How to Get Inspired by a Quilt Show

Trust Your Eyes

Something about the quilt grabs your attention.

Maybe it's the colours, or the fabrics. Or maybe it's the quilting.
Take a moment to figure out what it is and if you can use it in one of your own quilts.

I was drawn to the quilting in this quilt. It looks like bark and it flows over the whole surface of the quilt. I like the idea of repeating a relevant motif across a whole quilt.

Add to your Idea Bank 

We all have projects that we are thinking about starting. Sometimes we don't have all the particulars figured out yet and we're still looking for more ideas to compare and contrast until we figure it out. You might see a quilt that offers you an idea to help this project along.


I'm participating in a birthday block exchange next year where we will make blocks for each other so we can all make our own birthday quilts. I'm still deciding what I want, but one of the ideas I'm considering is a quilt kind of like this one with star blocks randomly floating on a background.

This quilt helped me in solving how to deal with different background colours on the blocks. I also recently found a similar idea on Bonnie Hunter's blog and my mind is almost made up :)

Find Fun and Follow It

Most quilters have UFOs; some have been around for a long time. Seeing someone else have a finish displayed in a quilt show can be really motivating! A quilt that makes you smile, followed by another and another, might just be the push you need to get home and sew already!

The quilting on this quilt did it for me. What a fun concept! The quilted nine patches dancing around the border inspired me to look for the fun in my next finish. It made me think that maybe there's a way to infuse your personality into each part of the quilting process - not just the pattern and colours of the fabric but the quilting too!

Keep Your Creativity Fed

There is nothing like seeing quilts made by different people for different reasons to inspire me.

To keep me creating.  

It helps me to see myself and believe in my abilities to continue the legacy of making.


With Joy,



Sarah V.