Celtic Whimsy

Celtic quilts are a unique art form. They are characteristized by flowing, curvilinear forms — spirals, scrolls, S-shapes, tendrils, and plant-like motifs, made with narrow bias strips.  In honor of March and St. Patricks' Day, here are some beautiful Celtic designs (also scroll down for some FREE celtic knot patterns!)

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

Celtic Whimsy, 2027 opportunity quilt by the Tucson Quilters Guild

Winner of Best of Show at the 2026 Quilt Fiesta, along with 1st Place in the Group Quilts category. This fabulous medallion quilt is the 2027 opportunity quilt by the Tucson Quilters Guild! The original design features machine appliqued Celtic knots and scrollwork.

Celtic Whimsy was created by Caroline Ellermann, JoAnn Hinchliffe, Karen Kelter, Chris Nelson, Stephanie Nordlin and Beverly Reiter, with binding by Helen Frost and quilting by Penny Boese.

 

Osgoode Hall by Jean Biddick & Jo Cady-Bull (2006).  

Winner of Best of Show at the 2006 Tucson Quilters Guild show, this design is based on a floor in an historic court building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  There are 4,205 pieces of fabric, 20 yeards of 1/4" bias for the Celtic applique, and 500 painted squares (each with three coats of ink to get the right color!)  The makers, Jean Biddick & Jo Cady-Bull, say: "The best memories are of working together and winning together."

You might also enjoy a previous post on Celtic quilts: 

Celtic Fox by Kathy McNeil, 2018 photo by Quilt Inspiration  

Celtic Knot wall hanging, free template by Quilters World (CLICK for PDF download) 

 

 

Celtic Knot block, 12" square, free pattern at McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Lucky Charms quilt and table runner, free pattern by Janet Houts for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Modern Celtic wall hanging, 32" square, free pattern by Tricia Lynn Maloney at Quilters World (CLICK for PDF download)

 

 

 Image credits: Photos of Celtic Whimsy and Osgoode Hall were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (2)

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 2 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.

Chasing Rainbows by Doreen Diaz, quilted by Athena Taylor.  

Winner of a Blue ribbon for First Place in the Two Person Large Pieced category, Doreen Diaz says "The piecing of this quilt was a definite challenge, due to the number of curves in the design. I use the complexity of a Judy Niemeyer design to make sure my mind still works as I get older." Beautifully quilted by Athena Taylor; see the closeup photos below. [The pattern for this quilt is Coral Reef by Judy Niemeyer.]

Klimt - The Kiss, made and quilted by Karen Rainford.  

Karen Rainford says that she saw the Klimt paintings in real life in Vienna, while bicycling across Europe in 2023. She was inspired by this solo fabric panel of "The Kiss" to find a way to enhance it without distracting from the central image.  Her modern pieced border picks up the colors and textures in the panel perfectly! In the non-judged category, we enjoyed this lovely work. [The fabric panel is from the Klimt collection at Robert Kaufman Fabrics, still available from various sources as of this writing.] 

Out of Darkness, made and quilted by Karen G. Fisher.  

Winner of a Blue ribbon for 1st place in the One Person Primarily Applique category, plus a special award for Exemplary Machine Applique. Celebrating her love of Medieval Art, Karen included a Gothic Rose window, Mozarabic, Romanesque and Gothic arches, stained glass, manuscript illumination, and Italian Mosaic floor, a Celtic shield, and an inlay design from the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. (The "tile" center pattern is from Bella Bella Quilts (Norah McMeeking), the rest of the quilt is an original design.) 

Luxury Living, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin.  

 Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the One Person Medium Pieced category, Luxury Living was based on a 2021 The Quilt Show BOM by Wendy Williams; six blocks were an original designed by Stephanie Nordlin. She says, "Our homes were on an acre, lake and desert, all outside city limits. These, along with the Chrysler building. Oriental Pearl Tower and saguaro are my original designs."

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Celtic Christmas Tree

December is here and it's time to enjoy some Christmas tree quilts!  Here is a clever wall quilt featuring a Celtic design surrounded by cathedral windows blocks.  The red buttons on the tree add a very decorative touch.

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

Chesapeake Christmas by Laurel Kirkman

We loved this little decorative quilt, an original design by maker Laurel Kirkman. The center medallion is surrounded by Cathedral Windows quilt blocks.  Laurel says, "I found the Celtic Christmas tree design on Pinterest and adapted it to my design.  I made the bias tape used for the tree.  I thought the cathedral window block was a good accompaniment to a Christmas design, and the buttons add a festive touch."

