12 Days of Christmas: Reach for the Stars

Merry Christmas to all our readers! To celebrate the season, we're posting 12 of our favorite Christmas  quilts from recent shows.  We hope you enjoy the beautiful details expressed in these masterpieces! 

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Reach for the Stars by Jodi Richards, quilted by Virginia Longarm & Jodi Richards.  

This quilt doesn't have a Christmas name, but the red and green colors - and the poinsettia center - speaks of the season. Starting with a Feathered Star pattern in Marsha McCloskey's book, this was an eight-month project from the design to the very last stitch. Jodi Richards says, "This quilt challenged me in every element of the process, and I loved every minute.  I am at least a fifth-generation quilter, and this quilt will be a part of my quilting legacy." The center block features a beautiful poinsettia and holly leaves.

The tiny half-square triangles are perfectly pieced, as shown below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.

 

Quilt Fiesta! Highlights of the Show (2)

Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta, the annual Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show! We saw hundreds of fantastic quilts, and will be sharing highlights here.  We hope you enjoy these 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.

Awaiting Our Turn by Julie Hallquist

This original design by Julie Hallquist was beautifully made and quilted.  It won a blue ribbon for 1st Place - Art Portrait.  Julie says, "On a trip to St. Martin, my husband and I happened upon a neighborhood holiday party and were invited to join.  We were charmed by these young girls watching the older girls performing and waiting their turn to dance."

The intricate thread work and machine quilting add so much energy to the scene, along with the quilted musical notes, which were done in metallic thread.

 Desert Staircase by Saddlebrooke Friday Quilters, quilted by Athena Taylor

We love this quilt! Desert Staircase won First Place in the Group Quilt category.  Made by the Saddlebrooke Friday Quilters and includes 15 beautiful feathered star blocks in shades of gray and white. Many members took part, appliqueing and piecing feathered stars and painting pottery for their raffle quilt.  Note the quilting in the background replicates the feathered star blocks.

Homegrown by Lorraine Souza, quilted by Linda Cote

Winner of First Place in the Two Person - Applique Category, this beauty was made by Lorraine Souza, quilted by Linda Cote.  The pattern source was Homegrown by Sue Spargo. 

Lorraine says, "This joyful Sue Spargo designed wool applique captured my love of houses and community.  The quilt began as a teaching project and I completed it in tandem with my students.  Partnering with talented quilter, Linda Cote, it was completed June 2023." We loved seeing all the gorgeous applique and embroidery details.

Winding Ways by Helen Lessells

If you love optical illusions, "Winding Ways" is for you! This fascinating show stopper won First Place in the One Person, Medium, Pieced category. The pattern was designed by George Siciliano. Helen Lessells says, "The challenge of this quilt was fussy cutting solid fabrics to establish the shading." It was quilted by Helen herself.

Southwest Missions by Rhonda Borders, quilted by Sherrie Addis

 

 

We love this orignal design, which features lovely fabric panels of mission churches. It was designed and made by Rhonda Borders, and quilted by Sherrie Addis.  Rhonda says, "I found the panel of mission paintings at San Xavier del Bac [a beautiful mission south of Tucson] on my first visit.  The overall design is my own work." Check out the kaleidoscope which Rhonda made in the middle of the octagon block shown below.

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

Quilt Fiesta! The annual Tucson Quilters Guild show (2)

It's quilt show time!  The annual Quilt Fiesta, held last weekend by the Tucson Quilters Guild in Arizona, is an outstanding show. We're rolling out some of our favorite photos.

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

Helen Hardin - Between Two Worlds by Karen G. Fisher

 This original art quilt by Karen G. Fisher was awarded First Place in the Art Pictorial category.  Karen explains, "Painter Helen Hardin (1943-1984) was half Pueblo, half Anglo. Her Pueblo roots inspired her imagery and color palette. I’ve included her face, and the motifs and colors she used throughout her works, which are in museums all across the U.S."

We enjoyed this amazing detail, from decorative stitches to turquoise buttons and silver feathers, in these closeup photos. 

The Guardian by Stephanie Nordlin

The Guardian was award First Place in the One Person Small Pieced Machine Quilted. The design is semi-original with 3 rows from “Simply Seminole” and block from “The Seminole Patchwork Book.” We love the colors and the design, which highlights the Gambel's quail that live in the Sonoran desert. A male quail is shown watching out for the female and her chicks.

Stephanie Nordlin explains, "The Guardian started as a row-by-row challenge, but I added extra sections of desert, night sky and original appliques." The quilt was beautifully embellished with beads.

A Cactus Garden by Manya Powell, quilted by Creative Lines Quilting, LLC

What a wonderful quilt! Manya Powell entered A Cactus Garden in the Two persons – primarily pieced - hand or machine quilted category.  She says that the multiple types of cactus were fun to make!  The finished quilt was quilted by Creative Lines quilting. (Note: The pattern source was not identified, but the blocks resemble the Greenhouse quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman, which has 5 different cactus blocks.)

Heart & Soul in a Quilt by Athena Taylor

Winner of First Place in the One Person Large Pieced Machine Quilted category, here is a gorgeous double wedding ring quilt featuring 42 fabrics. Athena Taylor says, "The applique is needle turned, with some of the birds having more than 50 pieces! The machine quilting was done on my sit down Q20 using ruler work." The closeup photos help show Athena's expert piecing, applique, and quilting.

Celtic Horse, Sleipnir by Jeanne Deloria

Jeanne Deloria says, "Sleipnir is Odin’s eight-legged horse birthed by Loki. It was not the Norse mythology that led me to choose this design, it was the feeling of movement that it evoked and its suitability to reverse applique." The border design is a perfect complement to the crossed motifs in the quilt's center.

