Finding Inspiration

Inspiration has been lacking around here lately.  I have sewing block!  I find fabric I like but can't decide on a pattern.  Or, I find the pattern but no suitable fabric.  I am wrought with indecision.  I pour over pattern books, match fabrics up over and over but just can not put it all together to sit down and sew something.

It must be my fabrics fault.  It can't be mine...no not me at all.  After analyzing my fabric stash I have discovered that I tend to buy the same types of prints over and over.  Big colorful prints.  I buy linear stuff too...and patterns with strange repeats.  I am am a complete fabric purchasing failure. 

So, today armed with my new found knowledge I decided to change that.  I went to Joann's with the sole purpose of purchasing fabrics with small scale prints.  I did buy one stripe.  Its on the diagonal however, which is the complete opposite of the horizontal ones I typically buy. 

Cute crabs and diagonal stripe (are crabs ever cute?)

Darling Alexander Henry Farmdale

Denyse Schmidt Quilts

Good so far right?  Well it gets even better.  Fellow blogger and seamstress extraordinaire Heather from Featherty Sews brightened my day quite a bit yesterday when she sent me a package that would of had more than one of you squealing with delight and a tad green with envy.  chuckle chuckle.

A little Heather Ross anyone?  Heather sent my horse loving Soren (horse crazy really) this darling equipment print.  Soren matched up all by herself with a cute vintage print from my stash.  I think she did a pretty good job.

Heather also included this Heather Ross Tadpoles print.  I have a very cute pair of summer capri pants picked out from Ottobre that are a perfect match up for the tadpoles mixed with a little Amy Butler bias tape.

And yes there was one more.  This lovely Kokka print which is just perfect for my Ms. Ella.  Maybe I should just have Heather do my fabric shopping for me...?

One last little goody to help me find inspiration.  I have a real thing for trim.  Trim makes me very happy.  I just like looking at it.  At my local Pacific Fabrics store I found this button beauty in the colors of the sea.  Grey blues and turquoise.  Lovely and very clever I think with the mini rick rack strung through a button and then stitched to the crocheted lace. 

I would love to know how you overcome a creative block?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Cheers!
Sonja