Where does inspiration come from?

 Hey there! DO you like quilt books? I sure do. My husband gave me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I have really enjoyed the book ordering power it has given me. One day I was on a roll with ordering books...or pretending to order books (I thought I was pretending anyway). I logged out of Amazon and thought all was forgotten, right? Well, a few days later the book on top arrived. I knew the book was only like .99 cents, so I didn't fret too much, but when I opened it up I was pretty much disgusted with the articles in this book/magazine.

 I flipped through it and was shuddering about how horrible some of the projects were.

 Not only horrible, but horribly dated. Who would wear a quilted hat like that? With a matching vest? Dreadful. So I was getting ready to pitch it in the recycling I found this article...."The Nature of a Curve" all about Welsh Quilting. I don't think I have ever seen such wonderful quilting! So bold, but whimsicle and almost magical. I knew immeidately I had to make a quilt so I could try it out myself.

 Welsh quilting and Amish quilting look alike don't they? Some say the Welsh influenced the Amish with their bold graphic designs and fabulous quilting. At first the Amish believed quilting was sinful...but then I guess they got cold and figured out how wonderful and warm a wool quilt was to rest beneath. The Amish also happened to settle near the Welsh when they came over the United States. Like quilters anywhere they rubbed off on one another. And what a great influence to share, right?

 With a simple circle template wonderful patterns can be created. The arcs, swirls and straight lines are so perfect for a simple quilt design.

 This page was telling about how these same quilt motifs are found all over ancient Celtic ruins. I find my inspiration from the world around me and so did these ladies.

 So, here is my very simple Welsh quilt. the quilting is finished, I just need to bind it. The quilting on the 3 white stripes in the center represents the path to goodness, wickedness and to Elf land.

 The wide boarders were so very fun to do and each red corner block has different quilting. I think quilting-wise I have really added a powerful element to my arsenal.
And to think that it all came from a dreadful little book that I almost threw away after ordering on a whim.

I used my little Bernina 165 to quilt this quilt. When I try something new (and fairly small - this quilt finished at 60 inches) I do like to use my regular sewing machine instead of my long arm. I like being very close to the needle and having absolute control of my quilting. I also used a Wool batting (from my favorite batting makers Quilters Dream ). The Wool really gives the quilting a definition and foundation to bloom upon.


Happy quilting folks!

xo,
Tia