Quilters remember September 11, 2001

At 8:56 am on September 11, 2001, the first plane struck the World Trade Center.  In response to 9-11, many quilters expressed their sorrow, compassion and love, in words and in cloth. We feel privileged to be able to share some inspired works with you.

9-11 Quilt, by Jennifer Myers, at Art Quilts by Jen

"The background for this quilt was designed and completed about a year before 9/11 happened. It sat on my design wall all of that time because I didn't know how to finish it. Then when 9/11 happened, it finished itself. The twin towers are hand beaded with hundreds of tiny beads. The blue streaks represent the blue lights that shone in the New York sky following the disaster, and the windows and doors at the bottom of the quilt represent the debris." ~Jennifer Myers

New Tears, by Kim Ritter, at Kim Ritter.com

"Tears that burst from my eyes were unlike any I had ever shed before - sad, angry, jagged, unbelieving." ~Kim Ritter (published in America from the Heart)

Twin Towers Quilt and Pattern, by BJ Reed, at Piecemaking, LLC

"The three dimensional design represents the Twin Towers in New York City and, on reflection, how our lives in the USA will forever be changed." ~BJ Reed

Waves 1, by Beth Carney, at Beth Carney Studio

"I looked out my window and saw the candles flickering as flags waved in the wind. Our colors were standing strong and proud. Wave after wave." ~Beth Ann Carney (for the full quotation, see America from the Heart)

River of Tears, by Helen Simon, at Helen's Harvest

"This quilt, published in America from the Heart, expresses my anguish and hope for America." ~Helen Simon

Editor's note: The book America from the Heart is a powerful tribute to September 11. All of the quilts were made in the five short weeks following the tragedy.

Lady Liberty, by Gretchen Crozier, based on the design by Linda Hibbert at Silver Linings Originals

Some of the most enduring images of 9-11 were those of the Statue of Liberty, holding her torch high, amidst the smoke and destruction. The pattern is available at Silver Linings Originals.

Flight 93 Memorial Quilt, by 911 Memorial Quilts, including detail of the Flight 93 block

"Days after September 11, 2001, Jeannie Ammermann founded America’s 9-11 Memorial Quilts Organization. Jeannie began her quest with a few people who believed in her mission, and today, more than 500 volunteers across America have joined in this thread-of-life memorial. It is our hope to memorialize those we lost in a compassionate and uplifting way, with great respect, dignity and honor, to heal hearts and preserve memories for years to come. ~Teri Jahn

Ground Zero Quilt, by Lois Jarvis, at Lois Jarvis Quilts

"I hope (the quilt) will show the viewer that the individual people on this quilt, the happy smiling people at work and at play, the brides and grooms, the fathers and mothers, the young so full of promise and the old with so much still to offer, who all perished that day, are the important things to remember." ~ Lois Jarvis

Editor's note: The Ground Zero Quilt has been viewed by over 2,000,000 visitors through Lois Jarvis' website, and installed at 90 group and solo exhibitions nationwide. For more information, visit the Ground Zero Quilt website.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  We first posted these quilts on September 10, 2010.

Welcome to the September Giveaway !

To celebrate the arrival of a new season, here is our September Giveaway ! We have five prizes, including new, name-brand fabrics. All prizes come from smoke-free, pet-free homes and are in excellent condition, free of stains, rips, or tears.

To enter the contest, please write us a brief comment below. If you win, we will mail out your prize to you free of charge. The contest ends at midnight on Saturday, September 10. We will draw the winners' names at random and announce them on Monday, September 12. We would really love to hear from ALL of you, as we have such fun with the Giveaways !

Hoffman California Fabrics, Bali Batiks, Ocean and Azure

If you cannot escape to the waters of the South Seas right now, here's a great alternative. Two strikingly beautiful Bali Handpaints from Hoffman, these pure, entrancing colors are both restful and exciting.  We liked them so much we bought extra, about half a yard of each fabric  (for a total of one yard)  so that we could share them with you.  

$ 10.00 Gift Card from  Jo-Ann Crafts

Jo-Ann is a great source for name brand scissors, rulers, mats, rotary cutters, and every other gadget a quilter's heart desires. If you're in the U.S.A., you can use the gift card for purchases in store, over the phone, or on the internet.

If you are outside the U.S.A, please let us know in the comments below. If your name is drawn as a prize winner, we'll  arrange for you to receive one of the other very cool gifts in this Giveaway.

At Home With Thimbleberries Quilts by Lynette Jensen

From  Minnesota in the American heartland, quilt teacher and author Lynette Jensen  is well known for her fabrics and designs of warm, welcoming, country-style quilts. This 200 page book begins with a full color tour of Lynette's own home, featuring quilts as decor in each room. . It then progresses to 25 quilt patterns and decorating projects, with very well-organized, easy-to-follow instructions and useful tips.  If you're ready to start some holiday sewing in advance, check out the 8 Christmas projects here, including the charming "Christmas Apple" pattern shown on the cover.

