Road to Halloween!

Wow! Here's a stunning, large Halloween quilt made with fabric panels using the one-block-wonder technique.  It must have been fun designing and arranging the hexagon blocks! This quilt really sparkles.

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Road to Halloween, made and quilted by Sandra Yeager

 

In 2006, Maxine Rosenthal wrote a book called One-Block Wonders, which described quilts made from a single fabric. Many fabric arts have put their own creative spin on this technique!  Sandra Yeager says she made her quilt with seven fabric panels, building dozens of hexagons while challenging her artist design capabilities. (Seven panels would be required to create this many hexagons, since the quilt was quite large.)  We love the teal and orange combinations and the spooky haunted house!

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

Fun with Dresden plates!

Dresden fans are fun to make and some fantastic effects can be achieved with the blocks!  Here are three quilts that show what can be done with a little imagination.  The expert quilters had fun with their machine quilting designs - see the closeup photos for quilting inspiration, and scroll down for a link to our Free Pattern Day!

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

Lost - Then Found, entered by Christine Nelson, quilted by Julie Newcome 

This quilt top was made by unknown and members of the Honeybees quilt group (Tucson, Arizona).  A Honeybee member found the fans in a closet, but they didn't know who made them. As you can see, the border fabric - with its large floral print - was cut in a stack-and-whack fashion to make the fan blades, creating a kaleidoscope effect when the blades were laid side by side.  The Honeybees made the fans into blocks, and the blocks into this gorgeous quilt. 

Caribbean Allure by Christina Pocock, quilted by Kim Peterson 

"A few years ago we took our adult children and spouses on a Caribbean cruise aboard the "Allure of the Seas" to celebrate our 50th anniversary," says Christina Pocock, who designed and made this beauty.  "Several years later I found this bright print that reminded me of the Caribbean. It was lying on a clearance table and I bought what was left of it.  I proceeded to design this quilt in stages within those fabric limitations, not knowing what it would finally look like... I am happy with both the results and the family memories it represents."

The quilting within the fan blades almost makes them look curved, helping echo the large floral print.  Also we love this pieced inner border, made with hourglass and square-within-square blocks, and surrounded by a quilting design resembling small blocks.

Fun with Dresden by The Highlands Quilt Club, quilted by Pam Clark  

Batik fabrics make these blocks so colorful! This Dresden quilt has a modern traditionalist vibe with high contrasts and abundant negative space.  The quilter says, "A program known as Quilting for Others received a donation of batik fan blades which we immediately passed on to the Highlands Quilt Group (a local bee within the Tucson Quilters Guild).  These wonderful ladies created two beautiful quilts, giving one back to Quilting for Others and the second to Quilt for a Cause."

NOTE:  For more quilt inspiration and FREE patterns, check out our Free Pattern Day for Dresden Plate Quilts (CLICK HERE!)

 

 

Image credits: Original quilt photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show (Fun with Dresden, Lost - Then Found) and the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Caribbean Allure).

 

English Paper Piecing: Asterisms

English paper piecing (EPP) involves stabilizing fabric pieces with paper templates before sewing them into intricate designs (for more about EPP, click HERE.)  It is often used for shapes that require numerous set-in corners, such as hexagons, pentagons, and kites. Because EPP is done by hand, it makes a great on-the-go project. Here's a beautiful example from a recent show.

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

BFF by Kathi Shunn & Leslie Guyton, quilted by B'nae Pulve 

Based on the Asterisms quilt pattern by Sami Casanova for Darty Kite Pattern Co., this quilt was entirely English Paper Pieced by hand using a Heather Bailey fabric line called Local Honey.  Kathi Shunn says, "I pieced all the blocks and my BFF Leslie [Guyton] offered to finish it for me when it lingered in the UFO pile too long."

These gorgeous large floral prints, shown below, make fantastic kaleidoscope effects.  Check out Heather Bailey's fabrics HERE, and Darty Kite Pattern Company HERE.

 

 Image credits: Photos of BFF were taken at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta! (1)

We just 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 see. We hope you enjoy our photos of the show! Here is part 1.

