Prefurred! The Paper-Pieced Designs of Lisa Fryxell

Pets are family, and we love seeing quilts that honor them.  We also love the paper-pieced designs of Lisa Fryxell at PreFurred Quilts!  Her Etsy pattern shop includes pet portraits, Southwest designs, and more!  

The Doxie Race - Who Let the Dogs Out? by Lisa Fryxell 

 

 

What's more fun than a bunch of racing dachshunds?  Lisa Fryxell says she made this foundation paper pieced quilt just for the fun of it. Check out the humorous "sponsor ads" on the fence, featuring the Chow Hound Grill, Hund & Katz Veterinary Clinic, and Fetch's Sporting Goods.  Check out this cute doxie with his big ears:

Note: The pattern for The Dachshund Race is available at Lisa's Prefurred Quilt Shop on Etsy. 

Howdy Pawtner, made and quilted by Lynn Rubel, design by Lisa Fryxell  

How cute is this smiling Corgi?  Lynn Rubel says, "This banner is my corgi, Phryne, with her cowboy hat on ready for some boot scootin'."  We love the use of recycled denim, made from jeans Lynn collected from family members. Lynn says that the faded bandana is "from many miles on a horse in the Arizona sun."  There are lots of fun details in this quilt, including Phryne's button eyes and a silver concho on the cowboy hat.

 We didn't realize how many of Lisa Fryxell's designs we've photographed at the Tucson Quilters Guild shows!  Here are more quilts from posts at Quilt Inspiration:

Attention! by Lisa Fryxell (CLICK HERE FOR OUR ORIGINAL POST)

 

Painted Ponies by Lisa Fryxell (CLICK HERE FOR OUR ORIGINAL POST) 

 

Four Little Cowpokes by Lisa Fryxell (CLICK HERE FOR OUR ORIGINAL POST)

 

Rocky Mountain Trout by Lisa Fryxell  (CLICK HERE FOR OUR ORIGINAL POST)

 

  Phread on the Run (Running Afghan) by Lisa Fryxell (CLICK HERE FOR OUR ORIGINAL POST)

 

 

 Image credits: Photos of The Doxie Race by Lisa Fryxell and Howdy Pawtner by Lynn Rubel were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

 

Modern Quilt Month: Minimalist Design! (2)

Minimalism refers to a design approach that emphasizes simplicity, clean lines, and a restrained aesthetic. Within the Modern Quilt Guild, it has its own category for shows! We're honoring modern quilts for the month of July, starting with minimalist designs.

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

Klee for a Day, 37" square, by Karen Duling (Michigan) @karenbduling

Paul Klee's inspiring work "Fire in the Evening" influenced the use of color and line in this quilt.  Karen Duling explains, "My version started by sewing together a long-held collection of medium and dark value strips.  Strips were arranged using lessons learned by studying Klee's work.  Textile artist Rosalie Dace opened my eyes to Klee's work in her virtual class "The Thinking Eye." Klee for a Day is machine quilted in a grid using silk thread, adding subtle texture to the minimalist design.

Off Kilter by Margo Yang (California) @Quiltmagic

  

This quilt with its creative use of reclaimed materials and its minimalist design conveys a heartfelt message: "Distractions in life happen, They can throw your world into chaos. That's when you hold on to things that anchor you, be it faith in God, family, and friends. These distractions will be but a short while and then life goes on and everything will be okay at the end. This quilt is made of old denim, garment top and painter's drop cloth as background. It reminds me that life is not perfect but beautiful." For more about Off Kilter see this post by Margo Yang.

 

Extreme Dopamine by Jenn Burt (North Carolina) @jenngeorgeburt  

Dopamine is a chemical messenger that works in the brain and is associated with pleasurable reward and motivation. This quilt is titled "Extreme Dopamine" because of the way the artist felt about creating this piece: "It was joy-inducing from the design process to the color scheme selection, to the embracing of a newly-found love of piecing inset organic shapes, to the time devoted to hand quilting." 

We found our eyes moving from the subtle curves and contrasts in the background, to the intense colors and quilting within the circles, shown below.

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

Upcycled Denim and Leather

Today's featured quilt transforms discarded materials into art.  The artists' work reimagines waste as something modern and beautiful, highlighting the resilience of denim and leather.  We are drawn to the soft indigo hues and the contrasts with gold/brown leather.

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

A Study on Wash Formulas and Dye by Radha Weaver (San Francisco, California) @sewingthroughfog

Radha Weaver explains that her quilt is a study of contrasts - light and dark, raw and refined, organic and industrial.  It was made with upcycled jeans and denim factory samples hand-dyed by the artist in natural indigo.  The denim samples were paired these with commercially dyed leather scraps to reclaim waste from two environmentally toxic industries.  

 

Radha Weaver is a member of the Silicon Valley Modern Quilt Guild (California). This piece was machine pieced, improvisational pieced, and machine quilted without a frame (domestic).

