Flying_V_Goddess

Well, lately I haven't had much quilting inspiration...been too busy with this play I'm in and haven't played any new video games (so no inspiration from interesting floor tiling on the dungeon floors. LoL.) But today my......"sort-of-a-boyfriend" took me out shopping for "early Christmas presents" and I was flipping through a really expensive quilting book at the Borders book store when I saw a picture of these quilted stars that had striped fabric so they kind of had this pin-wheel movement to them. So now I'm inspired to come up with designs using striped (or plaid) fabric. Unfortunatly, I haven't gotten very far besides the stars I saw in the book and like a make-shift sort of Rail Fence. Got any ideas to help get the spark going?

patricej

WELCOME BACK!!!!!!! :P

haven't seen you in ages. :shock:

kaleidoscopes look interesting with plaids and strips. a word of caution, though. you might feel a need to match them up. :shock:

if you tried asymetrical (sp?) fans you wouldn't neet to match them.

Knot Sew

You need to hang out with us here some more, we'll get you going......sounds like a fun project............I like stripes.........I've seen them looking like they were woven..by turning them around. :D

Moonpi

Welcome back! I avoid a lot of plaids...they never seem to cooperate. Stripes work fine for me in any direction, though.

Yvonne

There is a quilt book called Mad About Plaid. It has some really cute plaid quilts.
Someone, I have no idea who, said to not worry about matching the plaids or stripes when you work with them. Let them be a bit wonky that they actually will give your quilt an illusion of movement. So, leaving my dress making rules behind, I have done that a few times and the wonkiness actually doesn't bother me and it does add movement to the pattern. Give it a try. There are some wonderful plaids out there. I've got one box of just plaid fabrics. Someday...

Meanwhile check out the quilt here in photos by 2Doods,
http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/3041.page
Awesome plaid quilt!

Flying_V_Goddess

I know! I've had so much going on (play, job hunting, breakdown, etc.) that I just haven't had much time to focus on quilting related things. On a brighter note, the denim quilt is no longer sitting folded up in my room. Nick finally got it after some re-opened communication and some "apoligy Mountain Dew"......and the general relationship with him is heading in a positive direction (hence the "sort-of-a-boyfriend" I mentioned earlier).

mimisharon

Good news, things are working out--sorta. LOL LOL

It's good to try different things, plaid and stripes are two of my favorite things to work with, they give interest to a project!

We've missed you! You are a busy person but remember that the quilting gives you relaxation if you don't go so far as to reinvent the moon!

Hugs,
Sharon

quiltmaker101

I am just starting to add plaids to my quilts. I like the interest they add. I won't wear plaids, but I do like them in other things. I think it is the symmetry maybe?

Anyway, I made pine trees using the flying geese pattern, and some of them are a green and black plaid. I think it is whimsical.

You might try using the plaids for bear paw, or log cabin piecing. And making the border or binding from plaids always looks good to me!

As for stripes, they really point to other blocks because they are so directional, so I am careful when using them, and stand back from the design board to consider before actually sewing them in.

Good luck, welcome back and post pics of your final product!

Flying_V_Goddess

Well....supposed to relax you anyways. I don't have a lot of fabric to play around with so most of my quilting right now is basically designing quilts I want to make (I'm too afraid to start cutting up the quarter yards of fabric I bought a while back anyways). And that's hard to do when you don't have any inspiration to work with. Its really frustrating when you can't come up with a single idea...which is bad because I already have enough frustration to deal with (espessily in the last two weeks...suffered a mental breakdown and went to the hospital at around 6 in the morning on Halloween and the play opens in two days and I'm about ready to kill my friend who got the role of Willy Wonka. Plus, I started "the pill" last week and I'm starting to think the extra estrogen isn't helping with my mood. LoL). Eh, it will all work out somehow. I'll probably get fully back on track with the quilting once the holidays get going.