What Inspires You?

  Well, for those mothers of birth or mothers of the heart out there Happy Mothers Day. I am both a mother by birth and by heart. I have many of my children's friends who have called me mom and a wonderful step son as well. However I didn't come to visit today to talk about that, just want to say the Happy Mother's Day to all.

   What inspires you in your quilting journey?, Where do you find inspiration? I have found it in many places, that I would never have expected over the years. One thing that inspires me to make a quilt, and I have as yet made it, is nature. I want to make a landscape quilt, you know the whole view, clouds, sky, mountains lake trees and every thing in between. It scares the he__ out of me to think about make that quilt, and yet I want to. I see quilt designs in art work, carpets, tile floors and walls. I see it in machine made quilts from factories some where over seas, and in the beautiful quilts that all of you post on Instagram, and facebook. I find it in a piece of fabric in a shop that I fall in love with I suddenly I know just how it needs to be made into a quilt. I find it while thinking about the family I love so much, and how they have decorated their homes, or in the very personality of each one of them.

   I have been asked this question before and it comes up once in a while and I think it over again and wonder where others get their inspiration. So I watch, and I try to listen and see. My wonderful Aunt just lost her husband of 60+ years, and she has lost her inspiration. She is a very talented artist, and I have paintings all over my home that she has made over the years. I want to help her get some of her inspiration back, so I am asking her to paint something for me. I hope it helps, we as a family went through what she is going through a little over 3 years ago. We know how hard it is to get your feet back under you and start to go forward again. I hope I can help with my request, and by taking time out of my sewing life to go spend time with her.
  My mom, is one of those people who thinks they have no talent, but if she sets her mind to it she is talented too. She makes crafts and that is how my daughters helped her shortly after my dad passed away. They asked her to make them coasters for their new homes. Shortly after daddy passed, 2 of my girls moved into their fist home, and mother also got a new home. So she was busy making coasters, and it helped her get past those fist really hard days. I also got her to try and go through some photos and work on her scrap books. Oops that was a fail, just made her cry more. So back to the crafts it was.

  So, on closing I will ask you one more time, Where do you find inspiration, What gets you in the mood, to make? When you find you have lost your motivation, or inspiration how do you get it back? Some times I get very uninspired, and lose my mojo. when that happens I step back, and read a book, or find a magazine. Then I find a quilting book or magazine and start going through it, or a catalog from a quilt shop. Those really get my juices flowing, and pretty soon it comes back and I am off and running again. Now if I can just find the finish it mojo, and start finishing all those projects that got put aside due to time , or other obligations. That is the next inspiration I will be looking for.
   Well, this is my last post for my week, I have had a blast and I hope I have provided you with some thoughts that will help, or at least entertained you. So until nest time yall have a very quilty day.
 

Post by Tennye GiOtis - Week #18:  

I started quilting in the early 1980's when I had a friend having a new baby; I couldn't afford to buy her a gift that was of the quality I wanted to get her so I bought a pattern and that started my journey into quilting. I am the mother of 5 grown children and the grandmother to 5 grandchildren. My husband and I have been married 33 years. Find me as @Tennye on Instagram.