 Copper Mountain Springs by Melanie Harris, quilted by John Harris

The colors, precise piecing, and stunning machine quilting really drew our eyes to this quilt. The colors and shapes were chosen to represent the beautiful Huachuca Mountains and big sky in Cochise County, Arizona. Quiltworx (Judy &Bradley Niemeyer) was identified as the pattern source; we recognize this as the inner section of Quiltworx' Iceberg Ridge design.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Red Feathered Stars

Everything's coming up red and white! This stunning, award-winning quilt alternates red feathered stars with wreaths made of dark red hearts. The traditional scalloped applique border is adorned with smaller hearts. 

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.

Feathered Stars by Brenda Stanway, quilted by Debbie Newell

The quilt won two major awards: Exemplary Professional Machine Quilting and a blue ribbon (1st place) in the Mixed Technique - Large Duet category. The closeup photo, below, shows the precision and excellence of the piecing, applique, and hand-guided quilting.

 

Brenda Stanway says that the design was inspired by a Quilters Newsletter cover quilt from December 1994. We note that Brenda made substantial design modifications of her own, introducing heart blocks and adding hearts to the scalloped border.

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

 

Free pattern day! Star Quilts (part 3)

Here are more free patterns for STAR quilts!  There are Sawtooth Stars, Ohio Stars, LeMoyne Stars, Lone Stars, Mariner's Compass Stars, Friendship Stars, Feathered Stars, and Bursting Star quilts (and more!)  To go to a pattern: Scroll down the page until you see the quilt you like, then click on the words "PDF download" (or the hyperlinked website name) in the title above the quilt. 

(For Part 1 of this series, click here! For Part 2 of this series, click here!)

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

Starburst Dragon Fruit quilt, free pattern at Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Checkmate quilt, 62.5" square, free pattern by Jean Impey for Hoffman California Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Starburst Mango quilt, 87" square, free pattern at Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Starry Dreams quilt, 55 x 66", free pattern at Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Fruit Salad quilt, 60" square, free pattern by Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Summer Stars quilt, free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Shining Stars quilt, 66 x 84", free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Plum Turnover quilt, 69 x 87", free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Moon Glow quilt, 86” square, free pattern by Jinny Beyer (CLICK for PDF download)

Star Frost quilt, 60” square, free pattern by Marsha Evans Moore for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Jelly Roll Strip Starburst quilt, 70" square, free pattern by Kimberly Einmo for Fairfield World (CLICK for PDF download)

Pointing The Way quilt, 56 x 56”, free pattern by Martha Ethridge for NQA (CLICK for PDF download)

Starry Night Square Dance quilt, 75” square, free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Stars and Stripes Forever, 80” square, free pattern by Sue Beevers for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Stars at Dusk quilt, 66 x 66”, free pattern at Quilters Newsletter (CLICK for PDF download)

Happy Bird Blue quilt, 53" square, free pattern by Heidi Pridemore for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Natural Wonders Diamond quilt, 60 x 70”, free pattern by Sue Falkowski for Studio E Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Nature Walk quilt, 60 x 72”, free pattern by Heidi Pridemore for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Pop Stars quilt, ~63 x 77”, free pattern by Nancy Mahoney for Timeless Treasures (CLICK for PDF download)

Corsica quilt, 90” square, free pattern by Jinny Beyer (CLICK for PDF download)

Tulip Time quilt, 96”square, free pattern by Christine Stainbrook for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Star Tracks quilt, 94” square, free pattern at Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Star Twists quilt, ~53 x 63", free pattern by A.E. Nathan (CLICK for PDF download)

Star Weave quilt, ~57 x 69", free pattern by Nancy Mahoney (CLICK for PDF download)

Star Borealis quilt, 57 x 67”, Wendy Sheppard, Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Stardust quilt, 75 x 93”, free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

Stars quilt, ~44 x 58”, free pattern by Emily Herrick for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Venetian Stars quilt, 94 x 98”, free pattern by Lee Chappell Monroe for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Stargazer quilt, ~44 x 60", free pattern by Jane Sassaman for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Shimmering Constellation quilt, 71 x 89", free pattern by Wendy Sheppard at Ivory Spring (CLICK for PDF download)

Starry Night quilt, 62 x 76”, free pattern by Janice Zeller Ryan for Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Syncopation quilt, 64 x 80", free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Let’s Dance quilt, 63 x 75”, free pattern at Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Virginia Star quilt, 52 x 67”, free pattern by Michelle Marvig for Leutenegger (CLICK for PDF download)

Wall of Fame quilt, 60 x 72”, free pattern by Stacey Day and Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)
 

Blue when Skies Are Gray, 48 x 56”, free pattern by Simple Simon and Company for Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Midnight Star quilt, 60 x 60”, free pattern by Jean Katherine Smith for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Big Star wall quilt, ~33 x 36”, free pattern at APQS (CLICK for PDF download)

Bethlehem Star quilt, 72 x 90”, free pattern by Marinda Stewart for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Aurora Stars quilt, 60 x 60”, free pattern by Shelley Swanland for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Stratosphere quilt, 51 x 51", free pattern by Jinny Beyer for RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 North Star quilt, ~33” square, free pattern by Osie Lebowitz for Timeless Treasures Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits: This post was updated on November 22, 2024. Individual images are copyrighted by their owners. Please respect their generosity in sharing their free patterns, and the restrictions they have placed on the use of these designs; complete information can be found at the designers' websites provided in the links. The photo montage shown on this page is a derivative work that is the property of Quilt Inspiration. If any links are broken, we'd love to know so we can fix it. Please email us at QuiltInspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.