Another week has flashed by!  Seven days ago I posted this photo of six fabrics from two fat quarter packs.  I’d rotary cut the fat quarters into 5″ squares with the intention of making random ninepatch blocks.  I did that pretty quickly, laid out the blocks on my design wall floor and decided my original plan wasn’t going to produce an appealing quilt top.  I had intended to slice the blocks into quarters and make a ‘disappearing ninepatch’ quilt top but looking at those blocks made of such distinctive fabrics I concluded that cutting them up into smaller squares and rectangles would create a confused rather than harmonious whole.

Stepping back and taking a good look at the project led me to change course; leaving the ninepatch blocks intact, stitching them together into a 2 x 6 formation.  I added a 2½” border all the way round using the strips of fabric left from cutting up the original fat quarters and I’m happy with the resulting quilt top.

I know this is not much of an example of the creative process at work (see Melanie or Rachel for in depth creativity and evaluation) but as I’ve been following the blogs of other patchwork quilters it does seem a fairly common way for designs to evolve and for us makers to practice adaptability and the skills of observation and evaluation as we create new things.  I wonder which other words should be added into the creative process equation?  Inspiration, imagination, problem-solving…?

I hope you are gaining satisfaction from developing your creative talents as you adapt design plans when the fabrics or whatever medium you work with cause a project to evolve into a new creation!

Allison