Well folks, only one week until Valentine's Day. I already bought my hubby a box of chocolates.
Have you ever made a heart quilt? I made a wall hanging for my grandmother many years ago.
Recently there were two free patterns for Valentine-themed projects on the Fat Quarter Shop Blog. One is a cross stitch pattern, the other is a heart in an envelope. I love that pieced pattern.
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Last December, the Craft Industry Alliance announced that Martingale Publishing will be closing the company sometime in 2023. Martingale was a major producer of quilt pattern books. This makes me sad but it doesn't surprise me. We recently downsized our quilt guild library and when surveyed about where members now get their patterns, many said online. There are so many free patterns and tutorials that one could literally go for a long time without buying a book.
Dawn M. and I had a long talk about this and found that we both do the same thing. We have a few books we've kept because we love them so much and for reference. But for us, we've quilted so long that if we do see a pattern we love online, we can figure out how to make it on our own. The brown snowball quilt top I posted yesterday was one of those pieces, although I can't remember where I saw the photograph.
What are your thoughts on where you get patterns?
To read the article on Martingale, go here.
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Happy February! I love those hearts. I am with you, I have been quilting so long, I just draft my own patterns. In fact, I have never purchased a pattern. I would rather spend he money on fabric. Even though I draft my own, I always give credit for my inspiration. I have done a few sew-a-longs, but usually draft my own there as well. By the way, I love your new header photo! Happy Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteI have way too many quilt books so I divested myself of several recently. I have kept all my big block reference books as well as all my quilt history books. Like you, I can usually figure out a block from looking at it and I rarely make a whole quilt the way it is designed.
ReplyDeleteEarly on in my quilting journey (30 years ago) I learned how to draft my own pieced blocks - most are not hard! - and, with few exceptions, I’ve been doing it myself ever since, designing most of my own quilts. I do use patterns for some of my appliqué work, though I design my own vine/leaves/ berries borders. I find it mind boggling that people pay money for patterns for traditional blocks that are in the public domain that could be easily drafted to the desired size by themselves for free!!
ReplyDeleteMy shelves are over stuffed with books already. I still buy the occasional book, but it has to have at least half the patterns that make me think "I'll make that!", or new techniques like the "disappearing" blocks. And the longer I make and look at quilts, it's getting more and more rare that happens.
ReplyDeleteI find myself saving images of quilts from the internet as inspiration for color combinations, fabrics, combining various blocks, ideas for doing the quilting, how to recover from errors, or embrace the wonky, not to copy the quilt itself. I like the challenge of figuring out my own quilt - what blocks, what size, what fabrics, etc.
I know I'm part of the problem, using free internet patterns or photos for inspiration, buying books from garage/estate or thrift shops then turning around and lamenting book publishers going out of business or going to ebooks.
I subscribe to 2 quilt magazines, but even those I sometimes wonder why I continue, as so much is rehash of old patterns with new fabric lines. I guess because they keep me up on the trends?