Valley of the Kings fabrics by Robert Kaufman

Robert Kaufman's Valley of the Kings collection comprises opulent, luxurious designs inspired by the treasures of Ancient Egypt. These fascinating patterns are adorned with glittering gold leaf and would make an elegant addition to a fabric stash. We're looking for a good home for these lovely new fabrics, about one-half yard of each, for a total of one yard.

Quilter's Newsletter, August-September 2011, and Quilt Magazine, October 2011

Hot off the press, here are the current issues of two favorites,  Quilt Magazine and Quilters Newsletter.  Get ready for over 20 new patterns and 150 pages combined of the latest feature articles, advice,  and updates from the fabulous world of quilting. Pull up a comfy chair and take a relaxing break by browsing through these fun and inspiring magazines.

Now it's your turn !  Please leave us a brief comment below so that we can enter you into the Giveaway. Winners' names will be drawn at random and will be announced on Monday, September 12.

Free pattern day ! Bird houses

Here is our second Free Pattern Day ! There are wonderful patterns for bird houses, including these famous designers:  Pat Sloan, Laura Wasilowski, Heidi Pridemore, Anna Maria Horner, and more.  These bird houses make us happy... we hope you enjoy them !

Tweet Street, free quilt pattern, 31 x 41", for the Nikki fabric collection by Pat Sloan for P&B Textiles

Tweet street, 55 x 65",  fabric collection by Sue Zipkin, free quilt pattern by September Olson for Clothworks

Perch, quilt designed by Heidi Pridemore for Timeless Treasures, for the fabric group "Perch" by Alice Kennedy, as seen at Quilted Strait

Birdhouse in the Country, 9 x 7", free quilt pattern from the Unusual Terrain series, by Laura Wasilowski at ArtFabrik

Spring Birdhouse block, 12" x 12", free pattern by Rebecca Kuck at The Golden Thimble

Birdcage on a Chain, free pattern, by Anna Maria Horner for Free Spirit Fabric
 

 

Bird Cage pillow, free pattern, by Rebecca Johnson at Chasing Cottons, as seen at Sew Mama Sew

Birds of a feather, 32 x 50", free quilt pattern, at TLC Home

Pumpkat, Podcats and other Garden Patch quilts

Our fascination with cat quilts began last year, with a series called The Best of Cat Quilts.  Some fantastic new entries in the "Best Of" category have been accumulating in our inbox. Meanwhile, we checked into the latest developments in Helene Knott's Garden Patch Cats collection (there are now 18 different cats !)

Pumpkat, about 18 x 18", by Helene Knott at KittyStomp

A minimalist rendition of Pumpkat, below,  is available in a laser-cut quilt kit at Sue's Solar:

Pumpkat (above) and Podcats (below) are perennial favorites...

Each little quilt measures 18 x 18" and includes a recipe for the vegetable represented in the quilt. Here are several more designs in the series:  Catus Romanus (includes a recipe for Greek Salad Tonnato), Pepper Puss (includes a recipe for Southwestern Stuffed Peppers) and Stalker (Cream of Chicken and Winter Vegetable Soup).

 

And there is even a banana cat....

 
Helene Knott is a designer and teacher whose art quilts have received worldwide acclaim.  StoryQuilts carries Helene's Garden Patch Cats patterns, along with her Postcards from Japan.

School Days

This time of year, the school bells ring again for so many of us and our children.  A house on a quilt is a symbol of our community and our lives together in society. It's no wonder that house quilts remind us of comfort and the togetherness of family, friends, and neighbors. They really appeal to us, maybe because "home is where the heart is." 

Little Old One Room Schoolhouse,  23 x 27", by Ruth Powers, at Ruth Powers Art Quilts

The traditional schoolhouse of the frontier, complete with a bell tower, beckons us back to learning, as leaves swirl in the early autumn breeze.  Quilt designer Ruth Powers offers this charming scene as a pattern, along with so many other beautiful designs.

Little Houses, 48 x 60", by Ruth Powers, at Ruth Powers Art Quilts

Ruth writes, "Much of my work is inspired by nature;  my daily walks fill my senses with color and design possibilities." In creating Little Houses, Ruth has done an excellent job of selecting different blues and greens for the sky and earth, while selecting the complementary colors of bright orange and orange-red for the homes. Ruth notes that this is a great pattern for using up fat quarters and scraps.

Welcome Home, 64 x 64", by Alex Anderson,at Alex Anderson Quilts

Here's a delightful neighborhood of cheerful houses done in russet and gold. Internationally-famous designer Alex Anderson has brightened the traditional fall quilt by adding contemporary colors of aqua blue and rose pink which make the maple leaves and houses sparkle against the dark background. Easily pieced using half square triangles, "Welcome Home" has become a classic best-seller from JWD Publishing. You can view all of Alex Anderson's books and patterns at Alex Anderson Quilts.