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

Denim Cathedral Windows

Have you ever made a quilt from recycled clothing? Fast, easy, and un-fussy quilts made from faded blue jeans can be so cozy.  Using up old clothes is part of the "waste not, want not" tradition that characterizes much of quilting history.  Today we feature one of the easiest methods around: faux cathedral windows.

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

Giddy-Up by Elena Bennett (Arizona)

This combination of denim and red kerchiefs is a classic Western look! Elena Bennett says that this piece was inspired by her granddaughter who is an avid horsewoman. The raw edges fray so nicely when the quilt is washed.  (Photos of Giddy Up were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show.)

This technique, long known as Faux Cathedral Windows, is a quilt-as-you-go method that is also called circular patchwork, folded cottage windows, or mock cathedral windows. Warm tones of yellow, orange, and red provide a great color combination as shown below. 

Faux Cathedral Windows quilt by Juicy Bits

 

We also like this quilt with its dark and light shades of pink!  So pretty and soft looking!

Denim Cathedral Windows quilt by Ideal Stitches

 

The Faux Cathedral Windows technique is perfect for scrap quilts, "I Spy" quilts, picnic and play quilts. For more information and inspiration, see the "how-to" links in our Free Pattern Day for Denim Quilts... CLICK HERE then scroll to the bottom of the post.

 

Free pattern day! Denim quilts

Here are some wonderful FREE patterns for denim quilts, pillows, and totes! To go to a pattern: Scroll down the page until you see the project you like, then click on the words "CLICK for PDF download" (or the hyperlinked website name) in the title above the quilt.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and unique vintage jewelry ! (We are Top-Rated Sellers ! )

Stripy Denim quilt, 50 x 65", free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Constellate quilt, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Band Together Denim Tote Bag tutorial at Make It Coats (CLICK for PDF download)

American Flag Denim Quilt, free tutorial at Live Free Creative (CLICK for tutorial)

DIY Improvisational Denim Quilt tutorial at Sew DIY (CLICK for tutorial)

Indigo Tote Bag, free pattern by It's Sew Emma for Fat Quarter Shop (CLICK for PDF download)

Denim Log Cabin Pocket Pillow tutorial by Underground Crafter (CLICK for tutorial)

Denim Shopper Tote, free pattern at JoAnn Fabrics (CLICK for tutorial)

In My Pocket mini quilt tutorial by Christine Weld at The Quarter Inch blog (CLICK for tutorial); lap size quilt instructions at Moda Bakeshop (CLICK for PDF download)

The "pocket" block was designed to resemble the back pocket on a pair of jeans (or you could use actual jeans pockets!)

Medallion quilt, 60 x 75", free pattern at Marcus Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Denim Nine Patch quilt tutorial by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Company (CLICK for tutorial)

Denim Patchwork Quilt tutorial by Mollie Makes (CLICK for tutorial)

Ombre Denim Quilt Tutorial by Autumn at It's Always Autumn (CLICK for tutorial)

Denim Pinwheel Quilt tutorial by Corinne at Purl Soho (CLICK for tutorial)

Blue Jeans Quilt, free pattern by Leah Anderson at All People Quilt (CLICK for PDF download)

Simply Denim Quilt by Ashlee, based on the Simply Denim Quilt tutorial by Natalia Bonner and Kathleen Whiting at Piece N Quilt (CLICK for tutorial)

Make your Old Jeans Into a Quilt! tutorial by C Schwick at Instructables (CLICK for tutorial)

Denim Picnic Blanket Tutorial at Reading, Feeding and Greening (CLICK for tutorial) 

Upcycled quilt from denim and plaid clothing, tutorial at Marcias Crafty Sewing (CLICK for tutorial) 

Denim quilt tutorial at Den Syende Himmel (in Norwegian and English)(CLICK for Part 1, CLICK for Part 2, CLICK for Part 3, CLICK for Part 4 and CLICK for Part 5)

Scrappy Jean quilt tutorial at Grandparents Plus (CLICK for tutorial; this is a coverlet; there is no backing, batting or binding!) 

Levi Quilt by Ilene at the Tuesday Quilt Club based on the 10-Minute Blocks video tutorial by Suzanne McNeill  (the block takes 10 minutes, the video takes only 3 !)

Faux Cathedral Windows tutorial by Doreen Baros at equilters (CLICK for tutorial); background description by Doreen Baros at Sew Artfully Minded

Faux Cathedral Windows is an easy quilt-as-you-go technique that is also called circular patchwork, folded cottage windows, mock cathedral windows and cheater cathedral windows.  Here are more examples...

Circle Jeans Quilt by Jessica Levitt at Juicy Bits, inspired by the tutorial by Doreen Baros

Circle Jeans Quilt by K.M. Gabrysch

Ruffled Denim Pillow, free pattern at Fabric Editions (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits:  All images are copyrighted by their owners.  Complete information including restrictions on use can be found at the websites provided in the links.  If any links are broken, we'd love to know about it; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.