Topic
1 – Series Introduction
A. Welcome
I would like to take this first post to welcome you
to the Pattern Writing Blog Series! This
will be quilt pattern writing 101 and the goal for this series is to teach you
the tools and give you the confidence write your own quilt pattern.
Note:
If you are signed up to receive posts from this blog (Bloglovin, E-mail,
Feedly) you will receive each post related to this series. Each post will also be linked to in the
Pattern Writing Blog Series tab above so that you can easily find
and reference individual topic posts anytime.
B. About Myself
My name is Cheryl and I am a chemical engineer who
now works as a patent agent. My job
requires me to take PhD level science, break it down, and describe it to a
patent examiner who may or may not be familiar with the subject manner. I use my engineering and technical writing skills
to create quilt patterns that are clear, concise, and useful.
Back when my daughter was a toddler and I decided to
make her a quilt for her new bed even though I had no idea how to make one. I bought some basic supplies, learned
everything I could about sewing and quilting on the internet, dove into the
project … and have not stopped quilting since.
When making one of my first quilts,
I altered the pattern completely, changing the number of blocks and cutting
instructions to use different precuts. I
found that I really enjoyed the process of figuring out the pattern and
instructions and thus started my journey as a pattern designer.
I sold my first quilt pattern in the Fall of 2012. Since then I have released over 30 free and
for sale block and quilt patterns. My patterns
are available (including free and for purchase) digitally via Craftsy and Etsy and in printed form via Etsy and wholesale direct to shops
and distributors. My patterns (free and
for sale) have been downloaded over 13,000 times from Craftsy.
My first quilt pattern took me over five months to
write, test, rewrite, have tested, and finally get the courage to post. When I was writing my first pattern, I could
not find any good resources to help me figure out the “right” way to write a
quilt pattern. I hope that this series
provides new aspiring quilt pattern designers some helpful information and
encouragement.
C. Aim of the Series
When you first started quilting, you probably used a
pattern from another quilter. As you
became more proficient, you might have started changing up the sizes or
tweaking other aspects of the patterns you were using coming up with your quilt
design ideas. You may have written notes
on the pattern in case you ever wanted to recreate the pattern. Maybe you started to think about taking your
quilt designs and writing them into quilt patterns and publish them (free or
for sale).
If you are at the point where you want to possibly
publish your patterns (or simply want to record them better for your own use), then
this is the series for you!
I believe that there is no “right” way to write a
quilt pattern, we each have our own preferences, ways of understanding instructions
and explaining things. This series’ objective
is to take you step by step from a design concept to a published pattern giving
you the skills, tools, and confidence to write your own pattern your own
way.
D. Series Topics
The series is going to be broken into ten topics, about
one topic per week, with all posts either posted to this blog or linked from
this blog to other blogs (all posts will be linked within the Pattern Writing BlogSeries tab above).
Topic
I – Series Introduction
Topic
II – Quilt Design
Topic
III – Adapting a Quilt Design into a Pattern
Topic
IV – General Pattern Guidelines
Topic
V – Quilt Math
Topic
VI – Computer Programs for Illustration and Pattern Design
Topic
VII – Illustrations and Text
Topic
VIII – Testing
Topic
IX – Publishing
Topic
X – Wrap Up
E. Posting Schedule
Most weekly topics will contain a series of posts:
Monday
- a post from me going into depth on the weekly topic illustrating the topic
using a sample quilt pattern.
Wednesday
- a round table discussion on the topic by our panel of pattern designers.
Tuesday, Thursday, and/or Friday
– some weeks will contain an extra post or two related to an aspect or experience with
the topic by one of the pattern designers.
The complete listing of scheduled posts can be found
in the Pattern Writing Blog Series tab above.
F. Guest Designers
The designers who were generous to help me with this
series are (in alphabetical order) Amy of 13 Spools, Anne of Springleaf Studios, Christa of Christa
Quilts, Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts, Soma of Whims and Fancies, and Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl. We will be getting to know the guest designers more this Wednesday, when there will be a post to introduce each designer in more detail.
G.
Sample
Quilt Pattern
In order to make this series more useful and less abstract I
will be taking you through the development of a complete sample quilt pattern
to illustrate all of the different ideas and concepts of the series. At the end of the series, this sample quilt
pattern will be available as a free baby-sized quilt pattern available for
download from Craftsy. The sample quilt
pattern is called Ninja Bears and is a relatively simple pattern based on the
traditional Friendship Star block.
H.
Giveaway
Each of the wonderful designers has agreed to donate one (1)
digital quilt pattern as a prize at the end of the series so there will be 7
winners in total to celebrate the completion of the
series.
I. Questions?
If you have questions now, or at any point
throughout the series, simply leave the question in the comment section of the
post or e-mail me directly at cheryljbrickey (at) gmail (dot) com and I will
try my best to answer your questions. If
we have a large number of questions for any particular topic, I (and the guest
pattern designers) will respond to them in a new post so the answers will be
available to everyone.
J. Thanks
As we get started with the series, I would like to
offer special thanks to Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl for helping me refine
the scope, content, and plan for the series and to Paige at Quilted Blooms for
proofreading, editing, checking quilt math, being a sound board, and about a
million other things to help me get this series complete.
