I tend to make my own designs. Usually I will pick one block and make repeats, or pick several blocks and rotate. I bought EQ7 last year and have enjoyed learning the process of designing on that. It has made my color selections a lot more fun, since I can see how the finished product might look if I pick fabrics in a similar tone/color quality. I don't tend to like to buy whole fabric lines that are put out by a company or designer, first because of the expense, and second, because I like there to be something unexpected in my quilts. I have had a couple of horribly gone wrong moments with using patterns and instructions from magazines, one with a designer that suggested WAY too much fabric for a quilt, and another from one whose cutting measurements were WAY off, so I don't tend to trust them. I have purchased designer's books in the past, but like to use them as inspiration for my own work rather than a road map to recreating his or her vision. I have found a lot of help from a few books that give generic directions or have a block "library" to draw on.
I tend to make my own designs. Usually I will pick one block and make repeats, or pick several blocks and rotate. I bought EQ7 last year and have enjoyed learning the process of designing on that. It has made my color selections a lot more fun, since I can see how the finished product might look if I pick fabrics in a similar tone/color quality. I don't tend to like to buy whole fabric lines that are put out by a company or designer, first because of the expense, and second, because I like there to be something unexpected in my quilts. I have had a couple of horribly gone wrong moments with using patterns and instructions from magazines, one with a designer that suggested WAY too much fabric for a quilt, and another from one whose cutting measurements were WAY off, so I don't tend to trust them. I have purchased designer's books in the past, but like to use them as inspiration for my own work rather than a road map to recreating his or her vision. I have found a lot of help from a few books that give generic directions or have a block "library" to draw on.