Hi all... I've been working on creating new quilt patterns for about a year now. Only one is in a quilt shop (I'm a real beginner at it :). Anyways, I always wonder what everyone is looking for... what type of design, colors, easy or complicated, traditional or modern, calm or busy? I think most designers ask themselves this. My daughters and I usually create our own pattern for ourselves but now we want to share them. People have asked for some of them and I've given quite a few away. I plan to put some up for sale and some will be freebies on my blog.
Like I said, I'm a real beginner at this so I would love to have some direction. I've been quilting and sewing for most of my life and it's always been a hobby. I'm retired from home design (kind of a forced retirement considering the economy) and this will be my new occupation as I head into my "golden" years. Any comments would be welcome.

great idea to start here !Good luck on your endeavors!! Maybe u need to post patterns that u have or samples of work done ?

I look for designs that catch my eye, usually more intermediate skill levels, contemporary or traditional. I like patterns that offer yardage charts and directions for various size quilts. And of course accuracy is so important. When I trust a designer is accurate I have more of a tendency to go back to her/him.

This is a quilt I designed for my brother-in-law who has a home in Arizona. He lets us stay in his home down there for a couple of months each winter. This was a thank you quilt for him and his wife. It's not a pattern that I plan to sell... I just designed it for him.

I'm really hoping to hear what you all are looking for. I see that some of the ladies want sewing machine cover patterns. I'm going to get right to work on one of those. What else does everyone want?

I like using paper pieced patterns. I know that some blocks or designs can be done the regular way or paper pieced, so it would be nice to have quilting patterns that offered both when ever possible.

I love paper piecing... so glad to hear you like those patterns, dixiebelle.

Beautiful quilt, very Southwest!!

I think everyone is different. I suggest you find your niche. Design what you love. If your designs are good (which I assume they are :) ), people with similar tastes will flock to buy your designs!

Great advice!

Having purchased several "Self- Published" patterns , I can offer a few suggestions.
1. Organize the directions, in a very clear step by step using and Outline format. Title each Step.
2. Clear accurate yardage requirements that are keyed to the photo , so placement of each color is very obvious. Nothing is more frustrating than having to try to figure out what color number 1 is . Do not make me dig for these, I do not want to have to open the pattern up in the store take it all apart to find any yardage requirements.
3. Having an alternate color photo/example helps those that are visual to start to see it with other possibilites. I have family that purchases a pattern and trys to duplicate the exact colors. Many are color challenged and will be drawn to a pattern first by its colors.
4. If it is paper peiced , have the printed papers in the packet. I purchased a expensive pattern , And the first step was to trace the pattern. The pattern was copywrighted so I could not take it to a copy place.... and the pieces were too large to fit on standard 8.5 X11 paper. Major frustration.
5. For those who do want to dupilcate the exact fabrics , tell what fabrics you used. Manufacture and designer.. all the info.
6. Do have a web site so if there are corrections they can be accessed.
7. Have down loadable patterns. Once I find a great pattern designer I always look for what they have thats new I might like.... and most shops will not carry all the patterns from one designer.
8. Have a true beginner test your instructions to see if they are clear to all. Having been quilting for a long time I can read the intent of the author .. but if you are new to quilting ... its easy to get frustrated.
9. Offer guidance/yardages etc for making it larger/smaller than just one size.
10. Eleanor Burns made her reputation/business from having the clearest instructions anyone could follow and remains one of the most trusted names in the business. Study one of her patterns and instructions ..for insight and guidance.

very beautiful and southwest looking

you should think about selling this pattern

Hi Deb,

I'm trying to sell my patterns too. There is a great group on Yahoo that is just for quilt designers. Go to yahoogroups.com and type in "quilt designers." There are some nationally known quilt designers in the group, and they are great about sharing their knowledge. And there's another group on Yahoo where you can get quilters to test your patterns. Again, go to yahoogroups.com and type in "quilt pattern testers."

I hope you are successful with your patterns! I really like your Southwest quilt! You have a great eye for design!

