Quilting essay question

[Angie from Indiana]

Ladies,
I am doing an essay about "what to look for when choosing a quilting book" and would like you to please give me your feedback.
I need to provide clear criteria/points like: EASY TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
So if you would be so kind as to take a moment and tell me what is important to you when you choose a quilting book or pattern, I would appreciate it.

Thank you and I will let you know how it turned out,
Angie

[janluna]

Re: Quilting essay question

Easy follow directions sounds good to me. Pictures. Maybe a video could be made and sold with the book. Pattern pieces that can be copied legally to make templates with.

[quiltingtrish]

Re: Quilting essay question

If it says "Quilting" on it, it's mine.

Seriously.

Hugs,

[craftyladysam]

Re: Quilting essay question

Like Jan said The more pictures the better. List of supplies, amount of yardage, time it takes to make project, any changes you can make on your own , how much does it cost.?

[toggpine]

Re: Quilting essay question

I want full photos of the patterns, not just the quilt artfully draped.
I like an "exploded" drawing of the block for ease of assembly.
Clear directions are a must.
Accurate yardage measurements. I don't want to have to go track down more or have tons left over.
I hate adding the extra 1/4" to the templates. If you are going to print them, add it in already. I am very glad that most books now have full-sized templates instead of minis on a grid that you had to freehand enlarge.

I tend to buy most of my books used from Amazon, AFTER I check them out of our local library. No sense in paying for something I only want one pattern out of.

[IAmJustOneMom]

Re: Quilting essay question

Pictures. Multiple yardages for various finished sizes (lap, twin, full, queen, king). Link info for author's webpage/blog. Alternate colors and pics demonstrating the how the pattern can look diff because of the fabric colors; in that way you can become familiar with a pattern and make completely different looking quilts. Piecing methods options: tips & patterns for traditional piecing AND paper piecing.

[Dragonfly]

Re: Quilting essay question

I want full photos of the patterns, not just the quilt artfully draped.

We must think alike, this was the first thing to come into my mind almost to the exact wording. I want to see all of the quilt and how the blocks are arranged / fit together and the interaction of the design and colours. 'Artfully draped' just won't cut it for me, I rarely buy a book where I can't see all of the quilt.

As already mentioned, clear concise intructions and fabric requirements. I prefer illustrated construction steps, ie pictures at each stage rather than just written instructions, I'm a visual person, I prefer to read pictures.

Another thing I have come to appreciate is an idication that the quilt has actually been test pieced from the instructions. This indicates that the instructions can be followed by someone other than the author and that the fabric requirements are reasonable (as previously said not to little or too much). Designs out of quilt programs notoriously list far more fabric than is needed and designs from these programs can look so realistic that they may never have been actually pieced. I know a lady who commerially sells patterns for quilts she has never made.

[newbiequilter]

Re: Quilting essay question

I'm so new, I only have one book and that is about how to quilt, without any patterns. It has good close-up pictures of techniques for both right and left handed folks. It really walks you through the steps of making a quilt.

Oh, yeah, I've bought a couple of pattern books at the used $1 book sale, just for ideas, and I agree that it makes no sense to me to have templates without the 1/4 inch seam already printed. Why should potentially hundreds of us each have to add it, and certainly make mistakes.

I just got back from a trip to Germany and picked up a couple of quilt magazines. Don't speak German so I bought them for the pictures and the ideas. Then I realized that all the measurements are metric and that could be a lot of work to translate to inches. At least in these magazines, Log Cabin is called Log Cabin and Prairie Points are called Prairie Points.

Pat

[Carol_Ann]

Re: Quilting essay question

I am in total agreement with Janluna.

[Angie from Indiana]

Re: Quilting essay question

Thanks for all of the input Most of us agree on the three criteria I used for my rough draft

•A good quilting book should have clear instructions for someone without quilting experience.
•A good quilting book should have easy to follow directions with pictures or illustrations.
•A good quilting book should have a detailed list of materials needed to complete the project.

Watch for more pictures as the process goes on my profile page

[Angie from Indiana]

Re: Quilting essay question

Thanks for the feedback ladies My final draft is due this Sunday by midnight. Now I just need to finish the quilt so that I can give my recommendation!