Best Wall Quilt award

Winner of the Pfaff Best Wall Quilt Award at the 2026 AQS - Paducah Quilt Week show, today's quilt also won 1st Place in the People, Portraits, and Figures category at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival. We're still marveling at the realistic facial expression achieved with tiny pieces of colorful fabrics.

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The Man Lost in His Memories by Marina Landi, quilted by Fabia Diniz (São Paulo, Brazil) 

 

This original design was created with hand cutting, painting, and dyeing; digital printing; fusing; machine applique and quilting. Marina Landi says, "My style is characterized by the fusible raw edge applique in a wide range of colors in the composition of figurative images. The challenge of transmitting expressions and feelings through small fragments of fabric leads me to represent mainly human physiognomies [facial features.]"

 

 

The incredible quilting by Fabia Diniz gives the appearance of brush strokes in an oil painting.

 

Marina Landi lives in São Paulo and graduated in engineering and plastic arts. For many years, she worked with glass mosaics and now uses that knowledge in her quilting. Her work is especially focused on portraiture and figurative imagery, capturing emotions and expressions with remarkable subtlety and depth—one small piece of fabric at a time.

 

 

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

 

HIghlights of Quilt Arizona! (1)

The annual Quilt Arizona show is a highlight of spring!  Here are some highlights of this year's show (part one of 4)!

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Zerschmettert (1), made and quilted by Victoria Nelson  

Winner of the Exemplary Hand Quilting award, and 1st Place in the Art - Abstract category, Victoria Nelson says: "I started Zerschmettert (Shattered) in a workshop with Maria Shell. "Working from my own photo, I created a simplified composition, drafted shapes for the major areas and improvisationally pieced each area of the quilt.  Largely hand quilted after machine stitching to stabilize the main sections."

 

Pedal Power and Petal Pushers, made and quilted by Patricia Charity 

Winner of Best of Show - Solo and 1st Place in the Pictorial-Medium category, this art quilt was inspired by Patricia Charity's photo of a quiet street in Syracuse, Sicily. This quilt captures the charm of everyday life - the ever-present Italian bicycle leaning against a stone wall, backpacks, and sunlit textures. She layered fabrics to evoke the time-worn beauty and warmth of Mediterranean light and color.

 

 

Color Wheel Cha Cha by Kathi Shunn, quilted by B'nae Pulve.  

 

 

This stunning English paper pieced quilt is based on the Dresden Dance Party pattern by Sami Casanova for Darty Kite Pattern Co. Kathi Shunn says, "While creating a version of my company's Dresden Dance Party pattern, I was inspired to explore the color wheel. I love playing with color, fussy cutting, and whimsical motifs, using saturated hues and circular movement to celebrate color theory through rhythm, repetition, and joy." Winner of a 3rd Place ribbon in its category (Pieced - Duet - Medium). 

 

 

Tucker, made and quilted by Leilani Purvis   

 

Such a clever quilt! Winner of 1st Place in the Pictorial - Small category, and Award of Merit from the NACQJ,  Leilani Purvis based this original quilt on a photo of her grandpuppy, Tucker. "He has brightened our family for eight years. The gear-patterned background honors our maintain-biking daughter.  This quilt is a tribute to his love, energy, and companionship."  Leafy fabric was used to represent Tucker's furry ears.

 

 

Here's the original photo that inspired this wonderful quilt:

 

  

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Quilt Arizona show.

 

 

Celtic Whimsy

Celtic quilts are a unique art form. They are characteristized by flowing, curvilinear forms — spirals, scrolls, S-shapes, tendrils, and plant-like motifs, made with narrow bias strips.  In honor of March and St. Patricks' Day, here are some beautiful Celtic designs (also scroll down for some FREE celtic knot patterns!)

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Celtic Whimsy, 2027 opportunity quilt by the Tucson Quilters Guild

Winner of Best of Show at the 2026 Quilt Fiesta, along with 1st Place in the Group Quilts category. This fabulous medallion quilt is the 2027 opportunity quilt by the Tucson Quilters Guild! The original design features machine appliqued Celtic knots and scrollwork.

Celtic Whimsy was created by Caroline Ellermann, JoAnn Hinchliffe, Karen Kelter, Chris Nelson, Stephanie Nordlin and Beverly Reiter, with binding by Helen Frost and quilting by Penny Boese.

