02 June, 2010

Workshop in Progress - June 2

So, tell me your pattern pet peeves.

Working in the improv style as I tend to do, I read very little patterns. (I also hardly ever cook with a recipe.) But, I promised a pattern for the Five quilt. I'm working on it and I wonder what folks love and hate about the patterns they use.

Sashing or no sashing? It is a common question in the workshop. What do you think about Lee's blocks?

Check out Tonya's blue and brown strip quilt! She was showcased in the Workshop last week for her process post. Now that quilt is done. And she's worried about the quality? Looks fantastic to me.

In teh interest of play time, I can't tell you how excited I am that Lesly found a wonderful tool on line. The Patchwork Pattern Maker takes your photos and turns them into a simple pattern.I realize we could all pixelate our own photos to do this, but this tool itself is so, so awesome.

And finally, somehow I missed this post from Katie a few weeks back. But it is perfect for our goals of sharing process. Man, I am so excited at how many of you are sharing doodles and sketches now. It is wonderful to see how we all think.


Lest I leave you photo-less this week, I am including this pic from our visit to Asparagus Festival this weekend. A small break in the rain/snow to run around in a field and eat asparagus!

9 comments:

Lesly said...

Asparagus Festival??? To quote Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, "I want to go to there!"
What I like best about patterns is when they present alternate ways to construct blocks like HSTs, and then provide yardage calculations for both ways. But that is a bit of a shlep. Failing that, when they explicitly say which construction technique was used to calculate the yardage, since some techniques involve more fabric wastage than others.
Glad you like that pattern maker - I have already lost a good couple of hours on that thing.

elle said...

After giving dozens of unused patterns away I identified that I can find cheaper sources of inspiration. 8^) I'm after the variations. The Yellow Brick Road is an excellent example of a pattern that is worth the money and is perfect for my style. The first quilt is hoody hum. But once you have the technique figured out, then the variations, combos and tweaking could keep you busy for half a lifetime! So I'm not so sure I want a pattern as I want the technique.

Susan J Barker said...

I do like a certain amount of leeway in making a quilt, but I also like many of the traditional block designs -- and with those there are rules that you need to follow in order to be accurate - as long as you understand the rules you can add in the variations, such as size orientation, colour and placement. The idea of sashing, depends on the block or blocks that are used and again, if you are consistent and follow the basic rules, you can make a sashing that doesn't even seem like a sashing... I love to piece triangles and they add a dimension of pieced quilts that open opportunities that you can't achieve with squares and rectangles... So technically, in many cases, a pattern is necessary.

KatieQ said...

I have to echo Elle on this question. I like patterns that introduce a technique and make recommendations how to use it. If it's a good technique, the variations can be limitless.

I particularly dislike patterns that assume you know a technique that is featured in the design. I know I can search the internet or a quilting reference book to find out exactly how to do it, but when I'm paying for a pattern I expect complete instructions.

I never feel comfortable deciding about sashing. When I a using a scrappy mix of fabrics, I find the need to corral the into some sense of order with sashing. I'm trying to move away from that idea and become more adventuresome.

Live a Colorful Life said...

Patchwork Pattern Maker is awesome! Asparagus: yummy!

Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O) said...

As a complete newbie, I have not yet used a pattern; I am still working out how to keep the fabric from distorting when I cut it! My inspiration remains inconsistent as pain levels dictate what I can and cannot do from day to day. I await the next big surprise push to build something, it was a lot of fun that last time. 8~) Thanks so much for your encouragement.

Canadian asparagus in the summer of 1982 continues to set the benchmark for deliciousness, economy (we got a basket of young stalks that we ate for four days-the last meal tasted as good as the first) and longevity. I search for that same quality....

Barb said...

Asparagus Festival? That's my idea of pure heaven. I'll trade you our strawberry festival for yours!

nanann said...

My pattern pet peeve is definitely if I have to overbuy fabric. I just finished a snowman top and had to buy snow fabric for the background/borders/etc. What I wanted just couldn't be done from the stash. I have SO MUCH left over (not just 1/4 yard, which would be fine) and it is annoying me every time I see it!

Anonymous said...

An asparagus festival?! How cool is that!

I've only used one pattern so far and that's not going great. The list of materials required is incomplete and then the instructions will refer to using x, but I was never told to get x! Plus some of the steps are missing and the phrasing is very inconsistent e.g. fabric 1 is listed in the materials section as needing a 9"x18" piece but fabric 2 is only mentioned as a requirement and only halfway through the pattern is the size mentioned, so it's hard to ensure all the cutting is done up front because new requirements keep popping up!

It all makes the process much less enjoyable because I have to read the pattern multiple times for each step so that I don't miss anything and it's beginning to feel like a bit of a chore! Man, I sound whingy here don't I?!

So I guess what I'd love in a pattern is one that has a clear materials list with dimensions required, at the start of the pattern!