Quilting Connections #1

FINDING YOUR INSPIRATION

This weekend in Belfast the Festival of Quilts is on and the buzz for all things patchwork, jelly rolls, fancy machines, wadding and threads will be in full swing.

When it comes to quilting and patchwork I break the rules! I try not to buy any new fabric, but rather use what ever cut offs I have. I have made about 8 quilts and they have been sewn on various machines. (More on that in the 2nd part of this Quilting Series)There will be 3 blogs on quilts this weekend.

But where do you start? What inspires your quilt design and pattern? Do you follow a set design or do you prefer random? I opt for random. Cutting out and measuring squares and hexigons is not for me. I tip my hat for anyone who has such patience.

INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE!

I will be sharing the quilts I have made in the next 2 blogs published this weekend. This post focuses on how and where I get inspiration from.

I love travelling; whether that be a day out in the car, a roadtrip to Donegal or a holiday in the sun. I am always curious and have my eyes wide open to see things translated into textiles. I have included in the images captions of where they where taken.

Once my idea is hatched I can make a mood board, a sketch or just collate the colours and fabrics together. Sometimes it takes a while to gather together my cut offs and scraps, but I won’t start until I have found all my fabrics. I often leave the fabrics sitting on the table for a day or two and revisit my plans for the quilt. More often or not, there is no structure, pattern or size. I quilt until I run out of the fabric. I find quilting mindful and very relaxing.

ARE YOU INSPIRED TO START QUILTING?

If like me you prefer to forage for fabrics rather than buy brand new jelly rolls then I suggest you start collecting your cut-offs and scraps today. Memory quilts are popular made from children’s clothes, neck ties for loved ones. Quilting like I choose to do is much more sustainable than buying all new fabrics – I will go into this more on my second blog post on quilting.