nd. The tradition honors those who have passed, whose souls are thought to come back to be with their loved ones. Quilting is a wonderful way to preserve the memory of a loved one as exemplified in today's quilt.

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For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Mi Mama Dia de los Muertos by Cheryl Osburn

Cheryl Osburn explains, "The beautiful woman with flowers in her hair is mi mama. She loved life and loved to dance the "ChaChaCha" with dad, lipstick on and dressed like a movie star.  The pin in her hair is her old earring." Her eyelashes are accentuated with sparkling tube beads.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Day of the Dead in quilts

The Mexican holiday known as Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated on October 31st, November 1st and 2nd. It overlaps with All Hallow's Eve (Halloween), the night before All Saints Day.  The tradition honors those who have passed, whose souls are thought to come back to be with their loved ones. Here are some fun and colorful quilts that reflect the holidays!

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Catrina's Halloween by Michelle Howe (Irvine, California)

We were captivated by the gorgeous fringed and flower-bedecked hat worn by the skeleton, who is also holding a giant red peony.  This is a great example of broderie perse - a quilting style where flower motifs are cut from fabric and used as design elements. 

Michelle says that she fell in love with the "Catrina" quilts in the special display by Jane Tenorio-Coscarelli at the 2018 Road to California quilt show.  This is Michelle Howe's second "Catrina" quilt.  The colorful painted face was created using the face-painting techniques of Patt Blair.

The black and white background fabric, featuring bats and crows, provides a perfect haunted setting for "Catrina". The design elements, including skeleton parts, flowers, hat and dress were appliqued.  Many of the elements were edged with black blanket stitching, helping the pieces to stand out.

Emily by Jane Rua (Arizona)

Jane Rua made this fabulous quilt as a wedding gift for a great niece who loves skeletons and haunted houses. The piece was inspired by a quilt made by Jane Impey. In this delightful scene, a skeleton is enjoying a relaxing bath while shipping on a glass of wine.  Meanwhile, bugs rain from the shower head! 

In the closeup photos, spiders can be seen weaving webs on the wall above the bathtub (above).  A skeleton cat is having fun chasing after a huge spider (see the photo below)!

Save the Last Dance for Me by Nancy Arsenault (Tucson, Arizona)

This is the eleventh quilt in Nancy Arsenault's renowned Dia de los Muertos series!  Our photo does not do justice to this quilt, as the lighting was very uneven at this show. We hope you can appreciate the outstanding design nevertheless.

This original design was created in a workshop on mandalas.  Nancy says, "Everyone else was drawing beautiful flowers.  The more I drew, the less I liked it.  The teacher, Sharon Schamber, noted my frustration.  She said, Nancy... do what YOU do.  Then she walked away and I thought - does she mean SKELETONS?"

The center mandala features a ring of grinning skeleton heads with flower eyes.  They are surrounded by an outer ring of colorfully-dressed male and female dancers. The dancer shown below is elegant attired in a red dress with a striped Mexican shawl, with a cockatoo perched on her shoulder.

Image credits: Photos were taken at the 2020 Road to California show (Catrina's Halloween and Save The Last Dance for Me) and the 2020 Quilt Arizona show (Emily).

Quilts from the Springville Museum of Art (part 4)

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!

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Mary - Queen of Bedford by Karin Crawford, quilted by Kim Peterson

Best of Show winner Karin explains, " I deconstructed a panel called the Tree of Life by Mary Koval. Then, I reconstructed the wreath of birds and flowers using Broderie Perse. This quilt has so many elements in it which I enjoy doing: English paper piecing, hand applique, reverse hand applique, serpentine borders, hand mitered corner, scallops, etc. "

Karin concludes, "It was a joy to make!"  We'd like to add that it was a joy to view this breathtaking quilting, with the broderie perse technique shown above. Karin has carefully fussy cut out the motifs of the large prints of flowers, birds, and butterflies from the original panel. She then appliqued each motif onto the new background, which gives an elegant and vintage look to her work.

Aladdin's Window by Donna Moyer

Donna notes, "Aladdin's Window is completely done by hand except for the pieced backing and the hanging device. I tried many shapes before deciding it really needed to be a circle, slightly reminiscent of some of the magnificent stained glass rose windows I have seen in Europe. This 'window' takes on a Mid-Eastern flavor with a nod to the paisley design which originated long ago in Persia."

