I have lots of books and magazines but don't use them that much for my quilts. Like so many others, I usually adapt my quilts from something I've seen. But some quilts are so unique that you really have to follow the pattern to get the quilt to look right. I usually take a longer time deciding what I want to make than I take making it. In fact, I've had a quilt in my mind for months but don't have the design finalized yet so I haven't started it.