Friday, August 24, 2012

Lessons Learned?


Do you put your full faith and trust in the Quilt patterns you purchase? We all assume that patterns have been tested and are correct for construction.

I've had some patterns that were very difficult and instructions that were confusing but up to this time, never one that was wrong. Read this post from Quilts in the Barn for some valuable information concerning magazine patterns.

14 comments:

regan said...

Linda is awesome! And I felt so bad that she spent so much time and effort trying to make the pattern right, just to have it printed wrong! Totally out of her hands at that point! I would be just sick over it! She says she will probably not go with that particular mag again for her patterns.....I don't blame her! Great suggestions to the gal who wrote the letter, too!

Susan said...

I had a similar problem with a pattern; that's why, just like a recipe, I read it over and make sure "visually" everything makes sense. Great post! XOXO

Denise :) said...

I come across this a lot with freebie BOM's ... which isn't so bad (it's free, after all) but it really aggravates me when it happens from a pattern I've paid for! Great share -- thank you! :)

Carrie P. said...

I have had that experience happen to me from a book that had the wrong directions. I even wrote to the author but she said it was all correct. But I got my hubby to help me with the math and he figured the same thing was wrong that I did.
I have made one block before of a pattern to make sure it is going to work just because of that problem.
thanks for sharing. I think making one block is the answer to a quilt you really want to make.

Linda C said...

Thank you for helping spread the word. Much appreciated.

Impera Magna said...

Thanks for spreading the word... I had flagged this pattern for a future project!


Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I purchased some old quilt magazines a few years ago, and fell in love with a quilt. Turns it it was a 2 parter, I only had half the directions. DH is much better on finding things on the computer, so, he found a way to contact the lady who wrote the pattern, and she not only sent me the other half of the pattern, but, she also sent me her pattern, since the quilt mag. changed her pattern up. That is still one of my favorite patterns, and, I got to show the designer the quilt when she came to my area to visit another guild.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Wow! I expect far more from a magazine. Thankfully I purchase very few. I really feel for Linda and the quilter who contacted her.

Jessica said...

Thank you for the valuable link - going to read right now!

Barb said...

I don't believe I have but there is always a first.

QuiltSue said...

Thanks for this post. I have just had a sort of similar experience. Someone wrote to me as they thought there was an error in one of the patterns in my book. There isn't, and I know exactly what she has done, but I can't get hold of her. Every time I try to email her, it bounces back as undeliverable. That's why I put a call out on my blog. I really hate to think of someone thinking what she is probably thinking about me now and my lack of a reply.

Ivory Spring said...

Thanks for the forward to the post. Unfortunately, I empathize all too well. But in defense of the magazine people, they do have to follow a set format with which they use for their particular magazine. So, they have to often re-write instructions from the designers, and when that happens, human errors come into play. It's a give and take... with all who involve - the magazine people, designers and the readers, I think. Just my 2 cents. :)

Allie said...

Every designer's nightmare, yikes!!!

JustPam said...

As a new quilter, I had an experience with a magazine pattern. In the issue it explained how to make a certain block. This explanation was not with the pattern I chose to make. I made the pattern using their explanation. When the pieces didn't fit, I contacted them. I had wasted quite a lot of fabric. The quilt I was making was a reproduction quilt and they did not use the technique described in the magazine. They said I should have known they used an older technique since the pattern was for a reproduction. I was very disappointed with their response. I wish I could remember exactly what the issue was.

Now as an experienced quilter, I think I would notice this, but you never know. Basically you are making a pattern at your own risk.