Annette in Utah
quiltedsunshine.com

that is an Smoking quilt there! I only have a beginner's knowledge and so simpler thing are my forte but would love to try a more intermediate things too besides quilt....

Thank you all for the nice comments and the good leads. I may have to rethink the southwest quilt as a pattern....
I'm also going to head over to Yahoo and check this all out.

I would LOVE to see patterns that have cutting instructions added for just ONE block. I like to test the blocks before I begin and cut out all the fabric. just in case..........
Also -- because I have a longarm...I LOVE seeing how the designer would quilt the pattern.

Your quilt is awesome. Most people would need a pattern for something like this one.

Many younger people are asking for more contemporary quilts, and non traditional fabrics... I say whatever it takes to get them to love or get into quilting :wink:
There are also a lot of requests on here for "manly" quilts, too :D:D:D

I will only buy a pattern for something that I can not easily recreate myself. When I am looking, it always amazes me that the simplest of patterns can go for $10 or more! I often wonder how many actually sell.

But maybe it is because I have a mathematical perspective....

I love the Southwest one and that is the type of pattern I would buy -- skill level/difficulty/not easy to recreate.

I am also drawn to paper piecing....for example PittsburgPam has been posting one she is designing and I could easily see myself buying that.

I too love the papers in the pattern, but I know when that happens it can hike the price considerably (for example Judy Niemeyers patterns are around $40).

I have bought one of JN's and one Be Colourful for close to $40, but that is very rare. I prefer a price point around mid-teens. I don't mind copying my own pages because I can do it as I go along. Which means I can spread out the cost a bit.

I know the Be Colourful one I bought is one where she did NOT give good directions and it is one where some of the pieces will not copy well.....frustrating when you pay that much. It is also confusing about how much of what colors you need. I think part of it has to do with a language barrier. I am actually thinking of selling it because of those reasons.

Good luck! I'd love to see more of your work!

I can say that I'm a little tired of traditional patterns made to look new with a specific fabric collection.Who needs another Churn Dash pattern? Perhaps that's more of a magazine complaint but I don't buy patterns anymore unless they are quite different. Your sample is a very good example of what would interest me. It's wonderful.

I like photographs of the steps...not drawings.I've seen some AWFUL artwork.

I agree with Lori S about complete patterns. That's a real beef I have lately. The words "enlarge X %" are unacceptable when you pay almost $10 for a pattern. I've a plan to start complaining on Amazon about authors who do that as well.

The quilt is stunning. I think you'll get as many ideas as there are people responding. A pattern changes alot with different use of fabric. When I pick pattterns it can be for a different reason for each quilt. It might be because of block combination or the illusion or the effect form a distance. I think you need to design what pleases you, make sure it's accurate simple or intermediate to construct. (The more complex, the smaller the market.) Good luck.

I see people looking for more interesting and challenging patterns to use with precuts -- the layer cakes, jelly rolls, charm packs, turnovers, candy bars, honeybuns, etc.

RST

[quote=luvspaper I have bought one of JN's and one Be Colourful for close to $40, but that is very rare. I prefer a price point around mid-teens. I don't mind copying my own pages because I can do it as I go along. Which means I can spread out the cost a bit.

I know the Be Colourful one I bought is one where she did NOT give good directions and it is one where some of the pieces will not copy well.....frustrating when you pay that much. It is also confusing about how much of what colors you need. I think part of it has to do with a language barrier. I am actually thinking of selling it because of those reasons.

Good luck! I'd love to see more of your work![/quote]

Interesting you refered to the Be Colourful , there are several designs ... but after having suffered through one , and I am not a beginner by any definition, I did a bit of homework. Since I was so ....dissatisfied. The designer does not speak English , it is a Dutch designer , her husband does the translations. That explained alot. I e-mailed them and listed the improvements to be more user freindly. I did get a response but ... it summed up "we are working on it". I thought I had seen it all but when I read one of the yardage requirements it just said... "lots" that has stuck with me as one of the... I can not believe you would sell me a pattern that just used the term "lots" for a fabric requirement. This is why I am cautious about self published patterns.

