inspiration thoughts

I recently was chatting with a new quilting friend and something she said has really stuck with me. She waited until she retired to learn quilting. She seems close to my age, so I think she was very smart and was able to retire early-but imagine waiting years to learn to quilt. She does wonderful quilting and is a delightful person.
We know we are all different and diverse people/quilters. Some stick to patterns and make a quilt "just like" the photo example. Others wander off on new paths creating their inner vision of a quilt. There is a wide world of types of quilting to explore. I can remember being too timid to cut into my fabric and overwhelmed by having to choose a pattern. An online friend suggested five inch squares and just stitch them up into rows. That was exactly what I did. I learned that fqs are not always enough fabric to make the pattern you want in your quilt. I learned to machine quilt straight lines on that quilt and my first charity quilt was done. That was back in January 2000.
I had done some quilting previously in my life, but, that date marks the real entry into full tilt quilting for me. I bought books, patterns, rulers, fabric, more fabric, lots of fabric and discovered quilt shops and fellow quilters online and then in person.

So, I made a few quilts before taking my first quilting classes. Almost all my ufos are from taking classes back in the early years, with a few more during the last few years of projects I wanted to try pattern ideas out on and then got sidetracked.

Inspiration? In the beginning, from books and quilts I saw in person. When the world expanded to include blogging and photos online-wow! inspiration overload is easy to have happen.

I noticed however, that lots of folks would see a quilt and be thrilled to make one close to it or just like it or their own version of it. And I did the same-with grateful thanks to those folks for sharing their pattern sources.

The years have gone by and now I find myself inspired more by my own ideas and wanting to capture them in fabric. I embraced Gwen Marston's whole playful - see-what-happens style of quilting. I have expanded into more abstract type playing and found validation in playing with straight lines - like those I drew as a doodling young student in class, being acceptable as a quilting design. I like quilting with little regard for rules or the "quilt police". And, I still enjoy doing a traditional patten quilt at times too.
The main change I have been mulling is: how I enjoy seeing what other quilters do, but, does that influence my own originality? Think about all the quilts you have seen and/or read about.
We know many folks come up with the same idea in the same time -a pattern independent of each other but so similar-who can say which person actually came up with it "first"? And, folks can share great ideas, but, someone else entirely can put that idea into a book and claim credit.
So, do you limit your exposure to others quilty ideas to stay un-influenced? It can be rather like writing music, with so much already out there, coming up with something "new" can be daunting.

I find it useful to take a break from the outside world and just focus on my own thing at times.
I think it is great fun to take someone's idea and allow it to be the springboard for your own work. I also think it is relaxing to follow someone's pattern and not have to think at all to make a beautiful quilt too. Today, you can chose to express your inspiration in your own way.

Tomorrow I am choosing to be inspired by all the wonderful quilts waiting at the Sisters Quilt Show. My camera is charged and I will come home to enjoy photo memories of the quilts I liked best.