I usually pick a pattern first. www.quilterscache.com is a wonderful site to find patterns. I look thru my stash and decide fabrics for that project or really have fun and go out and buy them. A design wall is a must for me. I use a 60" vinyl window blind placed high up in the brackets. I glued flannel to it and it works beautifully. When I don't need it, It rolls all the way up and out of the way. I keep a small hook in the wall at the bottom to hook it on when it is down. This is great to audition fabrics and block placement. I am still new at this; but this helps me. Good luck!