April

It's 7:27 a.m. The house is quiet. Everyone is asleep except for me and our dog Charlie. I love mornings like this when I can reflect and listen to the calm. I know that everyone is safe, asleep, resting...What a good feeling it is to have in these days and time. Part of me still can't believe what's going on in the world. I feel like I'm living in a crazy dream that's lasting over a year long. In this home, like so many, we were in shock for quite some time. Then reality set in and in our case, the weight of responsibilities shifted again. As some of you know, July will be one year since my chemo and radiation. That means a low immune system. Yuck. My husband gets his wonderful job back of grocery shopping and running errands along with continuing to work since he is a first responder. Add teenage hormones into the mix and well... you get the picture.

Like everyone, we keep busy during the day, renovating, working on new projects, school work, until night fall. Then the movies start.... along with late night baking, because... we have nothing to do in the morning.... Yup, can you say cupcakes at midnight?

This is my latest piece. I absolutely adore it!

I, have been taking time to learn more about pattern creating and all that the wonderful world of Illustrator has to offer. When it comes to quilting, pattern testers are invaluable. They see things that you didn't, and give feedback needed to create a solid, flawless piece. And boy oh boy,  I'm learning a ton. Having said that, I have a few recommendations for anyone starting out.

The pretty and not so pretty truth of pattern making.

1. Research your design. Research it again, and again, and again. There's nothing worse than spending hours, days, & weeks on measuring & sewing to get to a point where you have that horrible message sent to you from a stranger..."I've seen this before." It happened to an Insta-friend and my heart broke for her. Her pattern was absolutely beautiful, but supposedly, something very similar was published in a book years and years ago. I'm still rooting for her to publish her pattern anyway because it wasn't exactly the same. Also, image creation IS a great thing to post. I actually did my first one last night. I uploaded my latest design to Instagram to see if anyone has seen it before after Tineye.com and Pinterest came up empty handed. As for the actual quilt sites, I went through the main ones I follow to check for myself. That took a TON of time. I think I'm going to make it a routine to post my ideas prior to working the mathematical hours that are involved.

2. Instagram is the place. I mean THE PLACE to get your ideas out. With a simple hashtag, your image goes into Hollywood mode. If you're registered as a business, you can see how many views, how many saves and how many times your image was sent to other people. Wowza.

3. Be weary of researching WHO you choose to test those patterns. For example, I don't recommend getting "Carol", who's page is filled with dozens of advanced quilt patterns if you're doing something relatively simple. If you can't see your design on their page, trust me when I say, pass them up.  I'm still stuck on publishing a pattern because the last person that tested it, recommended such a change, that I don't know what to do. And another person, abruptly stopped testing. No email. No heads up. When I reached out... I never received a reply. Yup. It sucks. (But her new projects look awesome.....) Which leads us to number....

4. Also, be weary of "Jan", who gets all her patterns as a 'tester'.... What exactly is Jan creating that she has to compare it to? Other people in testing mode?

5. Recommend more fabric than needed. My first pattern called for just the right amount of fabric. It involved cutting recommendations on 'how' to get the 'most' out of the piece. Not everyone will follow. So... either add more fabric requirements OR add a little note that says, fabric requirements are based on.....(whatever your preference is). Because... the second pattern I did, had too much fabric required. Sheesh... learning something new every time.

6. Keep open communication. Emails are essential and should be checked often. If one person has a question, keep it as an open thread for all pattern testers to see. They might have the same concerns.

7. PDF is the way to go. Paper and postage cost money. You're already paying for the internet.

8. Always remove something from your patterns to reserve for the published copy. This is kinda a safe haven so that other people will not resell it. And it's awesome... because my pattern testers have always caught it!

9. As a beginner... steer clear of quilt piecing patterns.

10. Color theory is the key. Simple lines and simple patterns can sky rocket if you just know where to place the colors. (Thank you art school.)

Well that's about all for the time being. I'm sure there will be a ton more 'lessons' as time goes on. All I know is that I absolutely love the creative process. Yes... as newbies, we have to work twice if not, three times as hard but it's so worth it in the end. Many of us don't have programs installed into our laptops that compute fabric requirements and sizes off the whim. Knowing you really did it, completely and utterly to the grit gives you a priceless feeling when it's completed.

Thanks for swinging by! I hope you all stay safe and healthy. And if you have any beginner ideas, I'd love to hear them! 

Happy trails to new designs!