As you may already know, I love to take pictures of God’s handiwork in hopes a few might possibly inspire a quilt. I’ve collected quite a few of these photos and put them in a folder entitled “Inspiration”.
We have a really gnarly tree in front of our kitchen window, just outside our breezeway door.
As I walked past it recently I noticed a nest.
I wasn’t tall enough to peek in, so I held my phone aloft and hit the button. It may be one of my best photos yet:
What skill!!!
So I searched out my old folder and had fun looking at some photographs from the past. I can’t resist sharing a few đ. The colors alone get my ideas flowing, but the shapes and textures take it to a new level. These are from my trip to Hawaii in 2019 (can you tell I love green?):
And here’s a photo of a piece of fascinating driftwood I took in North Carolina:
This tree at the end of the road we used to live on is no longer there, but I loved the contrast of raindrops and then the clear windshield.
My travels took me to Sedona a few years ago. What beauty!
Sometimes I’m inspired by the photos of others. My sister-in-law posted some she took while on a Danube River Cruise in May. This one was taken in Vienna.
She and my brother are really into biking and I loved this bike shot from that same trip (thanks Mary Sue):
Back to my folder. I found a few in Autumn colors that grabbed me too:
And some beautiful skies:
I also had some intriguing photos of birds:
There seems to be no end to the inspiration around us. I have actually decided to use a few of these photos in a current ThreadBender’s challenge. You’ll have to wait to see what comes of it.
Oh, as I was putting this post together the eggs hatched, the babies grew,
and they’ve flown away. What a joy to watch the cycle of life and share it with the kids. I call this one “waiting for momma to return with a worm”:
Do you have a favorite photo that might inspire a quilt?
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Also – I received two interesting emails this week with requests I decided some of you might be able to help with…
The first is from Yvonne:
“My friend and I would like to get away at the end of July and first part of August to sew. We would prefer to be by some water. Do you know of any retreat centers that we could look into to get away and do some sewing?”
I responded that I didn’t know of any that would take just two quilters (often these places require at least six). Do you have any information to share with Yvonne? If so please comment to this post or email me. Thanks!
Then I received this email from Cara in Carson City, Nevada… :
“I happened across your site regarding quilting with swimsuit material. Now, I cannot sew, not even a little. I have been searching for someone to make a quilt for my son (he was a nationally recognized All American wrestler) made from his wrestling singlets. They are made of spandex/lycra. I have literally contacted, both companies & individuals, and nobody is willing to do it. I am, obviously, willing to pay for it. Can you provide anyone I could contact to ask about making a quilt for me? I have literally been searching for about the last 7 years. any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.“
Here’s my response:
“Hi Cara, Memory quilts made from garments are wonderful, but I can see why you’d have a hard time finding someone to make that quilt. With all the “cheap” items we get from China, and considering the time involved in making a quilt, not many quilters are willing to do it because a realistic price for the hours involved is usually more than what people are willing to spend. That being said, This is one of the reasons I do not make quilts to sell. The other is that my love is teaching others how to make quilts for themselves.”
I do know a number of women who make t-shirt quilts for others, and they read my weekly blog. I would be happy to put your request on my blog this week and if I get any responses – I will email them to you. I hope we can make this work for you :-).”
So, If you would be interested in helping Cara with her request, please email me and I will connect the two of you. Thanks!