Originally Posted by
jmoore
I haven't made but a few quilts... but I always buy the pattern... I own my own retail stores and appreciate those who support my local business so I also like to support those who worked to design and took the time to create a pattern.
Ethical issues aside, the "took the time" part seems to vary a lot. I've only used 2 patterns. One, from a magazine, had errors in it that i didn't discover until a dozen blocks were made. The second, from Fig Tree, had only vague and careless references to making the pattern with yardage. By the time I drew it out and computed everything, like the area of a precut strip vs a FQ, I could have written much better directions. Apparently, you were supposed to buy her jelly rolls or be confused.
I have a huge picture file and get great inspiration on patterns and colors from it. The only place I'm well out of my depth is applique. I look for "dancing umbrellas" everywhere I go. If I drew that, it definitely wouldn't look like umbrellas.
hugs,
Charlotte