QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
Apparently one of my popular posts in 2007 here at Quilting and Patchwork was More Free Quilting and Patchwork Patterns.  This is a topic many quilters desire more information about.
I recently discovered another great listing of free quilting patterns at Quilting With Alison.  She has found resources among supply manufacturers, fabric distributors and retailers that might interest you.
Alison has just started her quilting blog, but I’m impressed with her information and musings.
(c)2007 Mary Emma Allen

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
I’ve heard of several quilters recently who have been recycling men’s shirts into quilts. 
*These might be shirts from a family member and thus evoke memories.
*They could be shirts you’ve acquired at a second hand store and thought would make a colorful quilt.
*You might have some colorful shirts with Hawaiian prints that would be very striking in a quilt.
*They may be shirts you were going to get rid of and then had an “Ah! Ha!” moment when you decided they’d make good fabric for a quilt.
Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom at Design*Sponge created an interesting quilt from some of Derek’s shirts and …read more

I’d never seen a Bug Jar Quilt until yesterday.  Now I seem to see them wherever I look!
 Has this become the latest fad or craze in the quilting world?  They are fascinating and some patterns appear very easy to make. 
Bug Jar Quilts simply consist of jar shapes, representing those children use for catching lightening bugs.  These jars are cut from various fabrics with bug designs.  (Although these that Janet Wickell shows at the links below show fish in a jar.)  What interesting possibilities!
Janet Wickell, at About.com: quilting, in her post, Bug Jar Quilt Block Duo, says:
A word of caution — bug …read more

Would you like a quilt in opulent autumn colors?  Jen at so you wanna be a Domestik Goddess? has a pattern with suggested autumn colors on her blog.  Check out Crossing Paths: Free Quilt Pattern for inspiration as you head into autumn.
My daughter tends toward autumn colors and leaf motifs in many of her quilts and fabric art.  In fact she’s making a hanging to submit in an exhibit today, and it consists of falling leaves against a green, rust, and brown background, some of these made from her hand dyed or sun dyed fabrics. 
What are you doing in your quilting world …read more

As I browsed around Jen’s so you wannabee a Domestik Goddess? blog I discovered a number of free quilt patterns. 
Anna Maria Horner’s inner gypsy had to have been at play when she designed her 22 Lollipops Quilt and Bohemium Quilt – and the fabric collections that inspired them, too, mentions Jen.
The fabrics in the quilts shown on Jen’s blog remind me of fabrics my aunt and grandmother used in their quilts and dressmaking in the 1940s.  Lots to reminisce there for quilters who created quilts then…or those who like that type of fabric.  Anna Maria has adapted these fabrics into her …read more

The Lone Star Quilt is a beautiful pattern but looks so difficult to make with it’s many intricate pieces. 
              
You’ll discover many variations of this old time quilt and a number of ways to make it.  At Quilted Paradise, there are explicit instructions for piecing the Lone Star Quilt , thus creating a fabulous family heirloom .  

Redwork, a popular type of quilting in the mid to late 1800s, consisted of creating designs by embroidering with red floss on muslin background.  Since pre-printed squares, as well as a skein of  floss often could be purchased for one cent each, redwork also was referred to as “penny squares.” 
This type of quiltmaking is gaining in popularity again.  Quilters can do the embroidery work by hand or by machine these days.
At QuiltedParadise.com, you’ll discover a great deal of information about Redwork…its history along with instructions on how to do it by hand and by machine.
Also, there are a number of books available with …read more

I’ve noticed a number of quilting sites that offer free patterns for various projects.  Among those with interesting patterns is Goldern Quilts, which offers “free quilt patterns from past issues of McCall’s Quick Quilts.”
The directions are very precise and give fabric amounts, pattern pieces, and construction  tips.  Some of the patterns are:  Summer Spirit, 30s Something, A Beary Merry Christmas, A Day at the Beach, Americana Star, Autograph Album, and many others.
            For more pattern ideas, you can always pick up a book of patterns.

Quilters usually are thrilled when they can find patterns, blocks of the month, classes, and other information at no charge.  At Victoriana Quilt Designs , you’ll find many of these at no cost.
There also is a great deal of information for the beginning quilter.
Are there any sites you’ve discovered that you find particularly helpful and offer, as well, patterns at no charge.

             Quilts with a flower garden theme often remind me of my grandmother who taught me to make patchwork quilts.  Then when I see the Grandmother’s Flower Garden design, I think of the lovely flowers that abounded in the yard of her farmhouse.    We had flowers at our farm, but nothing compared with those at Trails End Farm. 
I have photos of family gatherings.  Somehow the background for many was the flowers that grew in their gardens. 
(The Dresden Flower Graden book above also brings to mind the lovely dinnerware Nanny brought out for special meals we enjoyed around her dining table, …read more