I love Mary’s inspiration so much that it intimidates me a bit. It’s one thing to figure out what someone likes and just go for it, but my tastes are similar to Mary’s. So the pressure is on to make something really fabulous.

Wish me luck!

I’m really excited to have been paired with Mary because she is so talented and we really seem compatible (see her comment here.

Anyway, there are too many fun things about flickr swaps to list them all, so let’s discuss of fun thing about the early stages of a swap: inspiration mosaics! Ever since the infamous FD started coming up with flickr toys, no photo is safe from inspiring a gazillion great projects. Here’s what I’m hoping will inspire Mary:

Check out Quilting Bee Blocks for all the blocky goodness you could ever want!

Today I’m going to add another entry to that distinguished group, which I can only describe as a wholecloth with single floating star block. Or perhaps it’s technically a star quilt, with white borders that can be measured in feet or meters? Take your pick:

I love this vintage-looking quilt by Me? A Mom? to pieces. It was sized for a toddler bed, which makes it seem especially genius to me. I know I often get excited about the idea of going whole hog and spending months and years on that perfect set of 49 (or more) hugely intricate blocks for that special, once-in-a-lifetime quilt, but let’s be practical here. If you responsibilities go beyond crafting for a small child into the realm of, say, caring for a small child, you just don’t have the kind of time to make dozens of spiderweb blocks every time your little one outgrows a piece of furniture.

Unless you do, in which case you are a superhero, and I’m not sure I want to be talking to you.

At any rate, there’s something to be said about a quilt that seems to speak to its function. The simplicity of all that white coupled with the the jaunty color placement just screams childhood to me, even though there’s plenty of adult appeal here. And while I admire lots of fancy handiwork as much as anybody, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a quilt that isn’t too labored.

I can see this quilt getting lots of love in the future. Better yet, I can see it getting lots of love now.

Preferably with kitties.

La vida compartida calls this “my brother’s quilt,” and it really is prefect for a guy. The simple lines and strong colors are masculine without reverting to the old “blue is for boys” trope. And the log cabins are GORGEOUS – it’s nice that they’re small in number, so that the cute hodgepodge of fabric can really be appreciated in one eyeful.

Speaking of cute fabric, I love the styling with these pillows. They really complete the look without femming things up too much.

And then there’s the kitty. Yay, kitties!

I adore this quilt by myittybittyquilts, and this setting for wonky nine-patches. As a matter of fact, I quite like wonky nine-patches after making a bunch for this top. It has the cute, simple quality of a nine-patch, but the altered proportions make it really fun. They work especially well for this setting because the white is relegated to the setting squares, and the fabrics in the blocks are of similar value.

Here’s another with this setting. You can see how this configuration works with a bunch of different themes and color schemes. It would also look great with a solid, or even print, setting squares.

Stay tuned – I can see this become a trendy quilt, and with good reason.