anita211

I use books, magazines, online... I have EQ in about 5 iterations and just cannot figure it out. I am always happy with what I end up with. And I am never hard on myself. I don't have that 'creative' gene that makes me really want to design anything.

Anita in Northfield, MN

kuntryquilter

I could never make a quilt without a pattern. There are too many good designers out there for me to even try to make a pattern, besides someone had to buy their patterns, right?

midwifehc

I only use patterns as well. I collect them like fabric. If I find a pattern that appeals to me I know I'll generally be satisfied with the outcome. I feel very competent at deciphering the directions, so no problem there. I also think patterns also help me expand my skills-I like challenging patterns, so I just jump right in and do them. If I tried to design my own I don't think I'd even know where to begin.

WMUTeach

I always use a pattern at least to start with. I may stray away from it particularly if I make the same pattern a second time. I think that as time passes, I find I know and understand the mathematics of quilt patterns and have a better sense of what pleases me. I find myself with graph paper and pencil more and more often. The result is I stray from the pattern a little more easily than in the past. I have made just a couple of quilts without a full pattern but even those started with a single block pattern that I enlarged or adjusted to fit what I wanted in the end. For me, that is part of the fun and creativity of quilting. Some quilters show their creativity in other ways and excel in color choice, others in perfect points while others design their own patterns. Cheers to all of you!

lheizen

me too )

jmabby

I use patterns. Every quilt is made from a new pattern, I hate doing anything twice.

MissBarbQuilts

I only use patterns. It's so much easier and, besides, there are so many wonderful patterns out there in magazines and on-line. I don't think I could come up with ideas as beautiful as some of the patterns I have used.

Wanabee Quiltin

I have never designed my own quilt. I follow patterns but I do change them to suit me. I just made a quilt for my granddaughter and when we were laying the blocks out, my DH and I did not like the wide sashing. He and I agreed it was just too much. So we made it narrower and added a red cornerstone. It turned out beautiful. I tend to do that quite a bit, just tweak something that didn't turn out right. But I always start with a pattern. You are not alone.

bbeyes

I use patterns too but mostly blocks that I like and then figure how many I need to make what ever size I want to do.