Inspiration - Where does it come from??

I often get asked how I decide what quilt I'd like to do and how I chose my colors. Sometimes I don't really have as many choices as you'd think - students ask for very specific classes so I do quilts to fit the requests. Same thing with colorways - if the quilt is for a class then I will chose colors that are most likely to appeal to a variety of people.

BUT when I am choosing for myself - an entirely different set of 'rules' take over. Unfortunately I don't always have a lot of time left over after class samples to make things specifically for me. That is the reality of being a quilting teacher - what you want to do for yourself takes a back seat to what needs to be done first. This is not a complaint because I love what I do and I get so much pleasure from teaching that it is a small trade off. When I get to the point that I no longer enjoy teaching then I will stay home and sew just for me!!

Surprisingly having to sew for others tastes has actually made me a better quilter. It has forced me to use colors that I wouldn't have used - pastels - I love bold contrasts - and it has made me look at patterns not the colors that were used in a quilt or project. It has also made me re-evaluate patterns and the ways in which we sew our quilts together. There is nothing like the challenge of a student to ask why you are doing something this way to make you think about just why you do sew in the way that you do...... are you doing it this way because it's the only way you know or is it truly the best way to do it??


If you are feeling very comfortable and haven't done anything challenging in a while - get out of that comfort zone and tackle something new - a new colorway - a new quilt pattern - take a class - anything and you'll be surprised at what it does for your creative juices......