As quilters, we all get to a point where we just cannot seem to come up with any new ideas. It has happened to me many times, and it is extremely frustrating. Now that I write about quilting and crafts online full-time, it is important that I always have fresh ideas. If I don’t have something in the pipeline, I don’t have anything to write about. Because of this, I have come up with more than one hundred and twenty creative prompts for quilt inspiration that can help you get rid of your creator’s block.

Before I get to the list, here are some ways to remember your awesome ideas. I can’t count how many times I have come up with an idea, and then gotten home, only to realize that I completely forgot it.

Tips To Remember Your Inspiration

Write it down

This is the number one, most important thing to do. Whether it’s in a fancy journal, or on the corner of a napkin from the coffee shop you were visiting, just write it down. A few words will suffice.

Keep a book/journal

Keep a small notebook with you and have a running list of ideas. There are many beautiful journal ideas out there these days that will make the process easier. You can also draw sketches in it, put cutouts from magazines in it, or just about anything else.

Take a picture

With almost everyone having a smart phone these days, snap a picture to help you remember.

Save the page

If you have seen something in a magazine or pattern book, tear out or mark the page, and keep it somewhere safe.

Pinterest

With so many beautiful pictures online, Pinterest is a great way to get inspired. Create a board just for things that inspire your creative side, and revisit it every once in a while.

Bulletin Board (Vision Board)

Keep an idea board in your creative space. When you see something that you might be interested in doing, put something on the board that will help you remember it. Magazine pictures, fabric swatches, and sketches are a good place to start.

Clean and organize your workspace

Chances are pretty good that you will find the remnants of a project that you started, but then completely forgot about. Cleaning gives you a new perspective.

Step away

Take a few days and don’t work on anything creative. Clean the house, go for a hike, or read a book. Just don’t stress about not having any ideas. They will come to you, sometimes when you least expect it.

120+ Creative Prompts for Quilt Inspiration

While many of these prompts are straightforward, there are some that I bet you have not have thought of. Hopefully you will find something to break through that quilter’s block and get those creative ideas flowing.

U.S. Holidays/Celebrations

• April Fool’s Day
• Arbor Day
• Christmas
• Earth Day
• Easter
• Father’s Day
• Flag Day
• Fourth of July
• Grandparent’s Day
• Groundhog Day
• Halloween
• Hanukkah
• Kwanzaa
• Labor Day
• Mardi Gras
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Memorial Day
• Mother’s Day
• New Year’s Eve
• Passover
• President’s Day
• Purim
• Rosh Hashanah
• St. Patrick’s Day
• St. Valentine’s Day
• Sukkot
• Thanksgiving
• Veteran’s Day

Holidays Around the World

• Bastille Day
• Bodhi
• Chinese New Year
• Cinco de Mayo
• Day of the Dead
• Diwali
• Guy Fawkes Day
• May Day
• Three Kings Day

Special Moments

• Anniversaries
• Birthdays
• Births
• Christenings
• Deaths
• Communions
• First Steps
• First Words
• Graduations
• Lost Tooth
• New Jobs
• Quinceañera
• Sweet Sixteen
• Vacations
• Weddings

Seasonal

• Winter
• Spring
• Summer
• Fall
• Equinox
• Solstice
• Midsummer

World Around Us

Just For Fun Days

• Argyle Day – January 8
• Rubber Ducky Day – January 13
• Puzzle Day – January 29
• Old Stuff Day – March 2
• Pi Day – March 14
• Children’s Craft Day – March 14
• Quilting Day – Third Saturday in March
• Crayon Day – March 31
• Gardening Day – April 14
• Textiles Day – May 3
• Star Wars Day – May 4
• Scrapbook Day – First Saturday in May
• Creativity Day – May 30
• Children’s Day – Second Sunday in June
• Seashell Day – June 21
• U.S. Postage Stamp Day – July 1
• Wildlife Day – September 4
• Grandparents Day – Sunday after Labor Day
• Talk Like a Pirate Day – September 19
• Card Making Day – October 6
• Donut Day – November 5
• Mason Jar Day – November 30
• Ginger Bread Day – December 12

Suggested Way To Use These Prompts

Take one of the prompts, like Ocean, and think of all the things associated with it. Things like the water, the colors, the sounds, the animals, the textures, and the smells all come to mind. Try to delve deeper and see what else you can come up with. Write down what you think about and start playing with ideas. I bet you will come up with your next project in no time.

Have fun making your next quilt!