As a designer I am at a loss right now. I go out of my way to design things that no one has ever seen before and I am always amazed when I open a brand new magazine and see square in a square quilts again and again! New fabric lines or different sizes don't make it a new design. Who needs a pattern for this? Unless you started quilting today its not that difficult.

Am I missing something? Is this what quilters want?

I'm curious what your thoughts are.

Thanks,
Sue

I am a fairly new quilter, and the simple patterns can be less daunting to a newbie. Having not grown up around quilting (or sewing) some of the very basic squares are foreign to me... (it is so funny when you realize how easy a pattern/square really is once you know how it goes together). That being said, I think the more difficult/original patterns have their place as well. I cant wait to be able to make some!! :) Keep up the great work of designing!!

To me, quilting is not about the design as it is in creating something that is new to me, pleasing to me, or something I see that I know someone would just love. Magazines often rehash the same blocks because in a different color pattern they look like something all together new.

I quilt because I am under tremendous stress at work, work in a horribly stressful place, and several of my family members have been diagnosed or have died in the last couple months of some sort of cancer.

So quilting for me is not about reinventing the wheel, but learning that the wheels that you designers make are pretty great methods of relaxing and escaping stress for a couple hours each night.

Sue I think it's a very delicate balance. Most of the folks who buy the magizines are probaly newer quilters according to the numbers. And these newer quilters want to see quilts that they themselves can make.

I know there are tons in the magizine that are not my style or skill level. And I really like seeing ones I know I can do.

What I'd LIKE to make are realistic looking ones of, say, the (Redwood) forest, N Cal coast, and other things that interest me, but lack the talent in sewing and picking colors.

For my dubious talent in even sewing a straight line, even with the 1/4" foot, things with straight lines and colors I like, get my attention.

don't despair...the magazines are made to SELL...the quicker the project, the better the chances are of the magazine selling!
Magazines are also geared toward the NEW/younger, sewer/quilter...NOT towards anyone who has been at it for more than 2 years...and after 10 years..well...we have seen it all, done it all and know that we won't make anything out of a magazine anyway..hehehe
so the magazines audience has to be the NEW person...no matter how many rail fences and ohio stars they have to publish...

most magazines try to offer patterns for beginners as well as more advanced- and beginners kind of need the basics--it helps them realize how different a block can look with just a color change- or different layout-
and you would be surprised at how many quilters are out there that see a quilt pattern---and will not make it unless they can make it EXACTLY like the one they saw---
happens alot-
i used to work for a shop owner- she was one of those people-
every store sample had to be the exact fabric- the exact everything as the one in the book---period---there was no (creative license) ever---
she would even expect the quilting to be exactly the same- and if you failed at that...well the sample stayed in the back room- not out in the shop-
as soon as the fabrics were no longer available- neither was the pattern- and the sample would disappear-
i thought this was so...strange- being someone who has always liked to pick my own fabrics- my own layouts---
if we visited benartex- and there was a new pattern for a new fabric line- we had to make that pattern- we were never allowed to use the fabric for something else---
(and she has been in business for something like 26 years!

i am always looking for new fresh designs- techniques-
maybe the part of me that is so...a.d.d. is due to my time working within her restrictions---now i seldom follow a pattern- seldom follow someone elses plan-
i always look to learn new techniques- but when is look at a piece of fabric i see (my quilt) not the same one in all of this month's magazines.

There is a new idea for you...start a magazine for advanced designer quilters! Or maybe start with a blog and share your ideas or sell them. Be the next Eleanor Burns of designer quilts!

I would read them...don't know if I would do them yet, but I can always try!

