Quilt Inspirations

Most of the quilts I've made were inspired by pictures of quilts I found in books.  I'd leaf through book after book, marking favorites with post-its, and then narrow down the field to one I could modify to suit my taste.

Some quilts, though, have been inspired by environments.   In 2010, I came across this picture of the lobby of the Eco H2 Hotel in Healdsburg:

The colors and patterns inspired a quilt I made for our bed:

Circles and Squares, 2011

When I started quiltmaking, I was hellbent on doing quilts about the backyard of the house in San Jose where I grew up. Over the years, I made three on this theme. The first, "Backyard Orchard," is a scramble of pattern in nine-patch squares, with a dominating leafy pattern.  The second, "Backyard Pool," (see below)  gives a sense of the small wading pool my sister and I shared; she has this quilt on her bed.  The third, "Backyard Garden" is a one-patch of flower and fruit prints, alternating with plain or leaf-prints.  These were made over a nine-year period, and during that time I also made lots of quilts based on patterns I found in books.

Right now, though, the books aren't doing it for me.  Maybe I'll buy some shelter magazines and find another hotel lobby. Or I'll rummage around again in family photo albums.

My sister and me in our backyard pool, c. 1958

Backyard Pool, 2002