inspiration



my background.. Maggie's art

 Where does it come from?  Our minds are strange things.  We were all talking at our exec meeting, how we all see the patterns for quilting in every day things...a gorgeous plaza's paving stones..mosaic walls..flooring..fabric design.  Pattern is all around us..how boring it would be without it.   But then we are surrounded by the very same patterns that are in nature.  The swirl of the seed head of a sunflower..the scales of fish..all shapes that have found their way into our quilts,  plus thousands more.
Sometimes it is just a flash for me..I see something and it triggers a desire to make it into a quilt.  LOL...Seldom does it happen for me.  I am not really "free" enough to let my artist out.  Quilting a quilt...putting thread to the layers is difficult for me.  I know that it can make or break a quilt..So, I try some things to help loosen up.  I use a child's toy called a doodle-pro...it's like an etch-a-sketch, only with a pen..Elizabeth suggested a white board, to practice quilting designs,  build what they call muscle memory.  Practice ,practice, practice..I NEED it.
Surfing the net I found Zentangles...doodling...supposed to help set loose the artist in you...easy to do and fun..it did seem to help me when I tried McTavishing...that's quilting free form.  It takes about 30 minutes to loosen up so that you can sew freely...and I need that..wine helps, but then you can have too much...
I usually play it safe while quilting,  stitch in the ditch, stippling.  That can get boring.  So I am trying to find my inner child,  that playfullness that we lose as we grow old.
I hope I find it soon!