The Works of Tara Faughnan (2)

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 !

Ramble, 85" x 88", by Tara Faughnan

This quilt would be so much fun to make! Tara Faughnan says, "An ode to embroidered ribbons, Ramble is my interpretation of a medallion quilt. I absolutely adore the colors and shapes, and the detail of this quilt. This is going to be the 2026 block of the month with Windham fabrics, and I am so excited to share this pattern with all of you."

Big Ocean (2023), 68" square, by Tara Faughnan 

This quilt is a take on a classic Amish quilt design: Ocean Waves. By working with a repeated shape, the interaction of color and value takes center stage. Tara says, "As I designed the quilt, I was thinking about the viewer's experience, inviting them to explore the close up moments of color, while allowing the interplay of values to create movement in the design.  As with everything I create, I strive to walk the line between harmony and discord."  Big Ocean was hand quilted.

Strips (2018), 60" square, by Tara Faughnan  

Tara Faughnan says that Strips started with a group of art quilters and a 4-day intensive class with Rosalie Dace.  "I have the privilege and joy to be part of a weekly quilt group comprised mostly of art quilters, who have introduced me to glue sticks and fusible web... This piece was born out of a desire to continue exploring line and form, and the subtle spaces in between." Strips was machine quilted.

 

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

 

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.

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (6)

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 ! 

Colors at Sunset (2024), made and quilted by Jared Moore

Tucked a way in a corner of the show were two outstanding wall quilts by Jared Moore, one with an autumn theme and the other with a springtime theme. Jared says, " I have an obsession with trees. For me, trees evoke an endless array of emotions and meaning." This outstanding collage is made with hundreds of tiny fabric pieces with the end result looking like a painting. The background light source reminds us of the rising moon, casting shadows of the tree on the forest floor.

The Tree (2024), made and quilted by Jared Moore.  

The Tree is intended to represent the Tree of Life blooming in spring.  Jared Moore says, "I am a self-taught amateur quilting artist. My quilts began out of a desire to create something interesting and beautiful, and turned into an outlet that expresses my feelings. I use fabric and quilting because I have no talent with any other medium. This is the only medium that I know... It is typically for this reason that I am unwilling to sell my quilts. They hold my thoughts and my feelings in a way that nothing else can."

Amish (2023) by Karen Martindale, quilted by Emmy Evans.

We love Amish quilts and it's rare to see such an outstanding *new* creation! Winner of a Blue Ribbon (Award of Excellence), Karen Martindale says: "My husband and I loved visiting Lancaster Pennsylvania. We visited the Quilt Museum that displayed the "Esprit Quilt Collection" of beautiful Amish quilts. Sadly, the museum closed permanently.  I've wanted to make an Amish quilt for a long time."

Karen adds, "I knew I wouldn't be able to do the massive quilting.  My hands and wrists said they wouldn't do it! so, Emmy [Evans] came to my rescue and did an awesome job!  She is the most talented longarm quilter!"

Just look at the gorgeous border quilting, below.

Summer Quilt Along (2022) by Kara Southwick, quilted by Charlene Nelson.

Kara Southwick says, "I love bright colors and had been collecting some while waiting for just the right quilt to come along. I knew when I saw a few of this quilt's blocks that my colors would pop.  I am so happy with how it turned out!"

Night Skies (2023) by Colette Lindemann, quilted by Judy Jackson. 

Winner of Honorable Mention, Colette Lindemann says: "Since my son likes astronomical anomalies, I wanted to make something along the lines of the northern lights by using bright fabrics against black.  I named the four center blocks (which represent the earth's 24-hour rotation) Morning Light, Sun So Bright, Evening Delight and Moon at Night.  The blue and green crosshatch blocks represent meteor showers.  Three of the purple blocks are constellations: Land-Bear's Paw (Ursa Major), Sea-Seahorse (Barnard 150 Cepheus) and Air-Soaring Eagle (Aquila). Others are various stars, comets or asteroids."

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.

Free pattern day! Trip Around the World quilts

We are pleased to introduce another Free Pattern Day! Trip Around the World quilts are one-block quilts made with squares. Sunshine and Shadow, for example, is a traditional Amish pattern in which the design is made with small squares of fabric that are arranged by color to form concentric rings.  

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. 

Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Vintage View – Mennonite Mosaic quilt, ~80" square, free pattern by Elizabeth Musser Weber for McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

Woven Fragments quilt, 60” square, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)  

Soleil quilt, ~60” square, free pattern by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)  

Pick Up Sticks quilt, 60” square, free pattern by Kim Schaefer for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Occasion placemats, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Amplify quilt, 65” square, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Beauty Sheen quilt, 74 x 56”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bullseye quilt, 68” square, free pattern by Ruby Star Society for Moda Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Celebration quilt, 78” square, Valori Wells, free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Checkmate quilt, 69 x 81", free pattern at Wilmington Prints (CLICK for PDF download)

Classic Large Throw Quilt, 66 x 72", free pattern at Wilmington Prints (CLICK for PDF download)

Diamant Quilt, 75 x 87”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

English Countryside quilt, 60 x 72", free pattern at Maywood Studio (CLICK for PDF download)

Flaunt quilt, 85” square, free pattern by Bari J for Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Flowers from France quilt, free pattern by Elise Lea for Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Garden Path quilt, 94” square, free pattern at RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Girlfriends quilt, 52 x 54”, free pattern by Marsha Evans Moore (CLICK for PDF download)

Happy Garden quilt, 82 x 98”, free pattern by Kona Bay Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Let’s Dance quilt, 82 x 92”, free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

May Meadows quilt, 75 x 87”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Nightfall Quilt, 61 x 66”, free pattern at Maywood Studio (CLICK for PDF download) 

Pollen and Petals quilt, 74” square, free pattern by Sarah Campbell for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

 Quietude quilt, 60" square, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Rainbow Flight quilt, 66 x 72", free pattern at Wilmington Prints (CLICK for PDF download)

Scrappy Trip quilt, ~58” square, free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Spontaneous quilt, 90 x 99”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Sweet Balance quilt, 87 x 99”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Trip Around France quilt or table topper, 39" square, free pattern by Janet Page Kessler for Benartex (CLICK for PDF download)

Trip Around the Rainbow mini quilt, ~16 x 19”, free pattern at McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download) 

Trip around the World baby quilt, 40 x 46", free pattern by Susan Emory for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Trip Around the World quilt, 57" square or 81" square, free pattern at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Trip Around the World quilt, 80" square, free vintage quilt pattern by RJR Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Tropical Swing quilt, 54 x 68", free pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Anthology Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) 

Baltimore Square quilt, ~80” square, free pattern by Debra Finan for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)  

Vintage View – Philadelphia Pavement quilt, 86” square, free pattern at McCalls Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

What a Trip quilt, 55” square, free pattern at APQS (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits: Note:  This post was updated on September 29, 2024.  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. If any links are broken, we'd love to know so we can fix it. Please email us at QuiltInspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.