Schoolhouse Block, 19 x 22", from "There's No Place Like Home" by Sonya Chinn, at Sonya's Snippets

Long-arm quilter Sonya, creator of the Sonya's Snippets blog, sewed this charming applique scene as one of the blocks for a block-of-the-month quilt which she calls 'There's No Place Like Home'. This quilt was based on "Home Is Where the Heart Is", a block-of-the-month from The Stitch Connection.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  These quilts appeared in a series of articles on house quilts, including Our Town and Our Town Part 2.

Free Pattern Day: Halloween

Here is our first Free Pattern Day ! We have a huge stash of free patterns in our Free Quilt Inspiration Archive (like more than 50 mb altogether) and we are excited about sharing them with you. We’ll be putting a new Free Pattern Index tab at the top of this page so you can see what we’ve posted as we go along. Of course, we’ll continue to add new free patterns we've found to our sidebar. Let’s get started with more than 25 free projects for Halloween*.

Jack-o-Lanterns and Pumpkins

Row 1: "Applique Jack-o-Lantern", free pattern, by Kimara and Michelle, at Wee Folk Art; "Jack’s Lantern", by Lyn Brown at LynBrown.com. Row 2: "Jack-o-Lantern", free pattern, by Sonja Callaghan at Artisania; Halloween Wall Hanging, free pattern, by Carol R. Zentgraf at James Thompson & Co. Row 3: "Oh pumpkin, My pumpkin", free pattern, by Jennifer Morgan and Linda Ambrosini for Hoffman Fabrics – Bali Batiks, free pattern download here. Row 4: "Country Pumpkin Patch", free pattern, at The Learning Channel

Li'l Pumpkin table topper, free pattern, by Tammy German and Brenda Bailey, at Pie Plate Patterns 

Black cats, pumpkins, and the moon

Halloween Applique Scene, free pattern, by Christina Sherrod at Crafts and Fabric Links

Stairway to Cat Heaven, by Marty Mason at Marty's Fiber Musings

The free applique templates and fabric requirements for "Stairway to Cat Heaven" are available from a McCalls Quilting Archive. The complete original pattern, by Barbara Dubovsky, can be purchased from the Quilt and Sew Shop.  This quilt also appeared in the Best of Cat Quilts series at Quilt Inspiration.

Simply Spooky, free pattern, by Pearl P. Pereira for Red Rooster Quilts

Haunted Jacks, free quilt pattern for the 2011 Spellbound fabric collection for Andover Fabrics, by Renee Nanneman of Need’l Love, free pattern download available at FabShopNews

Jack Patchwork wall hanging, free pattern by Sue Thornton-Gray for Janome

Autumn Whimsy wall hanging as seen at Fabric Mom, free pattern by Debbie Mumm

Henrietta Whiskers block-of-the-month quilt project, by Anne Sutton at Bunny Hill Designs, free patterns (until November 2011)

Spiders and SpiderWebs

Itsy Bitsy Spiders, Wall Hanging Tutorial**, at AJ's Bowtique

Spooky Spun Sugar Little Quilt, Tutorial, by Vickie E., at Spun Sugar Quilts

Spiderweb Quilt, Tutorial, by Jackie Reeve at The Orange Room 

Spiders in My Attic, free pattern, at QuiltBug (a kit is also available under Quilt Bug's Quilt Kits)

Witches, bats, vampires, and the Project of Doom 

Witch and Halloween Kitty, free patterns, by Sonja Callaghan at Artisania

 
Free vampire and Harry Potter patterns by Jennifer Ofenstein at Sewhooked

Row 1: "Vampire Fangs", by Jennifer Ofenstein at Fandom In Stitches and “Bats”, from the Free Patterns Page at Sewhooked. Row 2: “Hedwig” (Week 11 block)  and “Cauldron with Felix Felicis” (Week 29 block) for the 2011 Harry Potter “Project of Doom” block-of-the-week project.

True Blood, free block patterns by Lilja Björk Sigurdórsdóttir at Lilijabs and Catherine Magraith at Fandom In Stitches

The designers of these free paper-pieced patterns are members of Fandom in Stitches, a design collective started by Jennifer Ofenstein of Sewhooked, to pay tribute to book characters like Harry Potter. Their extensive and unique designs includes many that will delight the kids in your life at Halloween.

Applique motifs and more mini quilts

Row 1:  “Say Boo” wall hanging tutorial and pattern, by AnneMarie at GenXQuilters. "Haunted House on the Hill", free pattern by Elizabeth Hill, at Purple Kitty Yarns. Row 2: “Halloween Treat” mini quilt, free pattern, by Sandra E. Andersen at A Legacy of Stitches

Spiderweb free-motion quilting, free video tutorial, by Leah Day at The Free Motion Quilting Project

*Image credits:  All 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.  If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at Quilt Inspiration.  Looking for a particular free pattern?  Email us and we'll see if it's in our archives ! **Tutorials vs. Patterns:  We've debated this topic, and decided to include some tutorials if they are patterns for making complete quilts or blocks. For example, "Itsy Bitsy Spider", Spooky Spun Sugar Quilt" and "Spiderweb Quilt" are called tutorials but they are really online patterns that include fabric requirements and step-by-step instructions, as well as in-progress photos.