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

Leo by Lynne Saul, quilted by Athena Taylor  

 Lynne Saul says, "This quilt is paper pieced. I chose to make him green for fun." Winner of Honorable mention in its category (two persons, primarily pieced, hand or machine quilted.)  The pattern source is the Legit Lion pattern by Legit Kits.  As shown in the closeup photo, the irises of Leo's eyes were enhanced with small, jet black faceted beads!

Civil War Bride by Dureen Berg, quilted by Becky Coykendall

Heavily appliquéd blocks of flowers & leaves, birds & butterflies, animals & fruit make up this heirloom quilt. Winner of Best of Show, and of 1st place - Two-Person Applique. The applique work is truly outstanding, with so many details to appreciate in every block! 

Dureen Berg says: "I had fun searching for the 126 fabrics used in this quilt.  Many are reproduction fabrics but I did not limit myself to their use. Becky Coykendall's talented quilting enhances and completes the design."  The Civil War Bride Pattern is by Corliss Searcey.  

Gilded Cathedral, made and quilted by Karen G. Fisher

This is a gorgeous cathedral windows quilt!  Karen G. Fisher says, "I made the  copper center of this quilt years ago.  To make it bigger, I used my Graduated Grid format with bigger blocks to grow it faster.  Four block sizes celebrate metallic fabrics, with lots of small-scale golden highlights."  Winner of a 2nd place ribbon; we hope you can see all the work that went into this intricate design! 

Go Ask Alice by Kathi Shunn, quilted by B'nae Pulve

This fabulous kaleidoscope quilt won 1st Place (Two Person, Medium Pieced category) and a special award for Exemplary Piecing. Kathi Shunn says, "[This] original pattern was designed by me for my company Darty Kite Pattern Co.  The design was inspired by my friend Alice. I used mostly fabrics by Odile Bailloeul and it is English paper pieced by hand."

 Beautiful colors, shapes, and patterned fabrics make this quilt a real standout.

 Basket Bonanza, made and quilted by Kathy Ann Barry

It was wonderful to see this Amish basket quilt! We love the colors and contrasts, and it was beautifully constructed with nine-patch blocks as cornerstones. Kathy Ann Barry says, "In 2024 my daughter, Amanda, won the Fiesta Basket Bonanza. The prize was wonderful baskets and fabrics. In the Tucson Quilters Guild library I was encouraged to take a magazine, where I found a beautiful quilt pattern.  Amanda shared the fabric and the Guild shared the magazine."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Fiesta in Tucson, Arizona.

Autumn River Walk

It's a wonderful season to enjoy the fall colors and cooler weather. Here is a glorious quilt that celebrates the colors of autumn and the creativity of one-block-wonder designs.

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

Autumn River Walk by Kris Neifeld and Susie Weaver, quilted by Kris Neifeld.

Winner of an award in the Two Person, Primarily Pieced category, Kris Neifeld says: "Susie [Weaver] and I took liberties with the one-block wonder design during the process of wrestling this together.  My college roommate asked for an autumn wall quilt. Twenty-five years later, it's completed. Hopefully I can get it to them before 25 more years go by."   

We've always loved the effects that can be created with one-block wonder quilts. The kaleidoscope blocks, seen in the closeup photos, were creatively arranged to maxmize the impression of blue water and colorful trees.

You can see many more examples of one-block wonder quilts on this blog:  CLICK HERE!

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

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (5)

Welcome back to the 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! This show features some of Utah's finest quilters. Each quilt displays a convergence of artistry and creative decision-making, with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process. We hope you enjoy our photos!

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for quilt materials & patterns, jewelry, and collectibles! We also invite you to follow us on Twitter ! 

La Passacaglia (2024) by Chelsie Robertson @ChelsieSews, quilted by Melissa Kelley

Nearly every block of this gorgeous quilt has a special fussy-cut motif, creating an "I spy" quilt.  Chelsie says, "I hope you see more things the longer you look at my quilt!"  (We spy retro surfer girls in one of the blocks, below!)

Finding My Artist Within (2024), made and quilted by Rebecca Tesch.

