Some times it is the fabric choices that make a quilt pop or special or even different. The pattern may not seem like much until the right fabrics are used. My quilt shop has a block of the month class and each person chooses her fabric. After it is done the have a quilt walk with all the quilts. Some look so plain and other just pop.

I have a lot of patterns left to me from my DM and DGM. I get a lot from books, magazines, internet and I buy a lot of them. I like quilters cache and free ones listed on fabric designers web pages. When all else fails I come up with something on my own.

Like several others - i make my patterns from things that i have seen. I never have to worry about "scant 1/4" instructions or things like that as i have adjusted the pattern for my seam allowance. For so many years i never even knew you could buy patterns....dumb i guess....but it never occurred to me.

I had a bit of OCD before my accident in '08, and I'm sure that plays a part in all this:
I had a traumatic brain injury and took it upon myself to work my brain, test it, and what better way than with quilting related things?
The computer is in a place that I can see the tv, and be part of the family, so I sat here for hours on the internet, looking at photos and free directions for quilts. I was lucky, I retained my ability to look at a pic of a quilt and figure out how it's made 90% of the time
I ended up doing that for 5 years, and now have 20.8 GB of photos and 20.1 GB of directions. They are all organized, and I mean really organized, so that is where I get my patterns.
I guess it can be considered a 'stash of patterns!'

What does it mean " patterns with foundations so they are stand alone patterns"?

i guess i mostly design my own quilts. i look around and see elements i like - a border here, there a block, a technique i'd like to learn. sometimes i'll really like the look of a quilt and head off in that direction, but rarely do i follow cut lists or anything.

then i sketch it out and consider who it is for while i think about what kind of fabrics they would like or that i want to work with.

i am currently working on a frank lloyd wright pattern from a book and i am mostly hating it. but! it's in preparation for a quilt i really want to make for a friend in the prairie style, so utility in all things :)

I'm buying fewer and fewer books and surfing the net more. But every once in a while there is that special book!

Perform a search," free quilt patterns' and you will find more than you want. There are many, many companies that offer free patterns, as well as block patterns.

good question; there have been some GREAT replies! thanks much all of you!

I get patterns everywhere; from books, magazines, catalogs, friends, online, things I see that are not even related to quilting. I just keep my eyes and my mind open and, thankfully, good things come! :-)