Yes, the pattern I bought calls for over 200 different materials! No where did it say that and they are gradations, so it is hard to see that on the pattern itself. And the instructions for how much you need of each is very confusing. I think the only way to do that one is to buy the fabric kit which was over $200! For the cost of the pattern, I expected a bit more. Unfortunately it is a beautiful quilt!

Thank you all for these ideas.
I was shocked to hear that the one pattern called for "LOTS" of fabric. I wouldn't buy that pattern for sure.
I noticed that many patterns figure out how much fabric you need then add 1/4 to 1/3 more to allow for mistakes, etc. This really bothers me when I purchase the fabric needed then find that I have a huge amount left. One pattern I bought called for 4-1/2 yards for backing (lap size) when what I needed was 3-1/2... at $10 yard, I didn't appreciate that. It was a flannel so it's not something I can just add to my stash and use up later.

Do you like amounts to be more exact or do you like a little wiggle room? I would think adding an 1/8 wouldn't be so bad but if you add that to every fabric called for.. and sometimes it's many, many fabrics.. well, that just adds to the final cost. But I suppose if someone made an error in cutting and the fabric was no longer available, then it would be a good thing....

I would like to say WELCOME to one of the most over rated, under paid job markets in the country! Being a quilt pattern designer is like being a stand up comedian! You are only going to appeal to about 1% of the industry market and you have to hope what you have will be enough to make it!

You can join a group at yahoogroups.com that is just for professional pattern designers. They really give you all the dirt, and all the help you need!

Aside from that, I would ad, that you should NEVER create your pattern in EQ...and do ALL your research before putting it out into the world! Like the name....google it first...nothing worse that finding out after you print 500 copies that there is another pattern out there with the same or close to the same name!
Search the copyright files to see if anyone already owns the name!
Learn your copyright laws!
Go to markets/shows and meet your peers!

Make sure what your are doing is different! Unique...BUT not the same thing over and over. Case in point, a really nice Engineer lady decided she could design quilt patterns. I did testing for her and teach her techniques, BUT check out her stuff....http://www.quiltswithatwist.com
look at all those patterns...see a trend....yeah...she is stuck in a box....she keeps reproducing the same LOOK with different fabrics...boring....

another one I know self-publishes and publishes for others.
http://www.http://www.ashtonpub.com/books.htm
again...can you look at her stuff and ask, well, how long can you ride the applique pony??? Once you do simple fusible applique, you have done it, you don't need a new class every year...or a new book! She is in a rut now too!

Add to that the fact that every person that owns EQ. quilt pro, quilt wizard, etc, etc, can replicate 99.9% of any pattern they can gleen a pix of off the internet, and you have an over crowded, lack luster amount of people trying to hawk patterns to distributors, magazines, trade shows, etc.

I do know that there are now people who design QUILT patterns and sell those same patterns cheaper to pattern companies! Several designers in the McCalls pattern book also sell in quilt shops..and you pay more for the same pattern in the quilt shop!

For all the good the internet has given us, it has also created a monster when it comes to youtube videos, blogs with tutes, etc....all a person needs to do is know how to google and they can find a pattern for anything right in their own living room at 3am....legal or not, they will print it off and your sewing machine pattern will never be seen nor sold...because somebody made one on a youtube tutorial FREE for the world!

It is frustrating to end up with leftover fabric, but that is way better than ending up short. Here is what one must remember when they are either buying or designing a pattern.

#1- not all fabric manufactures use the same amount of selvage edge, so fabric widths vary!
#2- not all fabric purchasers will WASH that fabric properly BEFORE cutting it, let alone sewing it...those who do wash it know that you can lose up 8% in shrinkage!
#3- those who DO NOT wash before hand find that when steaming pieces, they do not fit together, so they have to cut more...
#4- not all people who buy that pattern are going to use non-directional fabric, so if they want to fussy cut, match stripes, etc. they will need MORE fabric..
#5- not all people can walk into the LQS and but more of that fabric..they used the internet, bought while traveling, etc...so they need MORE right off the bat...