Me too!! It is the perfect de-stresser! Even when I am stressing about ripping out a seam the 3rd time, its a good stress. :)

Different people want different things. My take is that years ago, the pieced pattern was really the 'star', because the fabric selection was much smaller. A complex pattern was the way to go. This, however, limited the number of quilters due to the complexity of the patterns. Now there are gorgeous fabrics with larger motifs. You see posts all the time about folks hesitant to cut into such beautiful material, so now there are lots of patterns out there with large pieces to showcase the fabric. I also think that the beautiful fabric and large selection attracts newer quilters who are looking for a quick project. Some will only make one quilt, some will continue with quick patterns and some will seek out unique, complex works of art. All the quilters get a sense of satisfaction from completing a project, no matter which pattern they use.

Pleasing to the eye has nothing to do with how difficult or different the pattern might be, imo. I detest messy quilts with all kinds of shapes, fabrics, and colors. I much prefer simple design with corresponding colors and fabrics. I don't want to throw something onto my bed and have it look like the dog puked.


But that's just me.

Sue, I'm with you. I get tired of seeing the same patterns over again. I often make my own for that reason. But patterns do serve a purpose and many times they give us a place to start from. Just keep making new ones and I'm sure they will be just what someone is looking for.

I like quilts that take a traditional block, like a nine patch, and put it into a more modern quilt. But right now, I'm trying to stick to easy quilts as I'm just starting

I like traditional patterns best.

Ditto

I'm fairly new to quilting, but I've said repeatedly to my quilter friend at work that there are just so many ways you can make a block and I keep seeing the same things over and over. So, I understand completely what you are saying. Making a square in a square a few inches bigger than the last person doesn't make it a new design. With that said, I also see wonderful and inventive quilts that look fresh and new. What makes an original? I guess someone to call it original! lol. Keep designing and enjoy the process.

I dont buy magazines but I understand what you are saying after just looking at a few of them.

Personally I like doing things that look different but that's me.

I agree. I find much more variety surfing.
I will have to say though that I very much enjoy the quilt shows that guilds do. In particular the section done by the members that is same quilt pattern over & over with different visions.

Honestly...how many ways can you actually rotate a triangle and make something no one has seen before? I agree with you. That's why I end up doing my own thing most of the time. To me the new stuff coming out is more about the fabric and color placement than the patterns themselves. I have alot of older quilt books and magazines and while the techniques have changed the patterns themselves have not.

This is the kind of quilt I like to design. I don't use any traditional blocks when I design since I don't think I would enjoy making half square triangles, square in a square or Ohio Stars over and over again but the big names do it again and again and people eat it up. I just don't get it.

wow, Sue, that's an awesome design!

Thanks Scraps!

Hi Mellie,

I know what you mean about being a newbie. My first class was a hand quilting class because I didn't know there was any other way to do it! Also, I would have failed my sewing class in high school if my sister didn't do my projects at home for me. We all start somewhere but I am amazed that so-called designers can make a living by changing the color of a traditional pattern and call it their own. I'm sure you will be able to do some of the more complicated patterns when you put your mind to it. Have fun and good luck!

I'm a fairly new quilter although I've been sewing for over 40 years. My Mother gave me about 50 quilt magazines and I've been tearing out the patterns I like. After going through about half of them, I'm noticing the patterns repeat; however, being somewhat challenged by coordinating fabrics, it does help to see the same design in different color combinations. But I know what you mean. Unique designs really do jump out because they're . . . well . . . unique from what magazines typically publish.

Well, it's quite simple really. Tastes are different and a lot of people do like the traditional designs. Just because you don't like to look at them or to make them, does not automatically make them boring. Frankly a sentence like "but the big names do it again and again and people eat it up. I just don't get it" seems dangerously close to being arrogant.

Personally,I'm heading in the other direction.Loved the more complicated patterns back in the day & enjoyed making my own version of a quilt seen in a pic or adv.
Now that I've made most of the old standards & no longer want 20 sqs all alike, I'm into simple & get it done.There are only so many shapes,sqs,circles HSTs etc.
Regardless of how new a pattern looks to be,almost surely it's made of sqs,rectangles & triangles.That fact alone limits designs.JMO

Thats exactly why I discontinued most of my subscriptions to quilt magazines.
I like making different types of quilts, depending on my mood that day! thats why I have so many UFO's!

