I get asked quite often how I come up with all my scrap quilt ideas. I thought today I would share how I find my inspiration.
I know many quilters spend countless hours online looking at quilts or play with pad and paper or a software program like EQ7 designing up quilt blocks. While I do spend time doing all of these, my real inspiration comes from a pile of fabric. Once I hold fabric in my hand and see the sizes of the pieces, a quilt will start to form in my head.
When I go to my fabric for some Scrap-A-Palooza inspiration, I tend to start by identifying fabric that no longer fits in its storage location or a piece of fabric that is no longer loved and needs to go. I then just start digging around for other pieces that go with it. During this process, usually something forms in my mind and I come up with a plan.
My next Scrap-A-Palooza fabric pull started with the black and white fabrics. As I sew up my RSC15 blocks, I am left with pieces that are too small to use. Some of these pieces are only about 3" wide and I am sure I have other scraps that are even smaller. I really want to get these out of my stash.
I love to see bright colors paired with black and white prints so at first, I was pawing through my color bins to see what inspired me. Then I thought - Aha! This is a great project to use up some of my smaller chunks of solids. I have learned the hard way to not mix different lot numbers on solids so when I start a new project, I like to start with a large piece of yardage. So this leaves me lots of leftovers.
Perfect for a project like this one.
I really loved these turquoises with the pinks and purples so these will be my color palette. What will I do? The black and white prints are mostly long and narrow pieces. Some are very small chunks, others are the width of the fabric. To get the best yield, I need to use these in smaller pieces and keep it scrappy. The solid pieces are almost all width of fabric chunks. So I know I can have multiple pieces of each color. So I am thinking I will do something scrappy in the center of a block with the prints and frame them (somehow) with the solids.
Now I just need to start playing - I will soon share what I come up with!
How are you inspired?
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23 comments:
Nice bright color combination. It will be fun to see what you do. Thanks for sharing your creative thinking process. I'm still learning mine.
What a great palette! I look forward to seeing it progress and really appreciate you sharing your thought process.
Looks like a good start. I'll be watching to see what you make of it...
I am inspired a lot like you are too.
I find a fabric I like and dive in and find things to go with, sometimes I keep adding while making it, just needs more of this or that. Love your stack of fabric scraps, which I don't call scraps,lol. They are big hunks!
I make piles of fabrics that inspire me, and draw a little drawing of what I think they might become, then they sit awhile... Sometimes they move up in the Q, and sometimes, they go back into the Stash!! We never know, my piles and I!! But when a color combo won't let go, that's when I know to start trying to find a pattern or idea in the world that inspires me to think of those colors!! XX!
I can't wait to see what you make with this color combination. I love black and white prints with brights! I know it will be absolutely fabulous!
Its going to be gorgeous!
I have always loved black and white with solids, especially turquoise, so I know I'll love your scrappy quilt no matter how you make it.
Anything, no everything inspires me. I just look around and see quilts....a tiled bathroom wall, a carpet, old buildings, the person for whom I'm making the quilt and, of course, fabric.
I like it already!
What inspires me? Fabric, and colour, or trying out a new technique, or maybe I have a specific person in mind who needs a handmade gift. And some of those old antique quilts are very exciting,and what about those scrappy quilts that mix up fabrics that might not really go together, but they work somehow!
Look forward to seeing what you do with the bright solids and the b&w.
I can get inspired in so many different ways. Sometimes it is by the fabrics like you talk about here; sometimes it is something I see around me that inspires a design, and sometimes an idea just pops fully formed into my mind (that is rare, but has happened a few times!). It will be fun to see what you come up with!
This is an interesting post! I love processes and ideas more than finishes sometimes!
Love the black and white prints. Would never have put turquoise and purple together. I love seeing what others do.
My ideas usually come from seeing a quilt pattern I like, and can sew! As a beginner I tend to stick to squares. Someday I'll branch out.
I hope someday, with experience, I will be able to put colors together, but for now I am inspired by people like you! And I love those colors together. :)
Aquas and berries, paired with the black and white...I'm drooling already. Thank you for sharing your process; I love getting a glimpse into quilt designers' brains.
This will be a fun one to watch!! I love your color palette!
I am eagerly awaiting your progress on this quilt. I have lots of scraps like you just showed. When I make my small quilt scrap projects, I also just try to use what I have to inspire the design.
Cyndy these fabrics look fabulous together! How interesting to read about your process and how fabric inspired you to design. Sometimes it happens like that for me too. But most of the time I get and idea dn then look for the perfect fabrics.
Thank you so very much for the information on how you come up with your scrappy design ideas. You truly inspire me.
I am still figuring out how I get inspired! I do know I have been inspired to try different color combinations and go outside of my typical fabric selections by voraciously reading quilt bloggers like you!
P.S. Forgot to say, I can't wait to see what you do with these beautiful colors!
Fun reading everyones comments. I haven't really thought about how I create. Sometimes I'm inspired by the fabric. Sometimes I'm inspired by a pattern. Sometimes I'm inspired by what someone wants....with those I start sketching. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea! LOL!!! (LIke my made fabric pinwheels...funny huh!) Looking forward to your finish.
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