The numbers are wrong!

I'm really looking forward to this challenge, the larger size is a bit daunting but I'm hoping to discover some new artists through your choices!
Here's one I did earlier - unfortunately Van Gogh died in 1889 and the piece is only 6" x 4" but it was a great exercise in looking closely!

Fragments ...

..... just a first thought ....

Fresh - why can't I get beyond ........

"bluetooth" paste by mauren veras
Attribution License

Nautili

I've always loved the structure of  the nautilus and this seemed to be the ideal opportunity to use it for a quilt. These are not 'my' colours and this is not a technique I've used before, but the design seemed to ask for them!  The fabric for each shell was created from fabric scraps overlaid with organza. These were then layered and stitched from the reverse. Each 'chamber' was cut away with a soldering iron. Bearing in mind that underneath the top layer was a layer of organza which loves the soldering iron this was a laborious process not to be repeated. Photographed on a dull, rainy Manchester day the glow from the organza is somewhat lost!

So .... structure

My first thought was buildings, those that show their construction like this exhibition building at Chatham Historic Dockyard:

I love the interplay of the beams and though I'm sure this will appear in a quilt one day, it seems too obvious for this challenge.  So something a little more obscure perhaps, then I remembered seeing data structure diagrams on our network technicians desk:

This is actually the structure of a website I set up when my daughter got married several years ago. if you want to see the structure of this blog or any other website visit http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/  

But I've shared these ideas with you so I can't possibly use them as there wouldn't be a surprise! So how do other 'Dozen' members go about selecting an idea?

An Introduction

Thanks for the welcome comments! I've followed your blog since Hilary first mentioned your group and I'm delighted (And a little scared!) to have been invited to join you.

I've stitched since childhood and have been quilting for fifteen-ish years. I'm a bit of a technique junkie and have lots of different art materials and books around the house. However, last year I came to recognise that what I love most about quilting is piecing, in the sense that I'm making new fabric, which in turn becomes a quilt or, more likely, a wall hanging.

You can see some of my work on my blog - http://bilsblog.blogspot.com/  and also get a feel for some of my other interests. Here are a couple of the Journal Quilts that I made for the Contemporary Quilt group last year:

 

Own computer generated image super-imposed on hand painted background, machine quilted.

 

Mix of commercial and hand-dyed fabrics, machine pieced and quilted.

I'm excited by the 'Structures' theme that has been chosen for 2011 - do you 'tease' with hints of what is to come or is all left until 'The Reveal'?