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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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.

Highlights of the Houston International Quilt Festival! (2)

We had a wonderful time at the Houston International Quilt Festival! We enjoyed seeing 1200 quilts from around the world, and are excited to share photos of our favorites... here is Part 2!

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FIRST PLACE - Pictorial:  Peony Dream by Chen Jing (Beijing, China)

Winner of a blue ribbon in the Pictorial quilt category, Peony Dream was perfect in every detail, from the portrait itself to the oversized peonies and the elaborate embroidery in the borders.

The centers of the peonies were embellished with small pieces of fabric or ribbon, giving a 3-D effect as shown below.

 

Innova Master Award for Contemporary Artistry: Color My World by Karen Kay Buckley

Color My World features applique and embroidery that completely fills the spaces. Each block contains a critter (insect, animal, bird); some are hidden and some are obvious.

Maryland by Martine Crabe-Lanux (France)

This gorgeous quilt was based on a Baltimore Album quilt, circa 1847.  It is beautifully hand appliqued and hand quilted. The quilt took 3000 hours to complete over 2.5 years. Check out the tiny hand quilting stitches!

Kaleidoscope Garden by Judy Ballance (USA), quilted by Patty Wilson 

This quilt sparkles with bright colors and strong contrasts! Wool applique and hand embroidery lend a dimensional effect to the appliqued blocks.  Winner of a Third Place award in the Balanced Piecing and Applique category, this quilt is based on the Fairground quilt pattern by Wendy Williams.

 

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

Which Witch's Boot

October is in full swing and so are seasonal projects! Here's an adorable embroidered wall quilt featuring a witch's boot filled with candies, jack-o-lanterns, and fun, funky flowers. The finished center medallion  is colorized with wax crayons. The custom quilting adds the perfect touch!

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Which Witch's Boot by Susan Foster, quilted by Darcy Brown.  

Susan Foster says, "Like many quilters, my list of hobbies is extensive.  I was thrilled this cute decorative Halloween piece offered me an opportunity to try my hand at wax crayon colorization and tinting and combine it with my love of embroidery and patchwork quilting.  What a fun seasonal project this was!"  

The yellow award ribbon hanging on the right of the quilt denotes a third-place finish at this 2025 show. The closeup, below, shows Susan's beautiful embroidery along with Darcy Brown's expert quilting.

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

Candy Corn Quilt Shop

Quilters can't help but enjoy the whimsical elements of this machine embroidered Halloween quilt! The wall quilt celebrates your favorite haunt with patchwork, pincushions, and more. Three witches share their spook-tacular projects, and there’s a sale on “bat quarters” and fabric bolts!

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Candy Corn Quilt Shoppe, 40" square, made and quilted by Linda Matteotti.  

This whimsical design uses machine embroidery, machine applique and piecing to create a quilt that is joyful to view. It is based on the Candy Corn Quilt Shop design by Kimberbell. The maker, Linda Matteotti says: "This pattern by Kimberbell Designs made me smile the first time I saw it.  It was a fun experience to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and hope it will make others smile." 

The closeup photo below shows the details, including a plaque reading "Broom Parking: All Others Will Be Stitched in the Ditch" and "Sit & Stitch a Spell."

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

Wonky Wildflowers

Wonky Wildflowers is a fun mix of quilting and hand embroidery. With wonky log cabin blocks, wedge grass, Dresden sunshine, hexagon embellishments and embroidered flower petals, this project is as much fun to create as it is to look at. We love this colorful rendition, shown at the Arizona Quilters Guild show.

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Wonky Wildflowers, made and quilted by Teresa Darling

 

A Dresden sun shines down on the embroidered flowers while a bluebird sings on a branch. Teresa Darling says she enjoyed this project as it gave me a chance to use a variety of techniques. The Wonky Wildflowers pattern is by Sandra Workman. We photographed this quilt at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show, under the theme Sew Whimsical.

 Image credits: Photos were tkane by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

The Beauty in Cross Stitch

This post is a tribute to embroidery, to quilting, and to moms everywhere.  So many of us learned to sew and quilt from our moms and/or grandmas, and we remember their patience and love in teaching us these skills.  Happy (upcoming) Mothers Day to all!

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The Beauty in Cross Stitch by Myrt Gehring (Utah), quilted by Carole Lifferth.  

Myrt Gehring did the beautiful cross stitch and other embroidery on this quilt, which was exhibited at the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show. She says, "I'm dedicating this quilt to my mom! She was an awesome seamstress and taught me so much." The interlocking hearts were made with lines of red cross stitch, filled in with delicate sprigs of flowers.

Myrt says, "[My mom] taught me how to sew, crochet and embroider.  Now my passion is for quilting.  I wish she were here to see and share it with me.  I love creating from all the beautiful fabrics we have to choose from! My mother would love it, too." 

We admire the detailed borders, including a pleated pink fabric trimmed with crocheted loops.

Carole Lifferth (@quiltingloft) did some spectacular machine quilting, dividing the blocks into smaller areas to create intricate quilting designs which add so much to this lovely quilt.
 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

Floral Album Quilts: Celebrating the Garden!

Album quilts, which show a variety of blocks, are on almost everyone's list of favorite quilt patterns.  They provide great visual interest and are often a valuable source of inspiration for your next project. Perfect for spring, here are some floral album quilts we admired at a recent show!

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90th Birthday Quilt, made and quilted by Robin Walton

This quilt is gorgeous done in soft hues and batik fabrics! Winner of an award for her hand quilting, Robin Walton says: "The quilt was made for my mother-in-law in her favorite colors: blue and white. Her many trips to Japan inspired me to use blocks published by Susan Briscoe [from the book, "Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match" by Susan Briscoe (2007).]  We admire Robin Walton's beautiful hand quilting as seen in the block below.