Winner of Best of Show at this fantastic show, Rebecca Tesch says, "As a member of the Utah quilt Guild, I started a challenge quilt for the "Find the Artist Within" Challenge but didn't get it finished in time.  In fact, it's taken years beyond the entry date for that challenge. I love Judy Niemeyer's work and was inspired to use components of multiple quilts, combined and reduced to create a unique but definitely "Niemeyer-like" quilt. I created the pattern using the foundation paper piecing technique and combined my scraps of batik to complete the quilt. It's a work of love and inspiration."

Beautiful feather quilting can be seen, especially in the margins.

Adventures in the Netherlands (2023) by Emily Magleby, quilted by Emmy Evans.  

Emily Magleby says, "I wanted a quilt that was a 'love letter' to the Netherlands.  I had the opportunity to live in the Netherlands and those memories hold a speical place in my heart.  I used the patterns from the Moda Blockheads 3" challenge and swapped several blocks with paper-pieced blocks that had more specific dutch themes. I carefully curated fabrics that had patterns, themes, and colors that spoke to me and my experience living in such a magical place."  

The custom quilting was done by Emmy Evans. Emily says, "I am thrilled that she was able to add her artwork to the quilt."  (Can you see the children peeking out inside the windmill?)

Geraniums - English Paper Pieced (2023), made and quilted by Petrea Lassen.

We love this flowery quilt! Petrea Lassen says, "Geraniums was pieced and quilted entirely by hand. I started by collecting various pink and purple fabrics for this quilt. About a year later I finally had enough variation to begin.  I love the portability of English paper piecing. This quilt project traveled to Hawaii with me twice. It also made its way to New York City... we visited Ellis Island where we found record of my material grandmother's arrival to the United States from Denmark."

Square Round (2024), made and quilted by Luanne Hyer Olson

We love this modern rainbow strip quilt with its illusion of curves (we are searching for the pattern!)  Winner of a Blue Ribbon (Award of Excellence) at the show, the precision piecing is complemented by dense geometric quilting.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville (Utah) Museum of Art.

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (4)

Welcome back to the 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! This show features some of Utah's finest quilters. Each quilt displays a convergence of artistry and creative decision-making, with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for quilt materials & patterns, jewelry, and collectibles! We also invite you to follow us on Twitter ! 

Boho Heart (2023), made and quilted by Marcia Peterson. 

We love the warm colors in this large sampler heart quilt. Marcia Peterson says, "My quilt group each used their own favorite fabrics to make Jen Kingwell's Boho Heart pattern. I loved seeing how each quilt turned out different.  This was my take on the pattern."

Ezi's Quilt by Mary Duke, quilted by Dawna Sine.

Mary Duke says, "This is my first collage quilt. I started this quilt when my daughter was pregnant with our sweet granddaughter, Ezi. Some people say the baby has too much hair. When our sweet girl was born, her hair was over 2 inches long in some spots. I changed the pattern a bit to look more like my daughter. It was so fun creating this quilt... This quilt now hangs over our granddaugher's bed."

My 100 Block Journey (2024), made and quilted by Helen Butler.

Helen Butler says, "What started out as one quilt ended up being a completely different quilt simply by laying these 100 "Log Cabin" blocks out a completely different way.  Each block began with a black velvet square and was surrounded by a variety of silk, batik, and cotton fabrics. One day I was playing with these blocks and I artfully laid them out in the "Barn Raising" pattern according to their color.  It turned out to be a completely different quilt!"

 

The hand quilting lines can be seen in this closeup photo, below.

My "Happy" Carnival Flower (2024), made and quilted by Diane Wilber.

Diange Wilber says, "My "Happy" Carnival Flower is merrily twirling within sun-kissed waves. I colored the quilt in Quiltster, try8ing to capture Mother Nature's vibrant organic blends with my fabrics.  This quilt features hand appliqued dots and gumdrops, original center yellow flange, scalloped/wave border with double flange split binding, and braid trim edging" [shown below].

Mariners in a Pickle with Sunset (2023) by Sherrie Chambers, quilted by Cecile Wilson.

Winner of a Blue Ribbon (Award of Excellence), Sherrie Chambers says: "I thought the pattern looked lovely, so I accepted the challenge to make this lovely quilt. The sunset came from a picture I took while on a cruise in Alaska." Details of the beautiful batiks and precision piecing are shown below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville (Utah) Museum of Art.