I am in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the 2010 Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. This morning as 300+ balloons were launched I not only enjoyed the color combinations, but also spent my time thinking how the patterns could be translated into quilts. Just an added bonus to the Fiesta. What gives you ideas for quilt patterns?

I never know when I'll see something that will give me an idea for a quilt. It might be a bit of scenery, the tile in a convenience store bathroom, someone's jewelry, a picture in a book...

Remember that movie "I see dead people" My new saying is I" see quilt blocks." Every where I look i see colors shapes and the possiblity of a block or quilt. I love how quilting has taking my creativity to a whole new level.

Everywhere...lol. My daughter was playing a game on facebook and she was decorating the floor and it was so pretty, I drew it on paper and colored it in with my son's crayons and stuck it in my "someday I will make all this" folder.

I get patterns from books and magazines, then change the size of the blocks and/or the colors.

Most of my ideas come from pictures of antique wholecloth quilts in books, magazines or the internet. I'm very inspired by these quilts and I love to use the old patterns. This is my way to keep a tradition alive!

Edie
Have you seen David Taylor's quilt "Up, Up and Away?"
He must have been inspired by a similar sight. Check this out:
http://www.davidtaylorquilts.com/gallery.html

Farm fields with wheat, corn and paths. Hills and rivers. guess I must be a naturalist at heart.
Sandy

That is a beautiful photo. My inspiration comes from a pattern someone has already created. Seeing and reading about their creation on the quiltingboard has increased my to do list.

Edieclay the hot air balloons would make a fantastic colored quilt,

maybe Walmart still has that fabric??!

As for patterns, like someone said , look around and you can find them, I couldn't believe it but like someone wearing a colorful shirt, or a skirt, at church theres a design on the carpet that is awesome, and in the hallway on the wall theres a design for triangles, connected, I copied that but haven't tried my hand at making yet. online there are many patterns, and can find in books too.
enjoy!