A pattern designer has to go with the highest amount of fabric possibly needed to please the vast majority of people who will use that pattern! HOWEVER, it would be nice if the designer put in a statement that read
"DUE TO THE HIGH COST FABRIC, I WOULD LIKE YOU KNOW THAT THIS PATTERN HAS ENOUGH FABRIC TO ALLOW FOR SMALL MISTAKES, SHRINKAGE IN PRE-WASHING, OR TO USE FOR SMALL COORDINATING ITEMS"

MOST designers use at least 3 pattern testers to make sure things are kosher before publishing, those 3 results will vary greatly and with good reason...different machine=different seams, different tastes in fabric= different amounts required...and so on!

Designing, creating, and publishing a pattern is not a one size fits all quilters deed!

Sweet!!!! Love your southwestern quilt for you brother!! Good luck with your creative ideas of pattern making. If they are as good as the SW one, you'll do great. Keep on keeping on....

Before you put down someone because of the language barrier or the "lost in translation" theory, how about contacting the designer?
Have you been to her website to see if any corrections to that pattern have been made?

I can't tell you how frustrating it is as a shop owner to have a customer come in and start complaining about how bad a pattern was, and when I asked them if they contacted the designer or checked the website, they look at me and say NO, YOU should have done that before you sold it...WHAT...I just order the patterns, I don't test them alll!
But I have found that over the years it pays to go the website and check for updates/corrections!
Point in fact. A very popular designer put out a collection of patterns 2 years ago...one of those that when you bought all of the patterns it cost you about $120.00 PLUS there were embellishing kits adding another $85.oo...OY....and as soon as those patterns were released, the website was posting corrections...simple things really like cutting 5 1/8" not 5 7/8"..but still...frustrating for everyone involved!

Last week I wanted to make a shop sample, I opened the pattern and began reading the direction, I looked over and over and over...and could not figure out how I was to make a 10" frog out of tracing those 2" designs...I finally gave up and said, ok.,,I am 50, blonde and not a college grad, but really, something MUST be missing here...I contacted the designer and found out that only did that pattern not have the 2 pages of pattern pieces, but NONE of the 12 patterns I had ordered had them....talk about upsetting the designer...who now has to track down the last shipments to all of her distributors and find out how many more had missing pages....UGH....

It pays to stop and ask if there is something missing!

ONE more point about going PRO...if you are serious about it, then you must NEVER put a pix of anything you plan to publish on the internet..not even in your FLICKR type photo albums...
once it can be seen on the internet, it is considered published, and if someone snipes it, and can publish before you...well...it gets ugly...

also if you plan to do some magazine patterns first to test your waters...do NOT put pix on the internet or show at guild, nothing....any pix of it can lead to the same path as above!

People don't realize that when they post pix of their quilts that they are in fact "publishing" them. Many of the upper quilt shows now will not allow quilts that have been PUBLISHED...if they google your name or the quilt entry name and that quilt comes up, it is pulled...and not entered!

Don't you just love the internet???

Actually yes, I have checked her website....honestly her patterns are for the very advance quilters who can go on limited directions. No, I have not emailed her.

If the basic instructions are terrible including fabric yardage, it scares me to even try..... The one I have is "listen with your eyes" -- it is a gorgeous quilt! I bought it at IQF in Houston last year. I have bought a Judy Niemeyer for about the same cost and her directions are 1000 times better.

It's sad because Be Colourful has some amazing quilt designs.....

I always wonder if the designer had wiggle room . And because I have no way of knowing I end up adding because the life cycle ( amount of time it will be available from manufacture) of fabric is now so short. It aways ends up that I have to make that decision at the cutting counter, and because of past publishing or my mishap, I end up adding , and then have more leftover. One of the reasons I purchase patterns is to eliminate the whole question of "how much do I really need question". If the yardages are acqurate it can actually cover the cost of the pattern, because I add too much of a fudge factor when I design or plan a quilt.

