Free pattern day! Bear Paw Quilts

Bear Paw quilt blocks consist of a square with half square triangles on two adjacent sides.  The finished block resembles - you guessed it - a bear's paw!  Download your favorites today!! 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.  

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

Wash Your Paws (Giant Bear Paw) quilt, free pattern at Wooly Petals (CLICK for PDF download) 

Sparkler quilt, free pattern by Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Paws for Thought quilt, free pattern at Banyan Batiks (CLICK for PDF download)

 Lodge Life wall quilt, free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for P&B Textiles (CLICK for PDF download)

New Beginnings quilt, free pattern by Marie Bostwick & Deb Tucker (CLICK for PDF download)

A Walk in the Woods, free pattern by Bob Coon for Kona Bay Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Paws Out quilt, free pattern by Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

In The Wild quilt, free pattern by Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Evening Stroll quilt, free pattern at RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Animal Tracks quilt, free pattern by Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bear Paw Rollup quilt, free pattern by Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bear Feet baby quilt, free pattern by Emily Herrick for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Garden Path quilt. free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

 Bear Paws and Pines quilt, free pattern by Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

Caboodle Basics quilt, free pattern by Henry Glass Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)  

Dino Tracks quilt, 51 x 60", free pattern by P&B Textiles (CLICK for PDF download)

Forest Tracks quilt, free pattern by Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bear Paw flannel quilt, free pattern by Landauer Publishing (CLICK for PDF download)

Lakehouse Forest Track quilt, free pattern by Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 Legends of the Park quilt, free pattern by Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download) 

Lend A Paw quilt, free pattern by Tula Pink for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

New Dawn quilt, free pattern by Marcus Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

On The Road quilt, free pattern by Riley Blake Designs (CLICK for PDF download)

The Fire Within quilt, free pattern by Margrit Hall, Robert Kaufman Fabrics (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. Some of these are tutorials while others include downloadable (.pdf) patterns; we have tried to note which is which in the titles.  We update our links every 6 months as needed; however, websites may change their pages in between updates. If any links are broken we'd love to know; please email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.  

 

The CIRCLES quilt challenge (1)

We love quilt challenges!  One of the best we've seen recently was the national CIRCLES challenge, which has been traveling the country. Initiated by the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ), the challenge was to create an original piece (up to 20") using the provided yellow and blue fabric cut into circles. There were so many creative entries. Which are your favorites?

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

In Tandem by Kathie Eubank (Urbandale, IA)

Whimsical and artistic come to mind when viewing this portrait quilt.  Kathi Eubank says that In Tandem reflects the right brain/left brain dichotomy. As she explains, the right side seeks creativity and is free-spirited.  The left side represents logic,and searches for precision and accuracy.  Both sides must work in tandem when judging quilts to evaluate design versus workmanship."

Is 62 Enough by Linda McCuean (New Galilee, PA)

This dynamic piece gives off great vibes! Linda McCuean says, "I had to think awhile to come up with a little quilt that screamed "circles"!  Designed from the center out, I just kept adding more circles until it told me "enough".

Phases by Mary Zesiger (Chandlersville, OH)

This simple yet elegant piece highlights the circle shapes against the black-and-white half-square triangles. The various prints add further interest. Rhis piece was well designed and well made.

Total Eclipse by Karen Kendo (Harleyville, SC)

Karen Kendo says, "My inspiration came from the solar eclipse that occurred on April 8 of 2024, along with the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler.  I struggled with the design layout until I saw a meme on social media that illustrated the interaction of the sun and moon during a solar eclipse with Oreo cookies!" As shown below, embroidered flames emanate from the heart at the center of this quilt.

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

 

The Works of Tara Faughnan (4)

Tara Faughnan is a quilter, teacher and pattern designer who began quilting in 2001. For many years she worked for companies such as Michael Miller Fabrics and Riley Blake, creating textile designs. Tara was the featured artist at this year's QuiltCon show, presented by the Modern Quilt Guild. It was fascinating to see her work in person! We hope you enjoy these photos.

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

Railyard (2022-24), 60" square, by Tara Faughnan

Different angles of the regular and irregular triangles create so much movement in this design! Tara says that she wanted to work with triangles that were non-uniform, but still had points.  "After a few attempts at free form piecing, I realized it was more work than fun, so I created foundations to piece this quilt." Railyard is machine pieced and hand quilted.

  Pineburr (2015), 52 x 54", by Tara Faughnan

Pine Burr quilts are constructed of folded triangles (prairie points) sewn side-by-side onto a foundation.  Tara says, "I have long been enamored with Pine Burr quilts (it's the official quilt of Alabama), and this is my second attempt at making one. This is such a heavy quilt, that I had to make it in pieces and attach them to a backing fabric as I went, not being able to plan or foresee the pattern beforehand, but designing it row by row." 

Beautiful solid colors were chosen for this quilt.  Each row was quilted down and the next row added on top, hiding the quilting on the front.  Made from cottons and poly blends, machine pieced and quilted.

Diamonds (2015), 59 x 69", by Tara Faughnan 

Tara says that Diamonds was started as a quick color study.  "Working intuitively, this was one of my early investigations into how shape informs color and value interaction." "I cut and arranged all the pieces over the course of a couple of days, and didn't make too many changes to the layout when I pieced it together.  If you look in the top center, you will see a "hole" where the values are close together. I purposely kept this in the quilt, as a beautiful reminder to respect the intuitive process of design, that there are no "mistakes" and that "balance" is overrated.  Machine pieced, hand and machine quilted.

