I like to have a pattern in mind and then go get the fabric. When I first got into quilting, I went to www.quilterscache.com and selected several EASY 12" block patterns. I got some new fabric and used some that I already had from other projects. Then I made a sampler of those blocks. I make 2 blocks from each pattern but used different fabrics for the 2 blocks. Then I could really SEE the difference on using lights and darks, etc. Love my sampler quilt.