For a little quilt-y inspiration this week, why not choose a song? Pick a favorite song to play in your studio or sewing room and see what images and ideas pop into your head.

You don’t have to write or embroider the actual song lyrics onto your quilt, in fact it’s better if you don’t. Then you won’t have to worry about copyright. Song writers have rights regarding their lyrics just as quilt designers and other visual artists do with their designs and images. Just listen to the song with a pencil and sketch pad in hand or choose a palette of colors and a traditional quilt block to go with the melody you hear.

In the end the connection to the actual song may not even be apparent to viewers unless you explain it to them, and that’s OK. Just use the song as a starting point. Let the end be a pleasant surprise.

My 2007 quilt, “It’s not easy being green” (above) was inspired by the song of that same title sung by Kermit the Frog. I went from Muppet frog to red-eyed tree frog. Although the red-eyed tree frog is not actually an endangered species, its rain forest home is shrinking at an alarming rate (National Geographic). Although it may not always be easy, there are a lot of things each one of us can do to be “green”. Check out National Geographic’s Green Guide for green ideas for everyday living.

Click here for more about my quilt, “It’s not easy being green”