Interesting thread.
Gostrider, a most interstiting comparison.
I don't have much to add, but just wanted to say that in a way I believe that tye art of quilting may come with experience. I have only been sewing for three years, never even owned a sewing machine before that, and I find that many of my ideas remain just that just because I don't have the skill to transform them into fabric and stitches. So right now, I am trying to improve my skills by learning many techniques and hoping that one day, I can have an aha movement when my hands can follow my mind in translating those ideas into work.