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

Celebrating Green Quilts!

We're celebrating St. Patrick's Day, which honors the patron saint who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century A.D.  Here are some exemplary quilts that feature the color green!

Also please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry ! (For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !)

Crazy About Ireland by Linda Redwood-Martinez

Winner of Honorable Mention at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show, Linda Redwood-Martinez says, "Visiting this land of beauty, history, lovely beauty and fascinating fable inspired the design and creation of my first Crazy Quilt. Both were a delightful experience".  The nine blocks in this hand embroidered and embellished quilt are filled with charming details.

At her Desert Rose Quilt Company shop on Etsy,  Linda says, "Each square represents elements of Irish culture – from the legend of the Selkie Seal, to the music and camaraderie at the local pub, all the way to politics and religion." "Many of the figures in the quilt were designed, painted and hand embroidered as individual pieces then appliqued to the background block. Each block was then trimmed with laces, ribbon and other fibers, then hand embroidered with more detailed artwork. A great variety of embellishments were then added."

Scrappy Wedding, 38 x 38",  by Lorraine Woodruff-Long (San Francisco, California)

Scrappy Wedding is a twist on the formal, traditional structure of a classic double wedding ring pattern that is contrasted with the modern, improvisational green pieced fabric interiors, which range from yellow-green to forest green. The white "rings" provide a calm contrast to the multi-hued scraps.  This lovely quilt is machine pieced, appliqued, and sewing machine quilted.

Acer Macrophyllum, 34 x 44", by Lisa Jenni (Redmond, Washington)

Acer Macrophyllum was awarded a blue ribbon for Best Sewing Machine Workmanship at the 2017 Pacific International Quilt Festival. Lisa Jenni says, "This quilt is a small tribute to our native Northwestern big leaf maples, some of the most impressive cold-climate deciduous trees. In the more humid parts of its range, as in Olympic National Park, its bark is often covered thickly with epiphytic moss and fern species."

Mossy Radiation by Connie Myers

Mossy Radiation is based on a published design by Kaffe Fassett. Connie Myers says, "The challenge on piecing [this quilt] was to keep each section square. I quilted this on my Sweet Sixteen sit down quilting machine."  We really enjoyed Connie's selection of "mossy" fabrics, and her beautiful machine quilting!

Image credits:  Photos were taken at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show (Crazy About Ireland, Mossy Radiation) and the 2017 Pacific International Quilt Festival (Scrappy Wedding, Acer Macrophyllum).

St. Patrick's Day and Celtic Quilts

Next week is St. Patrick's Day, which honors the patron saint who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century A.D.  Here are some quilts we've admired featuring Celtic designs, symbols, and the color green!

Also please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry ! (For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter ! )   

Celtic Fox by Kathy McNeil (Washington, USA)

Celtic Fox won first place in the Art-Whimsical category at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival. The fox sits on a new moon, accompanied by an owl and hare.  Kathy's original design was created with hand applique and machine embroidery; cotton fabrics were used, along with velvet and commercial trims.

Kathy McNeil says "The Celtic Fox symbolizes a need to think quickly, to employ cleverness and wisdom.  Often described as cunning, that word comes from "kenning" meaning "to know and understand.  In Celtic mythology the fox takes on the role of a shape-shifter... associated with transformation and the need to take a new approach to our lives."

Medieval, 46 x 31", by Karen G. Fisher (Arizona)

Medieval was awarded first place in applique at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show, along with honorable mention at the Pacific International Quilt Festival.  Karen Fisher says, "I love medieval art, so I combined Celtic knots, dimensional pieced-work squares, and tile designs. 

This award-winning quilt is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted by Karen G. Fisher.

Emeralds and Lace by Karin Crawford (Utah)

Karin Crawford says, "Ireland is the Emerald Isle and I have loved traveling there and seeing all the green.  This Triple Irish Chain is every shade of green and white.  It makes me think of emeralds and lace."

Emeralds and Lace was quilted by Kim Peterson, whose outstanding work particularly shines in the border elements.

Celtic Dreams by Nanette Sturgill (Utah)

The large central panel of this stunning quilt is a piece of hand dyed cloth.  The central applique design is taken from a copper bowl uncovered in Italy dating from circa 200 BC; they are zoomorphic representations of birds.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Arizona Quilters Guild show (Medieval), the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Emeralds and Lace, Celtic Dreams) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival (Celtic Fox).

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.