I do both. Sometimes a quilt just calls for your own little touches. I love putting my own little spin on them.

Pattern info
 

I have the original Warm Wishes pattern, but I was wondering -
if you cut the focus fabric 8 1/2" squares, did you cut the white center strips on the sides - 3" wide and the outer strips 2 1/2" wide...I really like this quilt your way! Also what size are the corner blocks and strips??? Thanks!

For me, a pattern is merely a suggestion and I always try to enhance it. I like to stretch my comfort zone and often try patterns that allow me to do that. There's always something to be done to enhance a pattern and make it special! :-) I definitely play out of the box! :-)

What Box? I've only had a pattern to follow once, and I've never liked that quilt.

Never heard of "broderie perse" so I looked it up. Have done this a few times. Didn't know this was the name for it. Learn something every day on this board.

I've done both and am happy with the results. It is ftustrating when following a pattern and it is wrong. Tgen j just create my own to get thru this step.

Box? what box? Even my first quilt top (Yellow Brick Road) I made up different blocks for it. I then took drawings of all the blocks made and put it in a CAD program to make sure not only did two seams never meet as I put the blocks together but that two colors never met.

Since then, I use patterns as concepts. Everyone throws another idea torch into my head and something weird comes out.

The ones I like are the designers who say "From Fabric A cut 2754 2.5 in squares". Like that is going to happen.

Closest I have come to following a pattern is Michelle Watts Southwest design quilts. They are too beautiful to mess around with.

tim in san jose

Wow, thank you for this thread! I am so delighted to find there are so many more people like me than I thought. Everything you read in magazines and such is all about the pattern and someone else's ideas. As my profile says, when I was a young I was the good little girl who did what she was told. Teacher's pet, Goodie Twoshoes. The older I get the farther I get from that. I very rarely follow a pattern entirely and I'm much happier putting things together to my own liking. I have lots of patterns to use in my own versions. I only bought one kit and that was for the purpose of making it differently so I can demonstrate that at guild meetings and groups. "Do your own thing" is my motto now. Dancing to my own drummer. Yes! Love all you other out-of-the-boxers! (Well, maybe not the underwear meaning of that. Teehee.)

Oh, by the way, I do the same thing with recipes. Read them to get ideas and put together my own dishes. Exception might be bread and cookies, especially the first time I make a recipe. After that I change things around.

As I have gotten older I have learned to appreciate "Goody Two Shoes" who turned over the leaf. *L* Making up for lost time I think. Bad girls, I love them.

As I learned from my Father, a great home baker... Do like the recipe says the first time or don't complain when it comes out like dog food. If you follow the recipe and it comes out like dog food, then you have reason to complain. I don't change recipes the first time unless they include things like cottage cheese. That's just bad I say, bad. tim in san jose