Barb M

Yes, and you have to think too, ok, if a quilt has a really great design aspect to it, like both of these do, it can look great on paper, but how is it for making one? For instance, in the red and blck check chain, in order to be able to do enough of the X blocks to bring out the pattern, number one, this would have to be a fairly large qui8lt, and number two, most irish chain blocks i have done are down in strip piecing with 2 inch strips, and they make a 10" block, so even if you were to go as small as 1" strips, that would still give you a huge 15" block, and with an irish chain, you cannot do just 2 or 3 blocks across, usually at least 5 to 7 blocks across, just to bring out the chain pattern. Sooooooo, if you use only 5 blocks across to b ring out the pattern, which is not very many, and with tiny little 1" strips, your quilt would be 95" 's across! hmmm, like that's great that its a nice patter, actually a super pattern, but would it be something others would want to do? I know i would not love the idea of doing 1" strips myself, because the smaller the strips, the more a quilt wants to wobble. But i guess also that is where you decide on the skill level of a qquilt, and maybe one like this would need to be labelled for more advanced quilters maybe? I mean, i have done a 1" irish chain wallhanging, so i gu3ess i shouldnt say i wouldnt do it, i just know it was hard to keep it all straight, but it is do-able.

Flying_V_Goddess

I'm trying not to, but all of this seems like a lot of work...the bad kind that makes you loose brain cells, nerves, and eventually all resistance to frustration and insanity.

I suppose the first order of business to research on is the rotary cutting stuff. I "get" rotary cutting, but I just can't do it myself. Its like my mom trying to learn how to play Guitar Hero---gets that you follow the colored chords on the screen and whatnot, but when she actually goes to do it she ends up failing the song. The main thing I don't get about rotary cutting is how to figure out wide your strips have to be to get the correct size for your pieces (mainly in the case of triangles and diamonds).

Flying_V_Goddess

Would it make it any easier to do if you sewed three long strips (like 1"x 42") together and cut the Rail Road blocks out of that (as opposed to cutting out individual 1"x3" strips and sewing them together)?

Barb M

Oh absolutely, that would be a wonderful way to do the rail one, and like patrice had said, that one is a nice beginner pattern...sorry, i wasnt real clear, i was talking bout the one you had posted above it, with the little red and black checkers

bj

Do you know someone that quilts in your area well enough to ask them to proofread and make suggestions once you get the basics of the design and the instructions written out? You might talk to your local quilt shop and see if they would be willing to let you put packets/patterns in their shop for a small fee.

Flying_V_Goddess

D'oh. I thought you were talking about the two rail ones I posted.

I hadn't actually given much thought to the red and black one...I have really favored the rail road one (as well as a lot of other people---including Patrice).

Barb M

But do you see what i mean though, that with both of those patterns, the smallest quilt that could be made would be 95" wide, and if you wanted to make a smaller quilt, you would have to go down to half inch strips...i think difficulty wise, the rail one would be much easier for a person to actually make...yes, thats why i would favour the rail one too, the other one looks beautiful, but like i saide, very hard to actually make. The rail one would come out 95" 's wide, with one inch strips, and if you use half inch strips, it can be made into a smaller quilt...half inch strips though, don't know if i'd want to do that

Flying_V_Goddess

No, I don't. The only quilters I know are on this board.

And there's not a quilt shop in my town either :( ...if I remember correctly, I think the closest quilt shop might be Sparta (which is about half an hour away from here). And I don't really know anyone who'd be willing to drive me out that far......at least without making a hissy fit about it first (thinking of a friend in particular), espessily with gas being what it is. Stupid fuel prices. But I'll still keep that in mind if I ever get the chance to go to the nearest quilt shop.

Flying_V_Goddess

I get what you mean.

Are you sure its 95"? I got a 5x5 example shown for the rail pattern. If you used 1" wide strips they'd make 15" blocks. So, if my math is right, the smallest you could make is 75".

Barb M

I think the difference between being a dreamer, and a person achieving their dreams, depending on what their dreams are, lies in the attitude of of whining about what others won't do for you, and a person going out and doing what they can do themselves to achieve their goals. Unfortunately there are many many of us that spend our lives whinging about what others have and we don't have, or whining that i'll never be able to do this cus it's all so and so's fault that they won't help me. I'm sorry, but i think this needs to be your turning point, where you decide your dreams and goals, and how you are going to achieve them, not how someone else will achieve your goals for you, how you will, because it is your dream to accomplish this. So here come's a speach, did you ask for an opinion, yes, do i care, yes, or i wopuldnt bother saying any of this. There are many many creative people in this world, you are one of them. There are many creative people here. K, here's some examples. Many people would like to write a book and have it published (im not talking quilting, just using writing as aqn example). Do you know how many would-be-authors out the4re have written books??? I bet you, there are more book manuscripts sitting in people's homes, than actually get published. That is because there is a difference. Three types of writers. Some people enjoy writing, poetry and journal writing, all for their personal enjoyment and creativity, and that is good. Then there are those that want to write, not just for the personal enjoyment of it, but to have their writing published and do thaqt for 6their living. Soooo, those that want to be professionals, some write their manuscripts, and leave them sitting in their homes, cus they have no clue how to get it published or anything, and don't take the time to learn and research how to get a book published, before they try and do it, so they are being wishful thinkers, but with no action behind their ide4as. The ones that get published are the one4s that have the id4ea, research it, maybe take a class on how to have a book published, it costs money to get a book published, all these things, so they work, have a job, so they can pay for the classes they want to take, and the computer they will need, etc etc etc, and then wow, their book gets published. Did it just happen by accident? No. Did it happen cus they whined that their friends didnt help them? No. It happened cus th4ey worked very hard to do it. Now, when someone writes a book, and it sells, they get paid money for it. Who does the money go to? The author...does it go to all their friends? No, because it goes to the person that did all the hard work. Now, quilting, i think most of us here on the forum are very very creative. Think how many times someone does a quilt, and someone says, oh, can you tell me how you did that? And of course, we are eager to share our creativity, and should be. Thats because this is our love, our creativity, but not ne4ceswsarily our profession. Do you know why quilters like to buy quilt patterns??? Yes we like being creative, but sometimes we like to have it all figured out for us, so we don't have to do the work. So we pay money for a pattern, and the person that published the pattern deserves the money, because they went above and beyond, researching, sweating, doing what they had to do, to put this all together, it cost them money to take classes, whether it be qui8lting classes, whether it be a class on publishing patterns, and this persons hard work and financial investment, for a pattern i would like to do, i don't mind paying for something if it makes things easier for me to do