I started quilting when I was 6 yrs. old, am now 74. I guess I am challenged but I still need a pattern to make a quilt. I still have problems with colors ( shame on me). I have been told everytime I make a quilt (whether true or not) that it is beautiful. I have no problem selling all I make. The problem is I want to keep them all. So to all out there who can't design a quilt, just be like me, keep depending on all the people who design and sell beautiful patterns. I still see quilt patterns from years ago that I did not make and all of a sudden I like them and want to make them. I like to make all quilts.

Joy, your avatar is beautiful. BTW...I also want to keep my quilts LOL

I love the traditional designs, I just don't want to make them. Its been done and done again but to do a traditional design in a new fabric line and then call it a NEW design is ridiculous.

I bought a magazine that used the central square fabric that I have on hand. Though the pattern was nice I did not have all the materials. So I used the photo as an idea starter, then used another design that would help me use the fabric I have on hand as I did not want to throw any more money or time into the project. Sometimes there is a limit, but that limit forces creativity....plus I got a one of a kind quilt out of it. I did have to purchase one more strip of backing.

I like Trearureit's ideas. Maybe even find a group locally that would like to work at making new patterns. If you have EQ maybe you can teach someonelse how to use it and you can be creative together.

This is such a good discussion. Shows that quilt making is an art, and the artist creates that which satisfies the soul.

That's why I love this board! Different folks ... different opinions! I LOVE reading a variety of information about quiltmaking, but tend to choose what is pretty, quick and easy. I enjoy quilting, but have limited time, so I want to get it done! I do love a variety of color, but my Mom, who is 89, constantly reminds me ... "quilting is using what you have and making something warm and useful from it!" She is my inspiration!

most patterns have been around for years just named different at times don't like them you can create your own

I have to state my opinion after reading some of the comments here. Good topic. I am brand-new to quilting, having recently retired and having more free time to pursue something I've always wanted to do. I search the Internet, books, and this board to get ideas. You have to have a place to start. To me, quilting is about accomplishing something that is pleasing to you, no matter how simple or complicated: choosing colors that you like and hoping they go together -- they don't always, even though you think they will -- and learning from each mistake you make in building that quilt. I enjoy the more simple styles, not too busy, and don't feel I will ever have the expertise to do some of things I see here, no matter how long I live. It's supposed to be fun! Do what YOU like and what appeals to you.

I have been quilting about 5 years, and while I'm not great, I am a good piecer. The magazines now bore me, as you say, it's the same patterns over and over, just different colors. I am stretching into applique. I like the look of some piece work w/ some applique. It seems doable. Applique scares me. How to do it, can I wash it?? Or eve, embroidery in a "regular" quilt.
Yep, that's my take.
Sue

Scrappeeeeeeee!

I read your own homepages too!
We need innovative quilters like you, who add to the diversity of our large creative quilting world!!!
I am 81, and have seen endless variations of only a few patterns - like now - log cabins! Hardly even other old traditional Irish chain or ohio stars to be seen lately - and those are easy too!
In fact, this really happened to me recently!
In the past, I gave boxes of odds and ends of scraps to a younger friend who loved to just sit in front of her machine and sew and sew and sew! She gave me a queen -out-of-the-paper-bag choices log cabin top. Ik!!!! - it was so ugly!!!! LOL!!! So after putting it over a sofa and looking at it for about two weeks, I resolved that it was going out of my house! So I took it to a sit and sew. and gave it to a fellow quilter who does a lot of charity quilts. Everyone there proclaimed it "beautiful"!! LOL~!
Honestly, every time I protested saying "but it is REALLY UGLY!" They shouted me down!
I, like you like to make one-of-a-kind quilts!
What do you think? Should we holler louder too???
Keep up the creative designs!!!
Jeannie

Yes, yes, yes!! Holler louder and longer!! Thanks Jeannie!