My first quilt started out as a valance for a window and grew into a quilt. I followed how to put one block together and went on from there on my own. I don't have the ability to work out a pattern. Haven't really tried. Not to sure what I'm doing yet.

I look at a pattern and just go from there. I always seem to make changes and go on my own after getting the basic.

I tend to go to both extremes. I walk into a LQS and see all the pretty quilts/wall hangings they have up, especially for seasonal things--Valentines for instance :) Isn't that why they do that! There is an old saying "there's a sucker born every minute" well that's me! I buy the fabric and the pattern. I follow the pattern for the 1st one, then my creative side (what little there is of it) will take over I will switch fabric, move pieces about etc. I also graph out patterns to make a quilt. I find I need to have "something" in my hand to lay the pieces out correctly! I can actually mess that up too! I do envy the quilters who can see a qult and remember it long enough to duplicate it without benifit of patterns...I have a ton and enjoy looking for more. I have also seen quilts that I know I would never make and then see it again in another color and fall in love with it! Go figure! That's why I love quilting.

I love the quilt in your avatar... Does it have a name, or did you make it up. The colors photographed beautifully. The quilt I am doing now has half of the blocks cut out wrong... so I am totally designing it. That is how I get creative!!

I love the quilt in your avatar... Does it have a name, or did you make it up. The colors photographed beautifully. The quilt I am doing now has half of the blocks cut out wrong... so I am totally designing it. That is how I get creative!!

I had to think about this. I don't really use whole quilt patterns. Like for BOM i use those patterns, but i tend to lean towards methods...OBW, string quilts, strip quilts and rag quilts. My latest venture is learning PP. I actually like it, I wasn't expecting that.

This takes me back to what I think about patterns in magazines. I look at magazines for ideas but do not use the patterns or fabric choices they use. How can they say we've copied the quilts from the magazines when the quilt squares have been used over and over throughout time? I saw in McCall's recent magazine that they now "allow you" to make one and only one quilt as shown and you must give full credit publicly. I consider quilts to be a form of artwork and I would never make mine exactly as someone elses.

No, I don't use patterns. I do sometimes get ideas from pictures, but usually change them to suit myself. I love the "artist" part of the process.

Unlike most of you, I follow patterns, although I frequently adjust to make a different size. I have minimal need for twin sized or lap sized quilts - I prefer a bed sized quilt or a wall hanging. One advantage of patterns is many that I have chosen have unique methods that often improve my result.

I like a pattern to follow, helps as a point of departure. Iam way too creative to follow anyones 100%, but then I like log cabins and theres only so many ways to change those, so I guess you could say I use a pattern!