ArtsyOne

I'll second Knitette's frustration with the listings she showed. If the pattern has to have listings like this, I'm helped by having a little drawing beside or underneath each that shows me the shape.

I love having the quilt shown in different colorways, because colors and how they go together is not my strong suit.

carla m

i like multiple size directions and directions that are easy with photos showing techniques maybe im just a visual learner but that always makes it clearer for me and easier to follow ive made alot of different patterns over the few years ive been quilting and some of them were hard cause they hardly had any photos or diagrams to show how it should look when you get to that part.
carla

StrayCat

Thanks for starting this thread! I've designed and completed several quilts as prototypes to be sold, but have not yet finished the pattern-making process. It's not that easy! I'm of 2 minds in many aspects: clear, short and simple for the experienced quilter? or clear and complex/detailed for the beginner? The more I think about it, the more I want to make a pattern that is magazine-style, with lots of color pictures, glossary, tips, alternatives, and instructions, plus some interspersed personal ramblings, and quilt-related links or ads.
I guess the most important would be to lay it out in easy to follow steps of construction with proper spelling and sentence structure, no acronyms or abbreviations, and clear diagrams/drawings/photos.
OH!! and large print =)

Scissor Queen

Directions that make sense. If you can't write a sentence that makes sense, find a proofreader. Don't over complicate the design just for the sake of making it complicated. I have one pattern that has you make a jillion strip sets, cut them into blocks and then sew them back together exactly the same as if they weren't cut. The corner blocks for that pattern had a whole bunch of unnecessary pieces too. I ended up redrafting the whole pattern.

Deborahlees

Want it to look complex but be simple.
several different color photos of finished quilts
Very very clear accurate instrustions. I do agree with you haveing all levels of sewers test the pattern.
Welcome feedback, and include on your insturction sheets your 'business email address'...so a quilter can
contact you if they run into a problem during construction.
Yardage for all sizes from lap to king.

jcrow

I'm with you there! I don't understand this at all. I am not a person who can do math at all. It has to say how many I have to cut. Were you suppose to cut one of each of these? Or multiple? I am totally confused. I have some bad math brain. Even adding and subtracting is hard for me. But give me a book and I can read it in a day. I can do almost anything but math. And I worked as a cashier in my little town for a while and people would give me a $10 bill and at the last minute they would throw out a nickel and a penny and expect me to figure out what to give them for change. I had to get out the calculator. They would make me feel bad and tell me how much I was suppose to give them back, but they didn't realize that I didn't know that. They weren't my only customers. Everyone did that and I hated it. I finally was able to stay home and not work there anymore. It was just a part time job for a while anyway. Boy, I felt like crying after the customers got through with me doing that.

patchsamkim

Be sure that your pattern is tested...and tested again...always hate getting a pattern with incomplete or wrong instructions....and there have been many!

burchquilts

I would agree with that. Also with the comment about a decent package to put it back into.

Knitette

I feel for you. I didn't find out about my problem until in my 30s when my small daughter came home from school one day and said, "Mummy, numbers are scary." She was referring to the fact they almost have a life of their own, a bit like moving and jumping, but not quite - anyone with dyslexia will know what I'm talking about!
I hate when people try to make others feel stupid, which clearly you are not .
I retired early from my job as a lecturer, but before that I was involved with adult literacy. I used to say that I taught clever people to read and write - it was just a skill they hadn't yet mastered.

Lori S

I could not agree more! Bought a pattern .. and it was just words .. no illistrations .. what a huge dissapointment. A good step by step format !