 

Osgoode Hall by Jean Biddick & Jo Cady-Bull (2006).  

Winner of Best of Show at the 2006 Tucson Quilters Guild show, this design is based on a floor in an historic court building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  There are 4,205 pieces of fabric, 20 yeards of 1/4" bias for the Celtic applique, and 500 painted squares (each with three coats of ink to get the right color!)  The makers, Jean Biddick & Jo Cady-Bull, say: "The best memories are of working together and winning together."

You might also enjoy a previous post on Celtic quilts: 

Celtic Fox by Kathy McNeil, 2018 photo by Quilt Inspiration  

Celtic Knot wall hanging, free template by Quilters World (CLICK for PDF download) 

 

 

Celtic Knot block, 12" square, free pattern at McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Lucky Charms quilt and table runner, free pattern by Janet Houts for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Modern Celtic wall hanging, 32" square, free pattern by Tricia Lynn Maloney at Quilters World (CLICK for PDF download)

 

 

 Image credits: Photos of Celtic Whimsy and Osgoode Hall were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (2)

In the beautiful Sonoran desert of Arizona, the Tucson Quilters Guild celebrated their 50th anniversary with a spectacular show. The Quilt Fiesta includes a fascinating mix of styles, techniques, and patterns. We hope you enjoy our photos! This is Part 2 of 5.

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Chasing Rainbows by Doreen Diaz, quilted by Athena Taylor.  

Winner of a Blue ribbon for First Place in the Two Person Large Pieced category, Doreen Diaz says "The piecing of this quilt was a definite challenge, due to the number of curves in the design. I use the complexity of a Judy Niemeyer design to make sure my mind still works as I get older." Beautifully quilted by Athena Taylor; see the closeup photos below. [The pattern for this quilt is Coral Reef by Judy Niemeyer.]

Klimt - The Kiss, made and quilted by Karen Rainford.  

Karen Rainford says that she saw the Klimt paintings in real life in Vienna, while bicycling across Europe in 2023. She was inspired by this solo fabric panel of "The Kiss" to find a way to enhance it without distracting from the central image.  Her modern pieced border picks up the colors and textures in the panel perfectly! In the non-judged category, we enjoyed this lovely work. [The fabric panel is from the Klimt collection at Robert Kaufman Fabrics, still available from various sources as of this writing.] 

Out of Darkness, made and quilted by Karen G. Fisher.  

Winner of a Blue ribbon for 1st place in the One Person Primarily Applique category, plus a special award for Exemplary Machine Applique. Celebrating her love of Medieval Art, Karen included a Gothic Rose window, Mozarabic, Romanesque and Gothic arches, stained glass, manuscript illumination, and Italian Mosaic floor, a Celtic shield, and an inlay design from the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. (The "tile" center pattern is from Bella Bella Quilts (Norah McMeeking), the rest of the quilt is an original design.) 

Luxury Living, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin.  

 Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the One Person Medium Pieced category, Luxury Living was based on a 2021 The Quilt Show BOM by Wendy Williams; six blocks were an original designed by Stephanie Nordlin. She says, "Our homes were on an acre, lake and desert, all outside city limits. These, along with the Chrysler building. Oriental Pearl Tower and saguaro are my original designs."

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

In Honor of Harriet Powers: Mother of African-American Story Quilts (Part 1)

Harriet Powers was an important quilting foremother! Do you know about her contributions to the quilting arts? In honor of Harriet Powers and Black History Month, we are introducing a two part series on Harriet Powers and the quilters of today who are keeping her memory alive. 

With thanks and appreciation to the PSSMQG - Home Princeton Sankofa Stitchers, curated by Juandamarie Gikandi and the Houston International Quilt Festival. 

Harriet Powers created folk art quilts using appliqued images in cloth to convey the stories of the Bible and other legends. Two of Harriet’s quilts have survived to the present day, including the “Pictorial Quilt” of 1898, shown above. Its fifteen panels contain vignettes drawn from Bible stories and historical events.

Born enslaved near Athens, Georgia in 1837, Harriet Powers learned to sew as a child. She married at the age of eighteen, and after emancipation, she and her husband saved enough to buy a small farm in Clarke County. She became known as a quilter when she exhibited her first quilt at the Athens Cotton Fair in 1886.  

