Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Diablo Valley Quilters' Guild Show Day 2

The 2017 Diablo Valley Quilters Guild show was recently held in Walnut Creek, California. Here are some of our favorite quilts!

Note: For great deals on quilt books and fabric, please visit our eBay store.Also, we're posting free patterns continually Quilt Inspiration's Twitter page !

Pacific Fisher by Nancy Tietz


Nancy explains about the cute little animal depicted here in her original design: "Fishers belong to a family of mammals that includes weasels, minks, and otters. They live in low-to-mid elevation forests and require cavities in trees to safely rear their young. This quilt was made for my daughter-in-law who just received her Ph.D. from U. of California, Davis, using the data she collected from the U.S. Forest Service for her dissertation.
I learned this applique technique from David Taylor, a well-known applique artist that taught classes at The Cotton Patch in Lafayette, California. Kerry Reed did the longarm quilting for me. "

Modern Plaid by Sally Socolich


Sally notes, "This pattern projects a more modern dimension to traditional plaids. Please see the other side of the quilt (shown below)  for my take on making the most of leftover plaid units for an even simpler modern effect. "

Back of quilt, Modern Plaid


Quilted by Sally herself, this could be a wonderful way to re-fashion plaid shirt fabric into a wonderful, cozy quilt.  The original pattern was created by Mabry Benson and published in a Quilters Newsletter magazine from 2001.  You can see a photo of "Plaid Stars" by Mabry Benson in an article at eQuilters.

Winter Stars by Karen Michaels


Karen notes, " This quilt began 24 years ago, with a photo in a quilt magazine. It contains blocks made by 9 members of my guild's block exchange group. I named the quilt early on, and every winter, I'd wonder where where it was. Over the years, it morphed from the photo's simple straight set with no sashing, to the current look. "

Detail, Winter Stars


Karen continues, "I quilted it myself, though it was really too large for me to handle. I'm certainly happy that this was the year to finally finish my winter quilt!"  We admire the excellent workmanship and lovely en pointe setting of these star blocks.

Rainbow Ride by Janice Spahn


Janice says, " A few years ago, during a quilt shop-hop with some very dear and fun friends, we challenged each other to make the quilt "Four Play."  It is a four patch scrappy pattern with a fun name and one inch strips." The pattern is found in the book .Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts, by Mary Elizabeth Kinch and Biz Storms.

Detail, Rainbow Ride


Janice continues, "When I started my quilt, I decided to add discipline to the blocks by using a rainbow color concept. Once I made the smaller blocks, I just had to add more blocks and change the layout of the blocks. The result is the quilt before you." Janice quilted this work herself, and Kathe Hayden and Annette Biggs helped with the block positioning.

Out of the Blue by Diane Chambers


Diane writes, "Out of the Blue" was assembled from a Craftsy kit of Kaffe Fassett fabrics, bought to nudge me out of my comfort zone. Much to my surprise, I had to fight my controlling tendencies with some of the print combinations. I liked the end result; so I dubbed it 'Out of the Blue.' "

Detail, Out of the Blue


Diane quilted this work herself, and she adds, "I used the expertise of published quilters
Angela Walters, (triangles), Lori Kennedy (straight and curvy juxtaposition) and Sally Terry
(feathers without backtracking) to inspire me in my choice of Free Motion Quilting motifs.
 More details can be found in my April 20, 2017 and August 15, 2017 Blogspot posts at Diane Loves 2 Quilt.


Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Diablo Valley Quilters' Guild Show Day 1 : Featured Artist: Diana McClun

Diana McClun was the featured artist at the 2017 Diablo Valley Quilters Guild show in Walnut Creek, California. Diana is the co-author of the well-known, beloved classic book Quilts, Quilts, Quilts ! along with Laura Nownes.

Color Study II by Diana McClun


For this quilt, Diana used some 30 year old quilt blocks, which are basically half-square triangles sewed side-by-side to create strips of diamonds. They are the 5 rectangles you see above:  from left, the blue/ neon orange, the purple/yellow orange, the red/green, and the grape/yellow. She used them as flower vases to collage flowers and make bouquets.


Here's a close-up of the bright, whimsical flowers which fit into the rectangular vases. What a wonderful use of 30 year old blocks from vintage fabric ! This fun, vibrant work was machine quilted by Alethea Ballard.

Addie's 13th Birthday Quilt by Diana McClun


An original founder of the famous .Empty Spools Seminars in Pacific Grove, California, Diana was inspired by Anelie Belden's Empty Spools class. Diana made this quilt in honor of her granddaughter Addie's 13th birthday.


These giant circular plates, done in restful marine colors, almost look as if they are floating languidly in a under-sea world !  Victoria McEnerney machine quilted this elegant work.

Tulips by Diana McClun


Diana explains, "The inspiration for this quilt came from tulip images on a napkin and paper plate. The design was free-hand drawn with a permanent marker and a ruler onto a grid of 6" squares of muslin pinned on a design wall."


Diana's brilliant skills in composition are highlighted here, as the giant eye-catching flowers comprise the foreground, while the tone-on-tone blues, beiges, and whites add just the right proportion of background space. Tulips was machine quilted by Victoria McEnerney.

Colorful Circles by Diana McClun 


This just looks like so much fun to design and make ! Diana's original design was inspired by a class with Rosalie Dace from South Africa at the Empty Spools Seminar.


This triadic color scheme of pastel pink, lime green, and apricot orange works beautifully together, especially when touches of silver gray are added to the background. Alethea Ballard machine quilted this lively, sophisticated work.

Trees, Trees, Trees by Diana McClun


Diana's contemporary, geometric work was inspired by a painting by German-born, American modern artist Wolf Kahn.  These strips of varied sizes of rectangles give this dazzling quilt an almost Bargello-like appearance.


