As most of you know, when it comes to making a quilt, we are often inspired by EITHER the fabric or a design.

Sometimes we buy fabric and then just tell ourselves we will use it up- and we either do or don’t. That’s not my point here.

Then there are others of us who have fallen for a design as I did with the argyle bargello which I saw in a book. We then go looking for fabrics to help us make that particular design.

So what inspires me?

I believe for me, it is MOSTLY the fabric.

I have a much harder time figuring out what to do if I don’t have an inkling of what fabric to use. I know there must be a whole bunch of us like this. If I am going to do a design, but don’t have direction on the fabric, I am really at a loss of where to start.

This is why I am having a hard time and yet an easy time with these panels my sis is asking me to make patterns for.

She has given me a panel or list of panels she has a lot of and wants to help people with good ideas for. That’s helpful. It is easier to be pointed in a direction than to say, “Come up with something!” My husband said it is sort of like when he has to preach a sermon and he is doing a series. Deciding what to preach on is much easier when there is a series than having to choose a passage or topic from the whole Bible! I guess I do that with my 2” series of strips and squares or my UP Blues or UP Greens series.

I limited myself to those colors and suddenly creativity blossoms. When I just have to “make something” it is difficult to know what to do. The whole world is a stage is a actually difficult for me. Tell me to “make something celebrating your town” and suddenly ideas start percolating.

So what is it with you?

Do you find yourself being inspired MOSTLY by fabrics or by patterns/designs?

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this quilting journey of mine! Have a great day!

Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store here!