Annaquilts

Well I have been quilting for about 8 years and I like the older blocks. Come to think of it maybe I like it all. Also some people come up with new quick ways to cut them and with very acurate results once they are sewn. I find I look for new techniques, books that teach them and rulers that are worth their money. Some of my favorite designers are Bonnie hunt and Anita Grossman Salomon. I am also big on scrappies and seldom follow the pattern all the way and often do not use a pattern. I do not care much for most of the magazines but like some one mentioned I think most are geared towards new quilters and they do seem to fill a spot.

nab

I have been receiving magazines in the mail for years. I have to agree, there are not many new things in them that catch my eye. If it does, it is the colors that appeal to me. I am considering cancelling or not renewing my subscriptions. They don't even get me motivated any more.

klgreene

I still love the magazines, not just for getting ideas, but for seeing the fabrics, and I'm still learning new techniques. I make wall hanging sizes and smaller so even the patterns won't work for me, but do give me ideas. ANd I just love looking at the pictures. My first machine lap size quilt was a block in a block, and it was Hoffman batiks which I had never used before, but fell in love with them, so my second quilt was the batiks again, and called The Shuffle. I did the pattern because I wanted to show off the fabric. Now I have scraps of all those batiks to make my PP and smaller blocks. I love all the quilts and colors. I can't just say I like one style. I love the traditional ones, but I also love to design my own. Everyone is different and every quilt is different. WE all have our own personalities, and if you look at my collection of quilts you might not know my personality, but you would know that I really love to quilt!

LouBert

I cook with a cookbook, I sew with a pattern. After 10 years I still cannot always put colors together, even with a color chart!

Greenheron

I like scrap quilts but not necessarily traditional patterns. To make something new from the old is fun.

About magazines, I subscribed to Quilters' Newsletter when it was just a few black, white and green pages with old patterns. Then it grew and became my window to all the latest quilting ideas and trends. I eventually gave my boxes of issues to a new quilter because with job and home quilting time was rare, plus the library carries the magazine. Most of my quilting dreams take place over books or on line, now.

AZTeri

Those of us who are just starting need the patterns and ideas that come from either magazines or the internet until we are comfortable to branch out on our own.

Personally, I prefer the traditional patterns anyhow. I want something that is going to last, and the kitschy designs just don't work for me. I don't even really care for fabric that has cute little bears, snowmen, santa claus, whatever... Just personal preference.

While I like to look at the art quilts, I don't see myself doing those for a very long time, if ever.

mshawii

I happen to like the older designs. If I see something in a magazine or a book that I like, I definitely put it on my list for possible projects awaiting to be made. I see nothing work with that. It is all what your style is. Jan

mommafank

I think many of us have to rely on a pattern as we are not gifted in design. But having said that, I prefer the older patterns used by our ancestors because they are the original designers. I see many that are just sewn together to get it done with little piecing and for those with little time but want to create, then that is for them. I am hoping if I live long enough I will be able to design my own. I did make a crazy quilt as my very first real quilt, no pattern just by the seat of my pants, so maybe that is the first step. By the way, it turned out just the way I wanted it to look and look forward to perhaps doing another one day.

Pat75

I like to alternate a difficult design with a very simple one.but always I must be able to play with many colors. One quilt may take 6 months to make king sized and the next one one month I seem to need to do no brainers before going back to a challenge.

pledig

I agree 100% with you, Teri!