 Color Play with Circles, made and quilted by Janet Rupp  

This spectacular quilt has beautiful wool applique blocks in a profusion of colors! Winner of an award for Exemplary Machine Applique, this quilt was inspired by Ericka Kaprow's book titled Everything's Blooming: 30 Floral Wool Applique Quilt Blocks.  Placing them on an off-white print allows the applique work to stand out. Check out the embroidery work which adds a lovely finishing touch.

Wild Artichokes by Christine Nelson, quilted by Barbara Logullo  

These blocks are perfectly proportioned.  The olive green hues remind us of a Renaissance work of art! This pieced and appliqued design is based on a pattern by Vicki Stratton called Wild Artichokes.

The quilter had fun using her creativity in quilting this piece: It's hard to see in photos, but the green quilted areas include dragonflies, beetles, spiders, bees, butterflies, flowers and other motifs!

 Circle of Posies On Point, made and quilted by Karen Kelter

Wreaths, tulips, hearts, and green leaves make up a garden of blocks. Karen Kelter says that these blocks were an option in a BOM program, circa 2007, at the Quilt Basket [a local shop].  "It was my first attempt at machine applique.  It took a while to choose a palette in which to present them.  It is so gratifying to get them out of my UFO pile." Here's a lovely block featuring a basket of red tulips:

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

The CIRCLES quilt challenge (1)

We love quilt challenges!  One of the best we've seen recently was the national CIRCLES challenge, which has been traveling the country. Initiated by the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ), the challenge was to create an original piece (up to 20") using the provided yellow and blue fabric cut into circles. There were so many creative entries. Which are your favorites?

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In Tandem by Kathie Eubank (Urbandale, IA)

Whimsical and artistic come to mind when viewing this portrait quilt.  Kathi Eubank says that In Tandem reflects the right brain/left brain dichotomy. As she explains, the right side seeks creativity and is free-spirited.  The left side represents logic,and searches for precision and accuracy.  Both sides must work in tandem when judging quilts to evaluate design versus workmanship."

Is 62 Enough by Linda McCuean (New Galilee, PA)

This dynamic piece gives off great vibes! Linda McCuean says, "I had to think awhile to come up with a little quilt that screamed "circles"!  Designed from the center out, I just kept adding more circles until it told me "enough".

Phases by Mary Zesiger (Chandlersville, OH)

This simple yet elegant piece highlights the circle shapes against the black-and-white half-square triangles. The various prints add further interest. Rhis piece was well designed and well made.

Total Eclipse by Karen Kendo (Harleyville, SC)

Karen Kendo says, "My inspiration came from the solar eclipse that occurred on April 8 of 2024, along with the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler.  I struggled with the design layout until I saw a meme on social media that illustrated the interaction of the sun and moon during a solar eclipse with Oreo cookies!" As shown below, embroidered flames emanate from the heart at the center of this quilt.

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

 

Pretty in Pink!

Pink is a delicate color that represents romance and femininity, and feelings of love, tenderness, and hope.  At recent quilt shows we enjoyed some beautiful pink quilts including two that came from challenges.  We hope you enjoy our post!

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The Elvis Dress, made and quilted by Katherine Verbeke

This quilt was made for the 2020 Cherrywood Challenge, which was to take inspiration from Diana, Princess of Wales, to create a unique quilt using a limited color palette: pink and white.  The quilt was accepted among 224 other quilts and traveled the world at various prestigious quilt shows with her final destination on display at the Bohin Factory Museum in Paris, France, in 2022.

Katherine Verbeke says, "Ever since she first emerged in the public spotlight, Diana Spencer has been my favorite Royal. Lovingly named "The Elvis Dress" by her son Prince William, this particular pose is beautifully enchanting - the Princess smile, the tilt of her head, her eyes - all sum up the perfect princess. Not being a graphic artist myself, my friend Lisa Fryxell converted a lovely Lady Diana photo into a paper piecing pattern exclusively for me for the 2020 Cherrywood Challenge." The lower part was covered in silver seed beads, representing the Elvis dress as Diana wore it.

You can check out more than 200 fabulous Diana quilts from this challenge online at the Cherrywood website:

Geese Crossing by Jolene Ficklin 

 

We love this unique and beautiful quilt! Except for the flying geese border, the blocks in this quilt were createc with cross stitch embroidery!  Jolene Ficklin says, "The 6 marked blocks for embroidery were given to me at least 15 years ago by my friend who was downsizing.  Working only while traveling or when extremely bored, it is finally finished.  The color choices are mine and most interesting is the embroidery cross-stitch flying geese. Thus the piecing called out to me.  The blocks were fron Wonder Art Needle Craft Corp, dated 1985."

 

Paint Chip Challenge (2022) by Charlene Nelson (South Jordan, UT)

This quilted table topper with its giant hexagons showcases Charlene Nelson's beautiful machine quilting!  It resulted from a quilt group challenge using a paint chip to guide the color choice. (Shown below is the paint chip - Taffy Twist - in the lower left corner of the quilt.

Charlene explains the challenge: "Our quilt group decided to do a paint chip challenge in 2022.  Two people picked out some beautiful paint chips with very few extras.  They were put in a bag and we each drew one.  you had one opportunity for a second draw at the end, or you could exchange you paint chip with someone else.  The rules were that the paint chip color you drew was the main color and background, and you could use one other color.  you could use different values of the paint chip.  My quilt is a table topper.  I used Victoria Findlay Wolfe's large templates.  We had six months to finish the quilt."

Image credits: Photos were taken at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show (The Elvis Dress and Geese Crossing) and the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Paint Chip Challenge).

If you enjoyed this post you might also like our Free Pattern Day for PINK quilts (CLICK HERE!)