For her lovely, unique work, Donna won the award for Best Solitaire Hand Quilting. She says, "I couldn't resist adding a personal touch by quilting eight lotus blossoms in gold. Lotus Blossom was my husband's pet name for me."

Purple Posies by Penny Adams

Penny states, "Each of the flowers was made by hand over the period of six months and then appliqued. The insects were drawn and then embroidered. Beads were added to the insects to help catch the light and add an element of life. "

Penny adds, "I used echo quilting to add movement to the quilt. I am pleased with the quilt because it reflects my love of nature."

Here are some more of Penny's hand-made flowers. We really admire Penny's creativity and inventiveness in creating these realistic flowers, including the very lifelike petals.

Scrappy Happy by Nancy Hillman Roberts, quilted by Monica Steelman

Award of Excellence winner, Nancy writes, "Above my desk as a high school teacher was a wacky plaque that asked, 'Have You Dazzled Your Teacher Today?' This is my purpose in submitting a quilt in this show. ...I hope that [people] say, 'I like this quilt. It draws me in, and I'm a little dazzled.'
We'd like to say that we are just not a little bit dazzled; we are extremely dazzled! We are very impressed with all the different fabrics, hours of work, patience, and concentration that Nancy put into her incredible work.  It really exemplifies her devotion to the quilting arts, and she has a fantastic creation to show for it.

Nancy continues, "This quilt kept me engaged, excited, and satistfied with the end product. It's not perfect, but I'm happy-scrappy happy because with my color addiction, variety is essential.
I worked on it when I was sitting (in the car, watching TV, visiting, waiting, etc.) It took twenty-one months to complete. My inspiration was a Kim Diehl wall hanging with 6 3-inch blocks, 24 orange peels, and 12 yo-yo's. Mine exploded into 960 3-inch blocks, 3,840 orange peels, and 1,983 yo-yo's."

Saddle Up by Celia Belcher, quilted by Stephanie McGee

Celia remarks, "Twenty years ago while traveling out of state, I found this pattern and desired to make it for my daughter and her new husband. She and I picked the material, and I was to begin. Not having much experience in advanced quilting, I kept putting it aside. Finally, in 2017, I determined I had to start and just do the best I could."

Celia concludes, "Working on it when I could, I finished it in August 2018. Finding pattern-detailing ideas online, I designed the saddle flowers. I also added the ribbon detail and the initials of their names." We congratulate Celia on her determination to finish what is a very colorful and precisely sewn quilt. The saddle flowers and the initials of Celia's daughter and son-in-law add a special, personalized touch to her work.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilts Celebrating Creativity ! part 3

Here are more quilts from the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association 2019 show! The Santa Clara Valley lies at the southern end of San Francisco Bay in Northern California. This year's show, titled Quilts Celebrating Creativity,  featured some outstanding works by talented quilters. Here are some of our favorites!

(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 !)

Headed Outback, 46 x 42", by Randa Mulford

The colors and patterns drew us to this outstanding quilt.  Featured quilter Randa Mulford says, "Louisa Smith’s Double Vision workshop inspired me to dip into my sizable stash of Australian aboriginal fabrics. Once I got started, I just had to keep cutting out and adding more motifs from these fabrics as appliques until I had a whole parade of down-under creatures headed somewhere - to the Outback?"

Layers of colorful ovals create a sense of three dimensions in this contemporary art quilt. For more information on "Double Vision" quilts, on which this design was based, please see Louisa Smith's workshop page.

Flowers for Our Lady of Guadalupe, 27 x 27", by Carole Donovan

Carole Donovan says, “Freddy Moran taught a class using flowers cut out from fabric. We made a black and white background and glued the cutout flowers on the fabric to make a design."

Carole continues, "I wanted to make this quilt for special friends who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. I liked my first try so much that I had to keep it for myself and made a similar design just for them.”
We love the broderie perse (collage) style of this original design!  You can see the raw edge flowers in the closeup photo, below.