Diana's original work was machine quilted by Alethea Ballard. These lovely corals and aquas are so gorgeous, especially with the hint of lime green.Trees, Trees, Trees was one of our favorites works of this show.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Welcome Fall

Fall is arriving in the North, and we've selected some autumn quilts to share.  We hope our readers had a healthy, safe and happy summer!

Note: for continual free patterns, please visit us on  Twitter!  For great bargains on quilt books and fabric, check out our eBay store!

Golden Leaves by Virginia Standley


Virginia Standley says, “The skeletonized leaves are highlighted with a wax metallic finish. They are stitched to samples of drapery fabric and framed by a small gold silk border. The piece is mounted on my ice-dyed fabric, which I could not bear to cut, so it became the background for this art quilt.”

Maple Leaves in a Color Study, group project, quilted by Audrey Hutchinson


The maple leaf blocks were made by members of the Progressive Party Friendship Group of the Amador Valley Quilters Guild and the final project was quilted by Audrey Hutchinson. Audrey chose purple for this color study. “I made one block and packed my bag with all the purple fabrics I had from the palest lavender to the deepest purples. Each member made 1 or 2 maple leaf blocks. I set the blocks on the diagonal and when completed had almost used up my purple stash. Almost !”

My Pumpkin Patch by Janice Brook, quilted by Dianne Schweikert


The pattern for this quilt was from a book called Country Quilts of Friends by Margaret Peters and Anne Sutton. Janice Brooke bought the book in 2004; she made the pumpkin blocks, then put the quilt on a shelf until last year when she decided to finish it. The leaves, stems and pumpkins were beautifully embroidered.


Wild Pineapple quilt by Susan Benson, quilted by Dianne Schweikert


Susan Benson says Wild Pineapple began in a class taught by Jean Impey. "It was a fun class given by a fun teacher who had an infectious enthusiasm. I took this home and then took it on a trip up the coast, sewing away everywhere we stopped... As with all my quilts, it’s not perfect, but I love the colors. [It was] quilted beautifully by Dianne Schweikert of Livermore (California).”


Autumn Blessings by Kia Johnson


Kia Johnson used an embroidery machine to create the blocks for this stunning quilt, which was based on the Baltimore Autumn pattern by Pearl Pereira at P3 Designs.  There is an amazing amount of applique detail in the blocks, which include all the themes of autumn: leaves, squirrels, wheat stalks, and pumpkins, in wonderful colors.



For free quilt patterns for Autumn, please check out our FREE PATTERN DAY !



Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Amador Valley Quilters Guild show (California).

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Free pattern day: Easy Modern Quilts (2)

Here are 25 more free and easy patterns, for a ton of quilt inspiration! Many of these are big block quilts that go together quickly.  Also see Easy Modern Quilts - part 1.
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.

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

A Blue Moment, 55 x 64", free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)


Archive quilt, 54 x 73", free pattern by Heather Akerberg for Paintbrush Studio (CLICK for PDF download)

Barn Star quilt, 64 x 64", free pattern by Stephanie Prescott for Hoffman Fabrics (click for PDF download)


Here and There Squares, 96 x 96”, free pattern by Bonnie Vangool for Windham Fabrics (click for PDF download

 

Thea’s Puzzle quilt, 64 x 64”, free pattern by Amy Butler (CLICK for PDF download)


Brick Path quilt, 60 x 60”, free pattern by Alexia Marcelle Abegg (CLICK for PDF download)


Make Your Mark quilt, 60 x 76”, free pattern by Heather Jones for Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download


Retro Plaid quilt, 55 x 61”, free pattern by Suzy Quilts for Birch Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)


Tiger Plant Quilt, 52 x 60”, free pattern by Sarah Golden for Andover Fabrics (click for PDF download)


Piece of Sky quilt, 64 x 72”, free pattern at Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)


Relay Race quilt, 72 x 80”, free pattern by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics (click for PDF download)


Cobblestone II quilt, 60 x 70”, free pattern by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics (click for PDF download)


Bloominescent quilt, 48 x 54, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download


Fat Quarter Fizz, free pattern by Fat Quarter Shop (CLICK for PDF download


Simple Streamers quilt, 70 x 70”, at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download)


Lark quilt, ~ 72 x 72”, free pattern by Amy Butler Design (CLICK for PDF download)


Made in Cherry, ~80” square, free pattern by Sarah Fielke for Lecien (click for PDF download)


London Star quilt, 41 x 41”, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download)


Sapphire quilt, 61 x 61”, free pattern by Stephanie Sims for Clothworks (CLICK for PDF download)


Shibori Star quilt, 56 x 56”, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (click for PDF download)


Tropical Dash quilt, 64 x 64”, free pattern at Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)


Double Cross quilt, 48 x 48”, free pattern by Pam Rocco for Quilter’s Newsletter (CLICK for PDF download)

 

Fractured Jewels quilt, 54 x 54”, free pattern by Debby Kratovil for Windham Fabrics (click for PDF download)


Liberated String Medallion, ~38 x 38”, free pattern by Gwen Marston for American Quilters Society (CLICK for PDF download)

 
Lights On Broadway, 51 x 53”, free pattern at Hoffman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)


Rustic Autumn quilt, 86 x 103”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics  (CLICK for PDF download)



Greek Key quilt, 40 x 54”, free pattern by Pam Rocco for Quilters Newsletter (CLICK for PDF download)



Image credits: This post was updated on October 3, 2023. Individual 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. The photo montage shown on this page is a derivative work that is the property of Quilt Inspiration. We have uploaded several (retired) patterns to Google Drive for sharing; please do not copy and post the PDFs to your own website. If any links are broken, we'd love to know so we can fix the problem. Please email us at QuiltInspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.
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