What do good pattern instructions consist of

[Eileen K.]

I recently bought a pattern to make a quilt with a friend of another friend who is ill. We cut out the fabric together, organized the pieces according to the direction. I sewed my blocks at home using a xerox of the diagram in the pattern. My GF had the whole pattern and she made some blocks going by the written directions.... GUESS WHAT the written directions did not coincide with the diagram ... I am pretty sure there was a typo that got overlooked.

MY GF made one type of block and I ended up making another. We used all the same fabric but our quilt will not look like it is suppose to when it is done. We cobbled together a quilt but it has a scrappy look instead of the lovely organized diagonal setting we originally envisioned. NEEDLESS to say we were both disappointed. ( NO we are not going to take it apart and reassemble it... we do not have the time as we want to give it to our friend before her surgery. )


What do you consider good pattern directions, when you select patterns?

I feel a good pattern will include accuracy.

I also would like detailed pressing instruction as to which way the seams should be pressed to get a good lock and accurate seam intersections.



Is there anything else you would like to see in pattern instructions?

[Eileen K.]

I am currently reading "Publish your Patterns! How to Write, Print, and Market Your Designs" by Nancy Restuccia (McKenna Linn). A good pattern shouldn't have glaring typos. The author should have made many (10 or more) of the pattern. He/she should have asked for testers of varying skill levels to try the pattern to make sure that it is understandable. And they should hire a professional editor. Obviously, this is just a tiny bit of the information that is in the book.
Maggie in E. central Illinois

[Paula D.]

Sounds like your printer may have distorted the shapes perhaps. Get in touch with the designer.

[Teri L.]

Since I've started testing patterns I've found that it's a great idea to read through the pattern and check the layout before I start cutting. Sometimes after the pattern is published the maker or a customer will find an error and correct it in the next round of printing or will have corrections on their site. I realize that with dial up checking for corrections can be time intensive however it can prove helpful. It may be very, very helpful to the pattern maker for you to either call them or email them and explain what happened.

Teri

[Donna N.]

How do you get to be a pattern tester? I don't have patterns I want to publish but would like to get in on the testing side of the publication action.

[Teri L.]

I got this gig through a friend of a friend - that's the short story.
There's a group on Yahoo...you can also approach the fabric companies and see if they need a pattern tester.

Teri

[Donna N.]

Thanks, Teri. I'll check with some of the fabric manufacturers. A Google search on "quilt pattern tester" didn't give me much.

[Teri L.]

go directly to yahoo and sign up for the group

[Hannelore N.]

To answer your question:

Accurate instructions that have been tested on fairly inexperienced quilters.

Large print so that I can read the instructions without magnifier.

Printed on decent quality paper that does not fall to pieces after a few hours use.

Full-size patterns for any appliqué.

Lorchen

[Eileen K.]

I agree-they should be tested, by the designer and by quilters.

Quality control is so important; a lot of professions don't go the extra mile any more-they figure "buyer beware" covers them. How incredibly arrogant! :evil: I've started opening pattern packets(if they're not sealed) and checking to make sure the instructions et al are right.
eileenkny

[Diane O.]

I would like to know on the page with the fabric requirements if the maker has padded the amounts of if they have "just enough". I recently bought a pattern, that takes 5/8 yd of 5 different fabrics, and the listing for the setting triangles called for 1 5/8 yd. Well when I cut the fabric, I was able to get it all out of just 1 1/8 yd. I don't know if it was a typo, if they had 5/8 on their mind from the other fabrics, or if I just cut out my squares in a way to save as much fabric as possible (Which I always try to do).

But I would rather be the one making the decision as to how much, if any, extra I want to purchase or not for something, not have it written into the instructions. I don't like patterns that have you buying so much extra fabric that you could make two quilts out of it.

Diane in Colorado Springs

[Diane O.]

I recently bought a pattern to make a quilt with a friend of another friend who is ill. We cut out the fabric together, organized the pieces according to the direction. I sewed my blocks at home using a xerox of the diagram in the pattern. My GF had the whole pattern and she made some blocks going by the written directions.... GUESS WHAT the written directions did not coincide with the diagram ... I am pretty sure there was a typo that got overlooked.

MY GF made one type of block and I ended up making another. We used all the same fabric but our quilt will not look like it is suppose to when it is done. We cobbled together a quilt but it has a scrappy look instead of the lovely organized diagonal setting we originally envisioned. NEEDLESS to say we were both disappointed. ( NO we are not going to take it apart and reassemble it... we do not have the time as we want to give it to our friend before her surgery. )


What do you consider good pattern directions, when you select patterns?

I feel a good pattern will include accuracy.

I also would like detailed pressing instruction as to which way the seams should be pressed to get a good lock and accurate seam intersections.

I would like a picture of the pattern broken down to a grid format.

Is there anything else you would like to see in pattern instructions?