Are YOU a charm pack/ layer cake/ jelly roll KIND OF QUILTE

[Mike E.]

Are YOU a charm pack/ layer cake/ jelly roll KIND OF QUILTER?

I recently bought two books by Carrie Nelson .... SCNIBBLES and Ms Rosie's SPICE OF LIFE QUILTS.... I made a startling discovery.... This was the first time I had purchase books for charm packs and layer cakes. I love the quilt patterns shown.... but I have decided I really do not like PURCHASED charm pack/ layer cakes/ or jelly roll quilts.... I do not find they have enough contrast/value between the patches in the block. I find I always use BACKGROUND YARDAGE to get the contrast I like.... either a white/ light or a dark to give depth. To me all the pre packaged fabrics are MEDIUMS and seem kind of flat when you put them together.

I also hate the patterns ( not in Carrie's book) that are just squares and rectangle blocks.... no real pattern or thougth to it. I find them terribly boring. There seems to be a lot of patterns out there that just use charms/ layers in squares and rectangles. The plain jelly roll patterns are just is boring.

I might be old fashion but I think that these charm squares, layer cakes and jelly rolls limiting creativity more than enhancing it.

WHAT IS YOUR OPIONION ? Comments and Conversations welcome.

Lady Rags


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[Deborah W.]

I have only purchased one layer cake pack and it contained lighter and darker colors but there were not many light fabrics--mostly mediums. I picked out the fabrics I am going to use from the pack.My pattern is just an ordinary block pattern--it was just that I needed a variety of small pieces of fabric to make star blocks.

[Dawn S.]

I have never bought any of those! Part of the fun of quilting, for me, is to choose from all of those wonderful fabrics in the store. I like quilts with attitude! I like it to be different. I am doing a Judy Niemeyer Bird of Paradise, and took what I had done so far to one of her retreats. There were two women there doing the same pattern, but from a kit. I do not know who pulled the fabric for the kit, but it was really sad compared to mine! Their words, not mine. If you want a great quilt, you've got to start with great fabric!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Margo C.]

My favorite quilts to make are scrap quilts with 50-100 or more fabrics. Most packaged sets are too matchy-matchy for me, not to mention not nearly enough different fabrics.

[Margo C.]

I do like the layer cake and charm packages, but I do have a jelly roll that I've never used. One thing these packages are great for is getting all the fabrics that work well together. I sometimes take one piece that has all the different fabric colors in them to my LQS to get border, backing, and white fabrics that work well with the packaged fabric.

[Margo C.]

I think the PACKAGE FABRICS need background... all those medium/ blended fabrics make flat quilts. I am finding the only charm pack/ layer cake patterns I like ( after examination) have added a background of some sort. Why go through the bother of making a quilt if you can not see the blocks.

They are also missing a kicker.... something that add depth..

Are quilters getting lazy they can't cut their own fabrics?


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[Margo C.]

I love charm packs if I like the blend of fabrics in them. I think layer cakes & jelly rolls are too expensive. Love some of the pattern books for them too, so I cut my own when I need to. Alot of the packs, none of the fabrics really go together, so I make sure I check them out first. Like you mentioned, I often add another background color to them. Makes them go further, & you end up with a little bigger quilt!

[Jules M.]

I have only done 2 projects with charm packs and have added a background fabric to them. They were both Schnibbles patterns and the pattern tells you to buy a background, binding, and border fabrics. They've been quick projects, just wallhanings, and I like the colors in them. I only buy the packs I love.

I've not used the jelly roll (batiks) I bought yet. I've never bought a layer cake.

[Diane O.]

I rarely buy kits or packs of fabric of any kind, although I do like the BaliPops and have purchased a few of those. I think half the fun of making a quilt is looking for fabric after you have decided on the pattern. I love to spend one of my few days off at the quilt store, looking for just the right fabric for a quilt, then getting it home and spending time with it while I'm cutting it for the quilt.

Any time I have purchased precut fabric, even fat quarters, I am disappointed in how they are cut. I have found that a lot of FQs aren't "on grain" and when I try to straighten them out, I lose a lot of fabric. So I feel in the long run it would be cheaper to buy the fabric off the bolt, and get a little extra to make sure I can get my fabric on grain, and still have what I need for my pattern. Plus, I always buy a little more than I need, so if I don't get around to making the quilt right away, and I need a little more fabric, I already have it and don't have to go searching for more of something that is sold out or not carried any longer. And I have the added benefit of having leftovers for scrap quilts later on.

Diane in Colorado Springs

[Gael P.]

My first 2 Queen size quilts were made using Bali Pops. I made them from patterns in a Jelly Roll book but because I made them larger (I like quilts to go nearly to the floor) I used a few strips from Batiks I already had and bought some extra. Batiks are probably my favourite fabrics. Both had a light colour contrast added. They were good for beginner projects but I prefer to design my quilts now or something like twisted bargellos if I'm going to use patterns.

[Lorna B.]

I haven't used any of the precut packs, layers or rolls.