I have contacted and comunicated with the designer, but becasue of the launguage barier its her husband ( who does the transalations for her patterns) that replies. The answer was "we are working on it".
Having been quilting for over 40 years , when I purchase a patten its because I do not want to take the time to draft it myself. and am looking for someone else to to some of the thinking for me , for a change. It is enourmously agravating to spend the big bucks , and have terms that do not even apply to the quilt pattern. For example it called for "insert piping" in the
directions when there was no piping in the quilt nor would piping in that part make any sense at all. It was clearly a translation issue but was left with a very real lack of confidence in the whole pattern. It could have been avoided on the designers part if someone who has any skills would have reviewed the instructions.
When I am spending the big bucks for a pattern , I also have the expectation the designer would have included any tips they used/learned for making the quilt.
Bottom line I will spend the big bucks for a pattern but will not buy another from that designer if the first one was a bad experience.

I hear a lot of complaining about Patterns....have you considered buying books instead?
publishing patterns is more costly and time consuming than books. Most publishing companies won't even do patterns any more, so for the most part, patterns are SELF published.
What most NEW designers do not realize is that it is cheaper and just as much work to put together a Booklet of 3-4 patterns! When it comes time to copyright them you pay the same for one copy right on a pattern as you do on a book that might have as many of 12 patterns in it! There by they cover the copyright on 12 different patterns in ONE easy shot!

There are a lot more books coming around at the $15-$20 price range that contain upwards of 10+ patterns in them, making them a greater value all around!

Gorgeous quilt and good luck with your pattern creations. Keep us up to date. I see you are in Michigan. Me too.
Hi neighbor.

Definitely moving that way. I would say in my last 10 pattern purchases, 9 were books! But unfortunately some designers (Judy and Jacqueline for example) don't publish in book form. And honestly their patterns are so advanced that I can't imagine being able to put too many into one book. So I think if you want a very advanced quilt, you sometimes have to go with a pattern. And with very advanced quilts, the directions must be written concisely and well. After making a Judy Niemeyer quilt, I made the mistake of expecting the Be Colourful one to be done just as well....my mistake!

Wow, this is a fascinating topic! I usually make quilts from books, but have bought a few patterns with fairly good results. I also agree that the directions must be very clear, with as many pictures/diagrams as possible. I love the quilt you made for your brother, you are very talented. Good luck in your pattern making quest!

[/quote]
When I am spending the big bucks for a pattern , I also have the expectation the designer would have included any tips they used/learned for making the quilt .[/quote]


Depending on the designers experience, she might not consider what she did a TIP, but just step in the process!

Do not for a moment fool yourselfs into thinking that just because this designer is Dutch and there might be a translation issue that this is only happening with her patterns. EVERY designer if you go to the their websites will have a page of pattern corrections.
Some are only minor things, but some can be huge differences in the amount of fabric you buy/need, some have directions left out, some are missing pieces....
Publishing a pattern is a long process....it requires more than one set of eyes to proof read and more than one set of skills to TEST the pattern....
and much to your surprise I am sure, it is NOT always the pattern designers mistakes, directions are easily misinterpreted as well!

I have found some major errors in books as well. Not sure if it is the rush to print or what , but one book I purchased in the last year had 56 pages with errors. I would have had no way of knowing except I over heard someone discussing which edition they had, because the first edition had so many errors. To my shock I thought I could trade in my bad edition for the better one, so I would not have to have a book with all these extra papers I had to stick in with the corrections printed.... But nope , I was told no such exchange was possible. One or two errors Ok .. I could mark up my edition but 56 pages with errors thats just careless on the more than one persons part and I would have thought the publisher would have wanted to restore their reputation.

MAn,,,I check all the books I order in, and occasionally one will have a small slip of paper saying there is a correction...but 56....I would pulled that book off the market and demanded a reprint!