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bearisgray 09-22-2015 03:24 PM

When making a qui - process?
 
This is a spin-off from this thread : http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...x-t270183.html

When you start something -

Do you have something definite in mind?

I had one friend that had the whole top almost completely designed/thought out before making the first cut of fabric.

or

Do you just start playing with fabric and/or a partial design and see what happens?

I am more in this category. Sometimes it works out well. Sometimes - it was "a learning experience."

How about you?

Tom W 09-22-2015 07:51 PM

I do both. I generally have something of a plan, usually a group of fabrics without a pattern or a pattern without the fabric.... either way it all seems to work out in the end.

bj 09-22-2015 07:55 PM

I usually have a plan for the quilt, but hardly ever have a plan for the borders. Most times the quilt seems to tell me what kind of border it wants. Sometimes I have to look at it for awhile before I can hear what it's trying to say.

Jeanne S 09-22-2015 08:58 PM

I always have a plan or a pattern in mind. Even if I am improvising, I have sketched out a rough draft before starting. I commonly change some as I go, but have to have an initial plan first.

DOTTYMO 09-22-2015 10:38 PM

I have a pattern or block in mind. I draw out I order to know how much fabric to buy. I buy more than thought as I always change the pattern or layout.

justflyingin 09-22-2015 11:15 PM

I plan first, then sew. Most of the time. If I am just "sewing strips or 9 patches, that is something different". But like bj, the border get decided on later.

BETTY62 09-22-2015 11:33 PM

I have something in mind but often change my mind along the way.

Stitchnripper 09-23-2015 04:06 AM

I do both depending on my mood.

Monale 09-23-2015 04:18 AM

I usually just start with a general idea. I start doing some blocks and then later decided how to arrange them, what kind of sashing to use and what border would go with it. Only one quilt, a quick one I did for a friend with cancer, I pretty much knew what I'm going to do when I started. But even then I improvised on the pieced backing once I was there.

ManiacQuilter2 09-23-2015 04:28 AM


Originally Posted by BETTY62 (Post 7325326)
I have something in mind but often change my mind along the way.

I agree too.

Snooze2978 09-23-2015 08:07 AM

I usually have a plan and if I don't have a pattern to go by I'll take my idea into EQ7 and draw it out for reference. Then I'll play with the fabrics/color to see how it will look. The gent I'm teaching how to make a quilt did this. He picked out a block he wanted to try, I drew up his quilt in EQ7 and told him to color it the way he wanted. Printed out the pic and the rotary cutting measurements for him. I keep his pic on the design wall for reference while he puts it together.

ghostrider 09-23-2015 10:26 AM

I do both, but for different reasons and at different times. I greatly enjoy both methods and the variety they offer. I seldom get bored as a result. I don’t use other people’s patterns at all so everything is from scratch either way.

I design quilts down to the finest detail when I want something in particular...a show quilt, a challenge quilt, a gift quilt, quilts from a long held idea or a dream I had...something that has definition before I start designing. It can take a few days, a few weeks, or longer to get everything laid out exactly the way I want it including which way to press the seam allowances. For a very few, however, I may have no idea at all how to physically construct it. That doesn't enter the picture until I actually start piecing the quilt...and it has sometimes been the end of it. Yes, I have actually designed quilts that I still haven't figured out how to build (and I am 4+ decades into this sport).

I also make quilts improvisationally when I want to play, learn, dare, relax, experiment, risk. These are usually technique quilts, art quilts, intuitive quilts and generally start with a broad vision of shapes and colors. The goal from the outset is nothing more than exploring the moment, an absence of definition if you will, in contrast to the design goal described above. This process may be more nebulous and spontaneous, but the result is no less accurate, intricate, or challenging than the first.

Irishrose2 09-23-2015 11:43 AM

Mine is planned except the color of the binding. The quilt tells me if it wants matching or contrasting as the borders go on.

Stitchit123 09-24-2015 02:59 AM

It all depends on who I plan the quilt for. I have a couple of Aunt in law's that live together and their color and fabric choices were 5 out of 6 the same--eerie-- Mae's personality is precise and Faye is chaotic. They both picked out the Weather Vane pattern. Mae's is just like the picture is in the book. But Faye's I changed it to give it a ripple like affect -like a flag in a nice breeze.

Karamarie 09-24-2015 04:05 AM

I usually make a quilt based on one I've seen and liked, rarely do I use an exact pattern. I'm kind of a fly-by-the-seat of my pants" gal. That way I can say it's really my quilt. Once you've got the basics down and know how to make many of the quilt blocks out there, you can usually figure something out. I know some may need a pattern and that's OK too. We're all different & unique in how we get there. Our quilt shops have to make money to stay in business and need to sell patterns and believe me I've got enough patterns but just have gotten to the point where I can pretty well figure what and how I'm going to get there. Just have fun in the process.

annette1952 09-24-2015 05:12 AM

I do both too. Unless I have a set plan I wait & decide on the borders later.

Rose Bagwell 09-24-2015 12:14 PM

I follow a pattern, but a lot do a pattern as I go along, especially with left over blocks, material, etc. I do this a lot with panels , I love to create , go with the flow and see what happens. Sometimes I wind up doing more work than what I had originally planned but it all works out , if it doesn't I cut and make doll or baby quilts.

IBQUILTIN 09-25-2015 11:01 AM

Always have a plan A and a Plan B and wind up somewhere in between. Depends on colors and sizes of fabric pieces


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