We spent last week in Louisville, KY for the our breed's national dog show. While there, I visited three really nice and totally different LQS. One had very tall ceilings and was able to hang queen sized quilts above the fabric shelving all along the walls of the shop. Another had generous ceilings as well and hung completed fronts throughout the store. The third had shorter ceilings, but was packed with bolts and, my personal favorite, more than a room full of clearance-priced fabrics. In the first shop with display quilts, many were done using Civil War-inspired fabrics. I fell in love with two quilts and found that one had a pattern and one did not. The shop owner allowed me to take pictures of both for my reference library on my computer. In the second store, I found an example of a pattern that I have but have not yet used. The pattern's picture is in rusts and greens, but the example quilt (unfortunately I forgot to et a picture) was in shades of purples and lavenders and really changed the appearance of the pattern, inspiring me to want to try it at home. The second shop also had two quilts using the same pattern. I liked the pattern and they had it available. Had I only seen the picture on the pattern, I would not have given it a second glance, but both examples in the store were alluring. They also allowed a picture of these two quilts.
So, I have started this thread to share the pictures and the pattern names. These inspired me to want to try the patterns showing that there is nothing like seeing actual finished examples for inspiration. And, as I have found out on quilts that I've done, two quilts can be meade using the same pattern, yet look so different depending on the fabrics used.
From the first shop, the no-pattern quilt using Civil War inspired fabrics. It looks like it could be a scrap quilt, but I find it stunning.
