Where is the best place to get free quilting motifs? I am making this quilt http://quilterscache.com/P/Pinwheel8Block.htm and I am wondering what would compliment the block, or any other patterns, I am doing a blank square alternating with a pinwheel.
also, what is the best way to create a template to mark the quilt? thanking you in advance.

I can't really help you with making templates as I have a few bought ones that I use again and again. However, I have used some things lying round the house for quilting 'stencils', for example, my kids have plastic cutters for when they do play doh in the shapes of hearts, stars, flowers etc and I've drawn round them before now! (Wash the play doh off first! :D ) Or you can use the edge of a plate for curves. I also have a draftsman's flexicurve (from when I did a garden design course yonks ago!) and that is useful for making continous waves. So really my tip was to look round for things that are nice shapes that you can draw around!

K x

I googled free quilting motifs and came up with quilte a few sites. Here are some of them.

http://painting.about.com/cs/stencil...eestencils.htm

http://www.forestquilting.com/motifs...sfree_pg1.html

http://qnm.com/webextrasaf/

You sound like me. I asked about using a flower and everyone said if it fit the quilt and if I liked it. I should have known anyway. I've used bows, stars, triangles,sunburst, combination of things. If you got kids (or grandkids) you probably have cookie cutters or small stuff like that around, so use them.
Some times a picture can give you an idea too. Just go with it . I have my computer loaded with stencil patterns and have used one or 2 of them. I may use more than one pattern on a quilt. I think that is what makes the quilt you. I love the quilts my grandmother and her quilt group hand quilted a lot more than the ones she sent out in later years and had machine quilted. Maybe because I was at a lot of those quilting bees. Just have fun! :D

PS the quilt in my picture is in hearts and diamonds. It was for a baby girl.

Here's another website with free motifs:
http://www.victorianaquiltdesigns.co...ingdesigns.htm

Thanks for the sites, although I couldn't reach the one from Quilter's Newsletter. The others I made sure to bookmark. Sorry quiltingbee12, the link for your quilt wouldn't work for me either. I'll give it a try again after work.

Go to links and resources page and look in quilting stencils. there are pictures of ones that I ordered from The Stencil Co. Not free but very reasonable and you can use them over and over. Ninnie in NC

Thank you!

Here's a site I found for free quilting stencils.

http://www.forestquilting.com

Have to click on "free patterns" and then on "quilting motifs" to find them.

Oops! I see someone else has already posted that site.

I have found COLOR BOOKS very useful. There are so many nice elements that can be traced out of a color book and used in a quilt. I have a couple huge 1 and 2 inches thick color books that I use whenever I want something kind of new or different or need a "special" shape for the quilt I'm working on.

K3N's suggestion for using things laying around the house is a good one. I use Cool Whip lids for alot of circles but I also have an ExActo Knife that works great to cut shapes out of the CW lids then transfer the "pattern" to your quilt with the use of chalk or disappearing pencil. You can also cut out "tear drops" or flowers from the CW lid to add extra interest and detail.