A male arraignment perspective (non-binding)...
I see the pattern in a book or magazine. I figure out if it works for me and will it look good in this place (or as I envision a room should look in this place if it's ever fixed up). If it's a go, I figure out how to take that pattern and make it into a queen size quilt (that doesn't make me a size queen quilter). I then wander into the fabric store and start looking for things that resonate with the chosen pattern. This might take one or two fabric stores, a quilt shop or three, and maybe order a fabric from the net.
Take all said fabric, hot wash, warm dry, then press it. Fold up and put into these neat wine shipping boxes I get from my ex (who is the business manager for a small local winery). Make a copy of the plan from the book, or just throw the magazine into the top of the box. Stack box with all the other boxes. Label box with instruction of what to do in case of my untimely demise.
I do have a small pile of fabric I collected to do the BoTM blocks with, they have no porpoise except to make whatever block comes up and fit in with all the other BoTMs. Of course I have been too busy with my other projects to get many of them done.
And then there are fabrics I see sitting there and I wonder... what the heck was I thinking of? I plan on sending all them to Patrice (probably when I am mad at her).
tim in san jose