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.

 

Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta! (3)

We attended the 2025 Quilt Fiesta in Tucson, Arizona, and had a wonderful time.  This show is produced by the Tucson Quilters Guild, and there were so many beautiful quilts to admire. We hope you enjoy our photos of the show! Here is part 3.

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

Retro Living, made and quilted by Tami Graeber

This fantastic, large art quilt was one of the top award winners at the show.  The original design was awarded 1st Place - Viewers Choice, Judge's Choice, and 1st Place - Art Whimsy.  Tami Graeber says, "I grew up in the 50's - sat in front of a TV like this.  The good old days! [It was] fun creating the mid-century modern iconic images." Check out the retro wallpaper, a pole lamp (on the right), stylized cats, a French poodle, and even a martini glass on the arm of the sofa. 

The black poodle has a daisy collar and a real bow in her hair. She sits next to a modern potted plant.

Tami says, "I wanted to use "I Love Lucy" on the TV, but copyrights made me use the NBC peacock that was first used in color in 1957."

Summer's Night and Day by Caroline Ellermann, quilted by Glenda Davis

Multiple borders surround this fabulous medallion quilt with its lollipop flowers, houses, Dresden plates, hearts, and more beautiful elements. Caroline Ellermann says, "After seeing this Sarah Fielke pattern made by one of our accomplished guide quilters, I decided to make it. With all of the machine applique, it was a very big challenge.  However, I now have new skills." Pattern source: Sarah Fielke with adaption.

The Blue Door, made and quilted by Lisa Fryxell

Lisa Fryxell is known for her original paper pieced quilt designs.  She says, "This quilt is based on a photo I took in France in June 2024.  It is foundation paper pieced and quilted on my domestic machine."

Psychedelic Carpenter Square, made and quilted by Penny Boese 

A stunning color combination with its an ombre effects truly light up this modern quilt.  It is made with numerous brightly colored batiks. Penny Boese says that her design was inspired by a traditional pattern and Carpenter Square pattern.  The detailed machine quilting adds considerable interest to the design.

 Firewall by Carol W. Carpenter, quilted by Kris Neifeld  

A wonderful stained glass effect is achieved with this design, thanks to the vertical black borders and bright geometric fabrics. The pattern Source is Free Spirit Fabrics' "Play Quilt" by Adrienne Leban (this is a free download).  Carol Carpenter says, "I'm unsure why these wild, swirly fabrics from Adrienne Leban captivated me, but they certainly did. I had a great time under the tutelage of Susie Weaver, making sense of diverse directions, shapes and colors with a cohesive, beautiful result."

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

Quilt Fiesta! Highlights of the Show (3)

Here are more photos from the Quilt Fiesta, the annual Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show. We saw so many fabulous quilts and are sharing some highlights here.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

The Glow by Christine Nelson, quilted by Lynn Simon

Christine Nelson based this quilt on a classic Lone Star pattern, and the color and fabric choices were simply beautiful.  Christine says, "I used an ombre fabric for the main part of the star.  At the center and outer points I used fussy cut pieces from the [kaleidoscope print] border fabric. Getting the pattern lined up in the center was a challenge." The solid fabric areas allowed plenty of space for Lynn Simon's gorgeous quilting. Winner of Second Place in the Two Person - Small Pieced category. 

 Ghost by Barbara Polston

We love pet-inspired quilts, and this one is a beauty. Made and quilted by Barbara Polston, who created a portrait of her grand-dog, Ghost, using lace.  Barbara says, "Ghost is a Siberian Husky belonging to my daughter and son-in-law.  [This was] a gift for their 8th wedding anniversary which may be celebrated with lace gifts."  What a clever idea!

Aviary by Suzanne McLean, quilted by Linda Cote

Made by Suzanne McLean and quilted by Linda Cote, this beautiful wool applique quilt was based on a pattern by Bonnie Sullivan and Dawn Heese. We enjoyed seeing the many beautiful details!  Suzanne says, "[The] pattern [was] modified in several places to create a soft, vintage look that's uniquely mine."  Winner of Honorable Mention in the Two Person, Primarily Appliqued category.

It features hand appliqued wool with velvet accents on a cotton background, enhanced with embellishment stitching using a variety of stitches, thread and ribbon.

The Neighborhood by Jean Biddick

The Neighborhood was made and quilted by Jean Biddick.  It won First Place in the One Person, Small, Pieced category, plus a special award for Exemplary Piecing.

Jean says, "The Quilters Market Blockbusters theme in 2018 was 'There Goes the Neighborhood'.  I reduced the 12" to 3" blocks and added a couple of extras to make the setting work. The blocks are NOT paper pieced (!) The central block was made years ago in a Judi Blaydon workshop about light sources - it was a perfect center for my 'Neighborhood'. "

Cactus Rose by Lynne Saul

This stunning quilt, made and quilted by Lynne Saul, was based on a pattern by Judy Niemeyer.  Lynne says, "The top is paper pieced which I love to do.  After it was completed, it sat for 5 years before I quilted it.  But now it's done."  We love this design, colors, and expert workmanship.  The bright batik fabrics with their spiky points really pop against the dark background.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Paper Piecing Quilts: Running Afghan

Paper piecing is a type of quilt making in which you sew patches directly onto a paper template (foundation).  You then join the different sections to construct the full quilt. The technique allows tremendous precision and can be used for nearly every type of pieced quilt, including this elegant Afghan dog.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Phread on the Run by Lisa Fryxell

The grace, beauty and aloofness of the Afghan Hound comes alive in Lisa Fryxell's interpretation of BaiJai's 'Phread' of New York. 