Afternoon in Paradise, 24 x 33", by Randa Mulford

This wonderful landscape quilt was based on a photo Randa Mulford took during an afternoon visit to Paradise Meadow at Mount Rainier National Park. It appears to be framed, but the "frame" is actually a border made with wood-grain fabric! The quilt was begun in a workshop taught by Lenore Crawford. Randa says, "Recreating the scene with its late afternoon sunlight and flowing stream out of fused fabrics was a new challenge for me, but I like how it came out."

Marilyn's Home, 18 x 24", by Karel Peer

The Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association is participating in an exchange program known as "Quilts Across the Pacific", where each member has a sister quilter in Australia with whom to share designs, patterns, and quilt ideas. Karel Peer says, “This quilt, made for my Australian partner Marilyn Urane, is a quilted rendering of her home in Newscastle, NSW. [It was made with] commercial and hand painted fabrics."

There is a lot a detail in this little quilt; the flowers in this closeup photo were created with small buttons, and the windows and doors were outlined with embroidery floss.  The roof was made with ruched fabric.

Sufficiency, 46 x 37", by Therese May

This large, expressive fish was created by Therese May, who was a featured quilter at this year's show. She says, “This fish represents the potential for more and more abundance. [The] drawing [was] printed onto fabric and machine quilted.”

On her website, Therese May states, "I make the quilts that feel good to me and that convey what I have in my heart. I’m an artist, a painter and a quilter. I like to think in pictures and to share that vision in my art." For more of her drawings, which serve as inspiration for art quilts, please see Therese May's website.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association.

Best of Utah quilts: The 2018 Springville show !

We had lots of fun seeing the pretty quilts at the 45th annual Utah Quilt Show in Springville, Utah. It's a juried show, featuring quilts of all styles and sizes. We hope you enjoy the "eye candy" below !

Note: For great deals on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - We're Top Rated Sellers ! And for continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter.

Vision Quest by Connie Healy, quilted by Wren Wookland

Connie says, "I am legally blind and mostly pieced by feel. I saw a wall hanging and thought it would make a beautiful bed quilt, so I just kept going. Someone else will have to tell me where any problems are, because I can't see them."
Our response would be that this is a daunting project even for quilters with perfect eyesight; so Connie's work, which she accomplished despite  her vision challenges, is exemplary. Congratulations to her for this wonderful accomplishment !

The quilt is based on the Convex Illusions quilt pattern by Kathleen Andrews.

Close-up, Vision Quest

In this close-up, you can see the interesting contrasts provided by the ombre green fabric of the inner borders and the textures provided by Wren Wookland's excellent quilting work.

The Circle Game by Patti Jacobs, quilted by Mindy Powell

Winner of an Award of Excellence, Patti writes, "I had this pattern on my shelf for a year or two and was afraid of the circle, y-seams, and many, many templates. Sewing another quilt from [designer] Jen Kingwell,  I was able to successfully make template blocks, which gave me the courage to begin this project. I loved the bright colors. It makes me happy to look at it !"
This blue ribbon-winning quilt is based on The Circle Game pattern by Jen Kingwell.

These happy, vibrant colors really pop out against the fun black and white background of the blocks. We admire Patti's ability in completing this intricate patchwork and applique.

Flying Home by the Quilt-In-Time group. Quilted by Marie Wiggington

This quilt has been cut, pieced, and stitched together by the Quilt-In-Time quilters, a very small group formed in 1998 in Monticello, Utah.
Flying Home is based on a pattern in the 1997 book, More Quick Rotary Cutter Quilts by Pam Bono. (Also see the post at Hidden Treasure Crafts.)

Close-up, Flying Home

The theme of flying geese is emphasized not only by the attractive patchwork blocks which represent actual geese, but also by the triangle motifs known by quilters as flying geese blocks, done here in autumn colors of caramel, gold, and cinnamon. There are hundreds of flying geese blocks in this quilt!

Tribute to Pele by Margo Faccini

Margo notes, "The floral fabric was purchased while on a trip to Portland, Oregon. It took a few years before I added the red and yellow fabrics and designed the background. The flowers are all hand appliqued. Pele is the goddess of Kilauea volcano, which was erupting during the making of this quilt."

Close-up, Tribute to Pele

Here's an excellent example of Broderie perse stitching, in which an entire printed motif is cut out and appliqued as a single pattern onto a background. These brilliant colors are a perfect reminder of the lush tropical foliage of the Hawaiian Islands.