Photograph of Harriet Powers, c. 1901, via Wikipedia. 

At the recent International Quilt Show in Houston, TX, our attention was drawn to the Special Exhibit of renditions and re-creations of Harriet Powers’ quilt blocks, curated by Juandamarie Gikandi for the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild (PSSMQG).   

The word “Sankofa” means reaching back to the past in order to move forward, to create, educate, and to engage in philanthropic projects.  The guild members have done an outstanding job of re-creating Harriet Powers’ blocks. Here is one of the quilts from the Houston exhibit:

Adam and Eve in the Garden, by Rose Mary Briggs, quilted by Susan Ezzo 

 

This block shows Adam and Eve, the sun, the rib from which Eve was made, God’s merciful hand and all seeing eye, plus the serpent which tempted Eve. The quilt was inspired by “Adam and Eve” in Harriet Powers’ Pictorial Quilt (top row, 4^th block from the left.) 

Rose Mary Briggs writes, “Inspired by Harriet Powers’ vision, I reinterpreted Adam and Eve in the Garden through a contemporary lens rooted in my church upbringing. Hand stitching and applique techniques, drawn from Powers’ work, honor her West African roots while emphasizing the enduring relevance of the creation story through modern fabric and symbolism.”   

Briggs' design source was “A Pattern Book from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; based on an applique quilt by Mrs. Harriet Powers."

Image credits: Photos of Adam & Eve in the Garden were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.  Photos of Harriet Powers and her Pictorial Quilt are from Wikipedia.

Form Follows Color

Sampler quilts are a fun way to play with new colors, designs and techniques. This original sampler combines piecing, applique, and embroidery in a setting that brings it all together.  (Also, scroll down for a FREE setting pattern!)

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Form Follows Color, made and quilted by Christiane Ermke 

Christiane Ermke says, "My quilt group (Piece Makers) had a challenge in 2023. We randomly picked every month a shape and a color and created something quilty out of these two prompts." 

Christiane says that her biggest challenge was to find a way to combine all the blocks in a pleasing way. Creating a "path" that connects the blocks is a fabulous idea. We love her technique: 

p.s. We recently updated our Free Pattern Days for Easy Modern Quilts (Part 1 and Part 2).  We hope you enjoy this FREE Windham Fabrics pattern called City Cycles by Tammy Vasser.  It uses a similar setting to showcase fabrics from a collection (CLICK HERE for PDF download!)

Image credits: Photos of Form Follows Color were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

 

Ukrainian Quilters Association: The Cossak Mamai Quilt

The biggest group quilt in the history of Ukrainian patchwork was made by 47 quilters from the Ukrainian Quilters Group.  Based on a painting by artist Orest Skop, this collaborative work celebrates Cossak Mamai, a figure who has long represented the unbreakable spirit of the Ukrainian people. Cossak Mamai is not just a historical or folkloric figure but a symbol of the resilience of the Ukrainian people. 

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For continuous free quilt patterns, please follow us on X (Twitter)!     

Cossak Mamai Quilt, The Ukrainian Quilters Association, curated by Mariia Nelha (Krakow, Malopolska, Poland)

The quilt consists of 65 segments, sewn by Ukrainian quilters settled in different cities and countries as refugees. A team from the Ukrainian Quilters Association made a textile reproduction of the painting by Orest Skop and converted it into a huge quilt that could be made in segments. A symbol of strength, resilience, and peace, this collaborative work unites quilters from across Ukraine and beyond, some near the frontline. 

The segments were made with hand applique, embellishment, embroidery, painting, dying, piecing, and quilting; machine applique, embellishment, embroidery, piecing, and quilting; and photo transfer.  The finished quilt is captivating in its details and impact.

Some of the hand quilting stitches can be seen in this closeup photo.

 Here is more of the stunning imagery from the quilt:

 

 

 

 

The quilters explain: "As our work represents Ukraine to the world, we are keenly aware of the weight of our responsibility.  In our creative process, pursuit of knowledge, and communicating our collective wisdom, Ukraine resides deeply within our hearts."

 

Photos of each of the quilters, and the segments for which they were responsible, are shown in this photo montage. In the upper left is Natalia Lashko, who coordinated this massive project.

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