Inspirations

Where do I find inspiration for my free motion quilting designs?  Lots of places! 

Of course, I look at the work of other free motion quilters.  There are a lot of great quilters out there, and looking at quilts they have made is always inspirational.  Quilt shows are great sources of inspiration, big shows and little shows.  I've noticed recently that the level of free motion machine quilting is rising all the time.  It's wonderful.

The internet provides many sources of inspiration: Pinterest, Google images, blogs, boards, Facebook groups, YouTube.  And on-line classes at places like Craftsy and iQuilt. 

But there are other sources as well. 

Like this frieze from the mansion Nemours, in Delaware. (former home of Alfred I. DuPont, open to the public)  What a great idea for border or sashing. 

Or this wrought iron railing.  With a little adjusting, it would make a great design for quilting in a block.

Or this design in a church door. (And yes, that is my reflection.)  How lovely would that be in a nine patch block?

I also doodle.  The top doodle here became my Feather Eggs design.  The bottom one became my Shamrocks design after I decided that I liked the center of the balls but not having the circle around them.

Here is a doodle of my Peas in a Pod design.  (Demos of these designs will be posted on my YouTube channel, Queen of Remnants.) This was really inspired by the Zentangle phenomena.  If you haven't already, look up Zentangles.  They are fun and many can be adapted to free motion quilting.

Doodle! Let your pencil roam free!

Look up Mehndi henna designs.  Lots of inspiration there.  Look at gravestones, at designs on buildings, at the pattern of shadows on the pavement, at the prints on fabrics, at plants in gardens around you, at wrought iron work.  Look around your world and notice what is there.  

  Inspiration is all around you!