Designing Quilts with a book or on-line
 

I'm looking to learn how to design quilts. I want to be able to draw on graph paper a design and then be able to work out how much fabric I need, how much seam allowances, how big the block will be etc etc. Hopefully someone has written a book for beginners. I have been quilting for some years but I've never designed my own quilt yet.

You may want to check out Craftsy. They have a class on that!

many books have been written on the basics of planning a quilt (including designing etc..) have you check your closest library... I started with a book from Harriet Hargrave and Sharon Craig and I know some other people will recommand other books.
It can be a long process but a very nice learning one. My avatar is my first quilt and it is a design that just grew with blocks and design that I wanted to learn.
Go for it... just start and you'll learn and see what happens.
Even on this board, I am sure somebody will show you some explanation that have already been posting and that I am not aware of.

do you know about this site (and there are many others also)
http://quilting.about.com/od/beginni..._Beginners.htm

I have been quilting for about 2 years. I am incapable of following a pattern completely. Seems like if I try my creative genes take over and it becomes something else. I think you have to just have no fear and dig right in. You do need to know how to make the math work. Also be prepared for some failures but to me it is great fun to just look at my stash and start putting things together. I follow block patterns but not whole quilt patterns. Good Luck. I do read a lot and save a lot of patterns that I plan to try one day...LOL.

no sense reinventing the wheel, EQ software is the bee's knees.
http://electricquilt.com/
You bring the creativity, eq does the grunt work.

And they have various programs at various prices from simple to as intricate as you want to get. :-)

Marysewfun

Sally Collins has a good book "Drafting for the Creative Quilter: Easy Techniques for Designing Your Quilts, Your Way" It's available thru Amazon. It helps to identify patterns within a block.

But if you can afford it, I agree with KalamaQuilts. EQ iS the bee's knees!

If you have an iPone, check out AppStore for the BlockFab and QuiltFab apps. They are easy to handle and available for free. These apps have helped me several times, just to design my quilts and when buying fabrics.
(Don't know if they are available for Android as well).

I have a large notebook with checkered paper. I assign a value in inches to every square and off I go. When I am done I have measures for a finished quilt and finished blocks. After that it is just a metter of adding 1/4" for every outside line and 1/2" for every inside line. It is slower than EQ but I really love the creative process. It is just simple math. Good luck!

Great idea if I had a spare $250