The Hopi School Opportunity Quilt: “Saálakmana”

Being in Arizona, we are privileged to experience the beauty of Native American Arts, including the Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo peoples. The Hopiutuqaiki opportunity quilt is a unique fundraiser that supports The Hopi School located in Kykotsmovi, Arizona. Enjoy the beauty and artistry of this stunning piece.

 “Saálakmana” Corn Grinding Girl, 52" x 61”, designed by Ramson Lomatewama and quilted by Linda Visnaw

The design is a contemporary interpretation of a Hopi design.  This story explains the human condition: the top represents life at its fullest, a life we strive for. The bottom tells the story of Hopi's arrival into this world. It was created by Ramson Lomatewama, Hopi, Kwahwungwa from the village of Hotevilla, and quilted by Linda Visnaw, Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

 

A natural abalone shell is used for embellishment, shown above. The attached 3-dimensional butterflies shown below represent male and female energy. 

The beautiful quilting by Linda Visnaw incorporates Hopi designs in the borders and within the stained glass elements. For more information on Saálakmana, and details of the construction, visit the Opportunity Quilt Website.

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

Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (1)

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 1 of 5.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter.

My Turtle from Tula's 100 Blocks, made and quilted by Penny Boese.  

Winner of a Judge's Choice award, this fantastic batik quilt was based on Tula Pink's City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, arranged in a unique setting by Penny Boese.  She wanted to take Tula's 100 blocks in a different direction and settled on her favorite sea animal, using EQ8 to design the layout.  

Westerlund 2 Stellar Nursery, made and quilted by Janet Hasson.  

Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the Viewers Choice category, this stunning original quilt by Janet Hasson is composed of 1600 1-1/2" paper pieced squares using a watercolor technique. The appearance of glittering stars is created by thousands of beads and pearls sewn on top of the squares.

The inspiration for Janet's design was a photograph released by NASA celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope's 25th anniversary in 2015 (NASA photo below):  

As NASA describes it, the brilliant tapestry of young stars flaring to life resemble a glittering fireworks display. The sparkling centerpiece of this fireworks show is a giant cluster of thousands of stars called Westerlund 2.

In the quilt by Janet Hasson, subtle gradations of color suggest the swirling gas clouds in Westerlund 2. The beads represent the young super bright massive stars approximately 20,000 light years away.

Carmen Romantica by Barb Lambrecht  

The quilt show included a special display of original works by local art quilters. We love Carmen Romantica by Barb Lambrecht.  It was inspired by a 1973 greeting card that looked much like Carmen Miranda.  This piece is hand appliqued and embellished with paint and a piece of recycled, hand dyed lace.

Through the Stained Glass by JT Taylor, quilted by Kris Neifeld.  

The gorgeous colors and stained glass effect of this quilt really drew us in. Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the Two Person- Medium Pieced category, plus a special award for Best Use of Color, JT Taylor says she collected fabrics for this quilt for about a year in hopes of making a sunset and stained glass quilt. The pattern source was "Striped Surprise" by 3 Dudes Quilting Designs. 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show. NOTE:  Quilt inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning that Amazon pays us a small commission if you purchase an item from a link on this page; there is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration, and for reading our blog!

 

 

Indigo Quilt (FREE pattern!)

Have you ever made a stained glass quilt?  It's a wonderful way to use a fabric stash!  Here's a beautiful quilt design from Makower.  Scroll down to download the Indigo Quilt pattern, and to see MORE free stained glass quilt patterns!

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Indigo quilt, 66" square, free pattern by Makower UK (CLICK for PDF download) 

 For 30 more FREE patterns for stained glass quilts, CLICK HERE!

 

It's a Stained Glass Halloween

Designer and quilter, Cole Whitaker, was inspired to celebrate Halloween with this stunning original quilt.  The scene is framed in a Gothic-style stained glass window.  It's got a ghost, bats, jack-o-lantern, spiderweb quilting, and more.  A pattern is also available! Cole is also doing a fabulous Christmas quilt along... scroll down for more info.

