The Inspiration Behind Lisboa

The Inspiration Behind Lisboa

Get the pattern here.

A few years ago my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting the coastal country of Portugal, that trip included 4 days in the capital city of Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese). 

Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Europe, rich in historical architecture and beautiful tile work. It is also home to the National Tile (Azulejo) Museum, which houses 5 centuries of decorative ceramic tiles. Outside the museum, Lisbon's streets are brimming with decorative tile work, it can be seen on the sides of buildings, in retainer walls, along balconies, and many other places. A creatives mind could run wild with all this inspiration. 

I took so many pictures of tile while in Portugal that I could dedicate a whole album to them. But this photo is the inspiration behind my Lisboa quilt pattern. I love the geometric lines represented in this tile and the use of light and dark. Once we got home I grabbed some graph paper and started drawing out tile designs. 

Here is my first attempt.

For me, this one didn't quite hit the mark, and I wasn't a fan of my color selection. So I tried again. Take two. 

This was much more what I was going for. I then took this design into Adobe Illustrator and starting playing with assembly options and color choices. I love how versatile this pattern ended up being and how different it looks in different colors. 

Lisboa quilt digital mockup in purple and blue. Lisboa quilt digital mockup in blue and white.

Lisboa quilt digital mockup in teal and white. Lisboa quilt digital mockup in teal and purple

 

Get the Lisboa quilt pattern here

What destinations have you visited that make your creative juices flow? What inspires you? Let me know in the comments below. 

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