Lisa Fryxell says, "Phread was well known around the Clinton Corners, NY area as he would take his owner, Kate Anderson (Verbeke) for daily 5-mile runs along with his sister Afghan.  Kate was later recognized as 'The lady who runs with the dogs.' "

As of this writing, the paper-piecing pattern is available at Lisa's Prefurred Quilt Shop on Etsy (see Running Afghan.)

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

Neighborhood Watch

The Pacific International Quilt Festival is held annually in Santa Clara, California. This year's show included over 400 quilts. We're featuring some of our favorite works of art from the show.

p.s. 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.

Neighborhood Watch, 27 x 33", by Rhonda S. Denney

Inspired by a photograph, Rhonda Denney says: "I loved the challenge of capturing the beauty of an early summer day in Colorado... the views from our ranch house location were magnificent." 

This wall quilt was created with machine applique, machine quilting, and threadwork. We admire the realistic detail and texture which Rhonda Denney achieved.

About the clever title of this quilt, Neighborhood Watch, Rhonda explains: "Our dog Mason loved to perch on this lichen-covered boulder on our patio and keep an eye out for activity below."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

The 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild Fiesta (4)

Can you believe it... an in-person quilt show! We hope you enjoy these fabulous creations from the talented quilters of the Tucson Quilters Guild.  As you can see, they have been quilting up a storm for the last two years.  Here is Part 4 of our photos.

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

Geese Encircling the Stars by Ann Adams, quilted by Linda Cote'

Winner of 1st place in the Small-Pieced quilt category, here is a stunning rendition of Jacqueline de Jonge's Enchanting Stars pattern!  Ann Adams began this foundation paper-pieced quilt in a class with Jacqueline in February 2020. She notes that it was challenging to use so many different batiks to produce the color gradations. The end result is positively luminous and well-deserving of its blue ribbon.

What's Up Doc? by Suzanne Irving

Suzanne Irving designed and made this quilt for her son, Louis, who will be receiving his doctoral degree this year.  "Cow" became his childhood nickname, bestowed upon him by his big brother David. 

This delightful quilt was inspired by a painting titled "Maisie in Black and White" by Tucson artist Geri Bringman (one of Suzanne's favorite artists).  Suzanne included many features of the Sonoran Desert, including red rocks and a hillside dotted with saguaros!

Rain Forest by Ruth Sharp

Rain Forest began with a fabric panel that was added to, cut out, and thread painted, creating a lush tropical landscape of trees, bushes, flowers, butterflies and birds.  The waterfalls were added, and many different thread colors were used to enhance this scene.

You can see details of Ruth Sharp's expert thread painting of the parrot, as shown above. This quilt was awarded Honorable Mention in the Art-Pictorial/Whimsical category.

A Corgi for Every Season by Lynn Rubel

Here is a paper pieced quilt based on Lisa Fryxell's "Life's A Beach Corgi" pattern. Seven smiling Corgis adorn this cute wall quilt, which was made and quilted by Lynn Rubel as a gift for her cousin, who owns a pack of award-winning Corgis. Are you curious about the sashing fabric? It has printed corgi silhouettes with text that reads, "Corgi butts drive me nuts." (Who knew?)

Each cute Corgi has distinctive clothing, button eyes, and an embroidered smile!  (Winner of Honorable Mention at the Tucson show.)

Crystal - by Hoffman "Sew Into It", by Janice Graham

This sparkling star quilt, made and quilted by Janice Graham, was based on the Hoffman California Fabrics Crystal pattern.  Janice says that this quilt was a real challenge as each pre-cut piece was cut on the bias, so each seam had to be exact. "There were days that I put it away, and started on it again the next day." She notes that she loves the finished quilt. It was truly a showstopper (winner of Honorable Mention award.)

Daisy Chain by Peg Clampet

Daisy Chain is an original design based on the Kool Kaleidoscope technique, which was taught by Ricky Tims at the first virtual Quilt Luminarium (courtesy of the pandemic).  The large floral print fabrics were an inspired choice for this colorful quilt, adding dimension and interest to the overall design!  Some pieces were fussy cut to highlight the large flower prints. Peg Clampet used an overall quilting design, with leaves, to continue the floral theme.

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

Autumn Approaches

It's just about time to start crunching leaves and adding pumpkin spice to everything. Autumn is just around the corner !  In the next few weeks, we'll feature some of our favorite quilts that celebrate this time of year.

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

Faithful Companion by Charlotte Freeman (California)

This stunning art quilt, resplendent with fall colors, was exhibited at the 2020 Road to California quilt show.  Designer and maker Charlotte Freeman says, "This quilt is an original design from a personal photo of my husband's favorite hunting companion.  I appropriately distorted the Hunters Star block for the background, and appliqued California Quail in the grass and fussy cut them for the square-in-square border blocks."

Charlotte Freeman has perfectly captured the dog's watchful pose, as seen in this closeup photo.  She explains that the dog's head was partially ink painted on a hand dyed fabric, as is the shading on her body.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2020 Road to California show.