Lap Quilt (Winding Ways) by Marjory Woffinden

Mary states,  "Always enjoying new quilt styles and challenges, I read about this beautiful, colorful quilt and tried it. I'm 97 years old and loved all the hand work of putting together the blocks and applique flowers."

Close-up, Lap Quilt

This patchwork design is the traditional "Winding Ways" pattern. We really admire Marjory's beautiful hand quilting work.  She has done an excellent job in creating this lovely project !

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Heart quilts for Valentine's Day!

We're sending hearts and flowers to all quilters via this post ! Here are some beautiful quilts to warm your heart and inspire your own creative projects.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry. We are Top-Rated Sellers !
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Hearts and Nine by Ilene Atkins (Ontario, Canada)

Hearts and Nine was selected for the special exhibit, A Canadian Nine Patch Celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday, shown at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival. The quilts were selected to represent Canada’s history, geography, and culture as expressed by each artist.

Appliqued hearts, placed in white blocks, are used to define the outline of a large heart in this quilt. Ilene Atkins says the heart theme was inspired by Canada's incredible "diversity, acceptance, wide open spaces, and friendly cities, along with many cultures and varied communities." Many different fun fabrics were used to construct the blocks.

Heart Sampler by Laurene Sinema, 1992, quilted by Una Jarvis

Heart Sampler, with nine different hearts, was in a special exhibit of Laurene Sinema’s work at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show. Laurene was a published author and she founded the Arizona Quilters Guild. It is entirely hand appliqued, hand quilted, and adorned with a border of heart-shaped leaves.

The pattern for this quilt was published in Laurene’s 1992 book, Applique! Applique! Applique! (still available in used books on Amazon).  The book teaches applique and decorative stitches, reverse applique (mola), stained glass and Celtic applique, Hawaiian, broderie perse, and shadow applique.

Heart Throb by Kris Lovetro, quilted by Debbie Stanton

Kris Lovetro says, "I had such a good time making this quilt, I made six of them, but this one in Kaffe Fassett fabric was the most fun." We love the way Kris set the pixelated heart within a neutral field composed from two different cream colored fabrics. The floral squares were quilted in back-and-forth loops, while the neutral background was quilted with an overall design of small hearts, shown below.

You can see more examples of pixel heart quilts at Blue Elephant Stitches; there is a free pattern for a bed size pixel heart quilt at Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

My Valentine by Angie Oswald

This cheerful quilt is hand appliqued, embroidered, and hand quilted. We loved Angie Oswald's choice of fabrics, which included some 1930s reproduction fabrics.  Angie says, "Hand work has become my favorite part of the quilting process."  My Valentine was exhibited at the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show; we're still searching for the design source.

Yo Yo Hearts by the Piecemakers Quilt Guild (Utah)

Yo yos make a great take-along project! In this clever but simple quilt, each heart was created from 16 yo yos.  The blocks and hand quilting were done by Linda Boyer, Marianne Breitenbeker, Cecile Eden, Kathy Lyon, JoAnn Mildenhall, Dawn Mumford, Cathy Prows, Diana Shurtlett, and Becky Young. It was made for the Ruby Jubilee of the Utah Quilt Guild, and exhibited at the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

Hearts and Flowers by the Knotts Quilting Bee Guild (Utah)

Another beautiful hand quilted piece in Utah's Ruby Jubilee exhibit! This sampler quilt combines pieced sawtooth stars, an appliqued vintage heart (in the center), four redwork embroidered baskets, a flying geese inner border, and appliqued flower vines on the outer border. The charming redwork embroidery really stood out on this quilt. (We're searching for the pattern source.)

Grandma's Love by Charlene Day, quilted by Connie Myers

This quilt was made with red and white gingham fabric; the small gingham squares were embroidered so as to create the shapes of hearts, then machine quilted. Connie Myers says, "My mother created 14 chicken scratch squares and I created the final two and pieced it. Mom saw the finished quilt 3 days before she died." Grandma's Love was shown at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show.

Image credits:  Photo were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival, Springville (Utah) Quilt Show, and Quilt Arizona show.