Originally Posted by lneal
Originally Posted by weezie
That's a new term for me, too, and I've been sewing for over 50 years. I usually create my own quilt patterns, though, just using a picture as a guideline; therefore there are no instructions to read and follow (or to confuse me).
How awesome!! I hope someday I get experienced enough to create my own quilt without using a pattern.
Hi. Me again. It's not just a matter of experience. There is a certain amount of risk involved that you have to be willing to take. For example, you might miscalculate and run short of a fabric. I've done it once (recently) and had to set aside the blue blocks/triangles of which I didn't have enough and search for another piece that was just the right shade of blue and was big enough. I found one, but I got the very last of the bolt and just barely had enough.
The happy ending is that the quilt top is finished except to miter the border corners; it's waiting its turn at the cutting table for that. The quilt top is awesome if I do say so myself (and obviously I do!); eventually I will use the original blue blocks/triangles in something. Nothing goes to waste here.
I've also made several quilts where I end up with exactly the right number of blocks and absolutely no fabric left over to allow for error. If I needed just one more block, I'd have been in trouble and very upset. I always buy fabric when I'm in the mood and usually have it for years before I use it, so there is no way I can go buy more of the same if I run short. I must like living on the edge ... in my quilting world.