Quilts made of triangles arranged in rows are also known as Thousand Pyramids.  Scroll down for a link to our Free Pattern Day!*

Hourglass #2 (2025), 60" square, by Tara Faughnan 

 

This quilt is infused with rich, dark hues.  Tara says, "I run a membership for 1/2 the year, and we play with curated (but limited) palettes each month. And every year when the membership closes for the season, I have a visceral desire to use all the colors, and use them with abandon.  I chose the Hourglass block to work with, as I love the structure of a simple repeated block, giving me room to play with color and value."  Hourglass was machine pieced and hand quilted.

*For two dozen FREE patterns for Thousand Pyramid quilts, CLICK HERE!

 

 Image credits: Photos of Tara Faughnan's quilts were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Works of Tara Faughnan (3)

Tara Faughnan is a quilter, teacher and pattern designer who began quilting in 2001. For many years she worked for Michael Miller Fabrics, Pottery Barn Kids and Riley Blake creating textile designs. Tara was the featured artist at this year's QuiltCon show, presented by the Modern Quilt Guild. It was fascinating to see her work in person! We hope you enjoy these photos.

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

Half Square Triangles #1 (2014), 55" x 63", by Tara Faughnan

Here's a wonderful quilt made solely with half-square triangles set "on point" with high contrasts. Tara Faughnan says, "This quilt represents a big moment for me in my design journey - this was my first step into disrupted patterning.  a long time admirer of Rosie Lee Tompkins work, a master of disrupting the pattern, I carried that influence into this piece.  Using color and value to create and then blur the lines of patterning has been the focus of my work since this quilt.  The quilt was machine pieced and quilted.

Mod  Log Cabin (2013), 55" x 66", by Tara Faughnan

We love the optical illusion created in this modern log cabin quilt.  Tara says, "This quilt is one of my earliest dives into color, using different values and hues to study how colors interact. Limiting each block to a few colors allowed me to really see the effect that contrast, value and saturation had on color interaction."  It was machine pieced and quilted.

 Give and Take (2020), 59" square, by Tara Faughnan

Tara Faughnan says that the name of this quilt comes from the method of adding sashing and cutting away the background color - thus there was a give and take to each block as I created them. I attempted to create this quilt (or a version thereof) for several years before finally figuring out the piecing needed for the design.  I enjoyed the freedom of this design, and the way the shapes and colors slightly drifted as I sewed the top."

Tara says, "To finish the quilt, I chose a very set [hand] quilting design to compliment and contrast with the organic nature of the piecing."

Jubilation (2021), 62" square, by Tara Faughnan

Inspired by the colors of Mexico, Tara Faughnan says: "I created this quilt as a celebration, an expression of the joy I was feeling during the spring of 2021.  We were coming out of the long pandemic winter.  I was heading off to a coastal town in Mexico, and thinking of its bright gorgeous colors. 

Jubilation was machine pieced and hand quilted, as shown above. Tara says, "As I pieced this quilt, I put these colors together thinking of hugs and warm nights and tacos and tequila, laughter and the sound of music somewhere nearby."  

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

Highlights of Quilt Arizona! (5)

The 2025 Quilt Arizona show features hundreds of quilters, many of whom spend the winter months in this sunny locale.  Here are some more 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!

Nandina #4, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin

 Winner of 1st place in the Art/Abstract category, Stephanie Nordlin says that this original design quilt was inspired by her photo of Nandina (a bush with red berries). She says, "I drew it small, tweaked it and had it enlarged. After that I smoothed curves, added detail lines, retraced the design and played with color before appliqueing."

Cinco de Mayo Kaffe Style, made and quilted by Peggy Foster

 This quilt is so cheerful with its bright Kaffe Fassett prints! Peggy Foster says, "A freezer paper piecing demonstration by Ann Peterson on "The Quilt Show" inspired me to try this quilting method.  Karen Stone's "Cinco de Mayo" pattern looked like a fun, colorful challenge.  I also enjoyed using bright threads to quilt the negative space on the quilt top." Her quilting echoes the spiky points of the New York Beauty blocks.

Mostly Sunny, made and quilted by Marianne Nowacki

Winner of Honorable Mention in the Modern-Solo category, Marianne Nowacki says that this "temperature quilt" shows the 2023 high and low temps every day recorded at Falcon Field in Mesa (Arizona). The blue light/dark blocks separate the months.  Small purple triangles on the blocks are the days it rained.  The color chart (which was on the back) shows the colors used for each 5 degrees of temperature.The quilting was done with a sun design!

Color, Color, Color, made and quilted by Merci Apodaca  

Beautiful, and so much fun:  This quilt was based on a published design from the book called Whizz Bang (Adventures with Folded Fabric qults) by Rachel Daisy. Merci Apodaca says, "I was inspired to make this quilt because of the whimsy, opportunity to combine many fabrics and dig into my collection of trims.  I was bedazzled by the simplistic techniques becoming a color feast for one's viewing pleasure." Fussy cut Tula Pink prints can be seen in the centers of the circle blocks. 

Giraffes Out of Africa, made and quilted by Barbara Harrell

We loved this stunning large quilt with its saturated colors, off-center medallion design, and multiple pieced borders. Barbara Harrell says this was a "very fun challenge. The center block and small giraffe blocks were purchased from an African textile booth years ago at a show."

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