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Halloween by Cole Whitaker (Washington, USA)

In the photo above, can you see the bats at the upper right and left corners?  So clever!  The ghost that hovers over the scene, below, is paper pieced.  In the close-up photo you can see spiderweb quilting in some of the stained glass elements.

A smiling pumpkin greets isitors at the base of the walkway, below.

Please visit Cole's Quilts and check out his original quilts and patterns, including the fabulous 2025 Christmas quilt-along!

 

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

Faith, Hope, and Love at Easter

On Easter, many of us take the time to reflect on the promise of hope and new life in the Easter story. Here is a luminous stained glass quilt with a beautiful message of Faith, Hope and Love.

Rays of Hope - Stained Glass version by Carolyn Morris

This quilt was exhibited at the 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild show and shown on Q.I. that year. Carolyn Morris says: "Using gradation batiks, each section was cut individually, ironed in place, and quilted with irregular satin stitches.  The trapunto cross was machine embroidered and then appliqued to the front." 

You can find the pattern at Rays of Hope Quilts at Etsy and see Carolyn explain the full story on YouTube.

The design came to Carolyn Morris on Easter, 2011, in response to her own prayer. Carolyn says: "My life is dedicated to serving others. For many years that involved my three children and their training. Now that they have children of their own, I use the talents that I have to enrich the lives of others. Many of the quilts I make are small 15" squares with embroidery messages or scriptures on them. I give many away to those in need of prayers."

p.s.  If you enjoy Stained Glass quilts, you might also enjoy our Free Pattern Day (CLICK HERE!)

12 Days of Christmas Quilts: O Holy Night

Merry Christmas to all our readers! We hope you enjoy our photos of this beautiful stained glass quilt.

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O Holy Night, made and quilted by Samantha Wright (Arizona)

Samantha Wright says O Holy Night was inspired by a pattern she found on Etsy. (Scroll down for the pattern source.) "Having collected Nativity items most of my life, I was immediately challenged  to make it!"  The finished quilt includes over 700 applique pieces and quilting was hand guided by Samantha. The Nativity scene, highlighting Samantha's outstanding quilting, is shown below.

Many details can be seen here, including the jewel tone fabrics in the robes of Mary and Joseph; the woolen head scarves of the shepherds; and some very woolly sheep!

This lovely quilt was exhibited at the 2020 Road to California quilt show. Marbled fabrics in a range of hues were used to create the buildings in the town of Bethlehem. Samantha says, "The first time I attended Road2CA in 2017, I purchased the fabrics used in the quilt." 

The quilt was based on a pattern that Elsie Montgomery sells on Etsy. Elsie designed the pattern from Cass Moore’s art on a Christmas card, leaving off the minarets for they were not ‘invented’ at that time. Then she was asked by many for the pattern so chased the copyright for a long time (years) before locating the company that manages Cass Moore’s work, and securing the rights to make the pattern. The pattern, titled When God Became a Man, is available at ElsieQuilts on Etsy.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2020 Road to California quilt show.  A big thank you goes to Elsie Montgomery for the background and source of the pattern!

American Quilt Series: Explorations in Stained Glass

We've all heard of stained glass quilts - that is, quilts that resemble stained glass windows. But what about stained glass windows that resemble quilts?

Tim Sutton's American Quilt Series celebrates quilting through unique stained glass pieces. Nineteenth-century friendship quilts inspired these works. Loved ones often made a friendship quilt for someone who was getting married or departing on a trip; the quilts often included thoughts and quotes.

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. 

Creativity by Tim Sutton

Blue and yellow stars are featured in this lovely design.  The square centers of the intervening blocks have etched quotes from creative people including Maya Angelou and Twyla Tharp.  Here is a quote we particularly liked, from South African playwright Athol Fugard: "I have an image of myself in a witness box, and I have an opportunity to tell the truth."

 Messages of Help and Hope by Tim Sutton

Messages of Help and Hope is composed of a variety of specialty glasses ranging from deep forest green to clear faceted glass. Each quote begins with an Old English font evoking illustrated manuscripts of that era. Here is a closeup photo, below, of a quote from Psalms 119:105: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." 

Foundations of Freedom by Tim Sutton

Foundations of Freedom includes inspirational quotes, interspersed with the Great Seal of the United States: An eagle, topped by the words E Pluribus Unum – Latin for "Out of many, one".) 

Tim Sutton reminds us that learning is a cornerstone of freedom.  Diligent learning enables us to avoid the mistakes of the past. Here is an important quotation from Abigail Adams: "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardour and attended to with diligence."

Another great quote is this one by George Washington: "The best way to preserve the confidence of the people durably is to promote their true interests."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

Finding Hope, Finding Peace

Today's beautiful quilt by Mimi Ghauri-Young, titled Finding Hope, Finding Peace, seems like a perfect image for the New Year. We wish you a very bright, joyous, healthy, and prosperous New Year, filled with lots of time for creativity and quilting !

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Finding Hope, Finding Peace, 34" x 39" by Mimi Ghauri-Young ,  California

Mimi writes, "In response to the many global crises swirling around us, I chose to work with the image of the dove, an iconic symbol of peace and harmony. The hope of the dove brings light to the darkness."

Detail, Finding Hope

Mimi continues, "The stained glass quality of the image and the details of the quilting were inspired by the 9th century Celtic illustrated spiritual manuscript of the Book of Kells. " (currently housed in the archives of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland). 

Mimi's lovely original design is machine appliqued and machine quilted. We really appreciate the way that she emphasizes the stained-glass appearance of the quilt by individually quilting the white dividing sections of the dove with their own unique patterns. 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Welcome to the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival - part 4

Welcome to the Pacific International Quilt Festival! Due to time constraints, we could not view all the quilts this year! Therefore, we are showing a small sample of the quilts in this large show. Here is Part 4 of our photos with some outstanding creations.

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Northern Harrier 30 x 30, by Carol Bryer Fallert-Gentry, Washington

Carol says, "In the Spring of 2020, a northern harrier (the large bird depicted here) lit just outside our kitchen window. We managed to open the window and snap several photos before it flew away." This quilt impressed us with its very realistic colors of nature and the minute, lifelike details of the harrier in surrounding nature.

Carol continues about her original design,  "To create the design for this quilt, I combined a tree photo and two photos of the harrier, then added digital painting to integrate the photos and simplify the background. The composition was printed on cotton fabric and heavily quilted to the level of thread painting."

Kimi in a Dangerous World by Elsa Meyer,  California, quilted by Marian Drain

Elsa's stunning art quilt is made very effective by the use of the lime green background which looks as if it is lighted from behind, so the praying mantis appears to be hidden among the foliage. Embedded on the insect's body are some very pretty butterfly motifs. Outlining the foreground shape in black gives extra high contrast to Elsa's original design. 

This imagery, inspired by political events, was designed to symbolize the power of the minority (represented by the dragonfly) against the powerful (represented by the praying mantis.)

Folk Art Fun in Baltimore, 68 x 68, by Tami Graeber, Arizona

 This year's theme at the Pacific International Quilt Festival was "The New Normal", and Tami addressed this theme by writing, "The New Norm for me is creating a traditional looking quilt with an innovative style."  Tami has utilized the early American "Baltimore Album" pattern and re-created it to make an original design with a great deal of southwestern personality and flair. We really love the border of whimsical, very artistic and varied flowers. 

First Place Award winner for Best Use of Color in a Traditional Quilt, Tami's lovely work is machine pieced and longarm quilted. With artful use of fabric paint, she has added bright, vibrant touches, which really brings the birds, butterflies, and fruit of the trees to life. 

Sicilian Summer, 81 x 81,by Claudia C. Myers,  Minnesota

Winner of the Third Place Award for Best Traditional Quilt, Claudia notes, "The making and machine quilting of Sicilian Summer took all of the time we were quarantined from the Covid-19 virus, and them some. I am fortunate that I have a large stash of fabric and thread so I didn't have to make a trip to the quilt shop to pick up the supplies."

Claudia adds, "I designed this quilt on Electric Quilt (EQ) 7 and made it trying out a new way of applique construction, rather than curved piecing." Claudia longarm machine quilted her spectacular original design, which she also machine pieced, machine appliqued, and hand painted.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival.