Don't Let A Bad Pattern Cause You A Quilting Disaster | Episode 114

In this episode, The Opinionated Quilter shows you how to prevent bad effects from bad patterns. In addition, she announce the winner of the Geometric Fun quilt top and shows a new giveaway.
Note: There will be no episode next week as she will be at Bernina University in Detroit. We will return Monday July 1st.

[@brendagriffin6437]

Heron. Experienced quilter here. I've had several patterns that were so WRONG!.. I contacted one writer of a tree skirt and she said it's my issue, not theirs. The next pattern...I had Templates for diamonds. They weren't standard diamonds. After using their templates, it didn't fit into the allotted space. It was 2 inches too small. So, I figured out what I needed for length and made a paper piecing diamond unit template on my Cricut and copied it. Fit beautifully. The problem is...if there's a mistake, they would have to recall all unsold patterns to reprint, which is costly. No one wants to admit there's a problem. I buy patterns and don't use them for years sometimes. I now go to the website to see if they have posted an addendum. In one instance, I notified the company I ordered it from that there was an issue. I wasn't the first one who said something. I didn't get my money back, but I noticed that the pattern was off the website almost immediately. I now keep a list. It is unfortunate that 1 mistake leaves me hesitant to buy any more of the patterns produced by the same person/company.

[@TheRozylass]

Heron! Your suggestions are great. And other commenters' suggestions about making the practice blocks in similar colors each time and then making a sampler quilt are just genius! I love learning new things.

[@charlenemorris6391]

That Herron quilt is neat. When I make practice blocks I use similar fabrics to orphan blocks I own so someday I will finish the quilts. I tend to get bored with Block of the Months. How neat to make your own sampler of the last several quilts you have made. You give great advice. Enjoy Bernina University.

[@noplacelikehome9116]

Great idea to use fabrics that will go with orphan blocks you already have!

[@darleneschiefelbein7648]

Enjoy Bernina University. I've made my sample blocks in red, white, and blue. When I get enough, I can make a sampler quilt and not continue to add blocks to my orphan block container. The heron quilt is beautiful!

[@leonanowland3017]

Lynette Jensen of Thimbleberries wrote excellent patterns and I loved her fabrics. Hers were the first quilts I made.

[@lindaizzard1437]

I agree. She was the first designer I noticed that gave you progressive block measurements. Great patterns & books.

[@lindakQOV]

Your version of the Scarecrow is much more to my liking. The addition of the maple leaves and bee are perfect. I enjoy seeing the smaller version of these seasonal quilts because who wants a scarecrow or witch on their bed? Not me!😉 And yes, that Heron quilt is a beauty!

[@carriehoman8476]

Great tips, Maureen. I love the way you have filled all these of the empty space on your scarecrow!

[@marciahowe9555]

Love the heron quilt! Thanks for the tips about 'bad' patterns. A practice block is ALWAYS a good thing to make to see if all the measurements are correct.

[@youarenotalmostthere]

Great tip about patterns. We had a great blue heron at the lockhouse we rented last week, love that quilt.

[@esther5333]

We have herons in our yard everyday here in FL. Beautiful quilt. I'm currently struggling through the civil war quilt, cutting instructions only, ugh. I've had to redo several blocks because there aren't any instructions. Many of harder ones I redraw on paper to scale so I have a measuring template. Thanks so much!

[@patfargis6802]

I love the heron quilt and would love to win it! Great episode; I belong to a small social quilt group and always advise newer quilters to do a sample block! I learned from experience.

[@amydavis8924]

Thanks Maureen for great tips! I have only been quilting since 2020 and greatly benefit from your experience! I have done a couple of "magazine" quilts that had either typo errors or mistakes in editing, also teeny tiny print. Wish I had thought of using "waste" fabric to make sample blocks!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thank you for watching. I love sharing my mistakes with newer quilters so you don't repeat mine.

[@barbarajefferysings]

I have apattern which recommended almost twice as much fabric as is actually needed. They are of colors I love, so I don't really mind. I try to buy 1/8-1/4 yard extra to compensate for shrinkage in pre-washing.(Yes, I ALWAYS pre wash yardage!)

[@C123abc]

I always go to the website to see if there is an errata page with corrections for a pattern. Sometimes, especially if you buy a pattern online, you have no way of checking the instructions ahead of time. I made the mistake of buying a pattern from someone who made a cover for a specialty machine and the pattern turned out to be just a mess. Have fun at your workshop! You will be missed!

[@LauraSup]

I love the Heron quilt! I always make a sample block! I love the idea of using similar colors to eventually have a sampler quilt!

[@nancylyman5192]

Oh-I’m a birdwatcher, so the heron would be perfect for me! I really like the way the scarecrow is going-all your added touches have made it more interesting. We’ll miss you next week but have a great Bernina University.

[@helenpeddycord2241]

Love the elongated pumpkin, the bee and maple leaves you added Maureen! It’s always annoying to purchase a “Bad pattern” but one thing to remember is always check the website for any corrections right away. These mistakes are somewhat more often noted lately, not sure if it’s just rushing thru or poor computer generated, as you referred to. A sample block is ALWAYS worth your time:) Read and reread the instructions thru before you begin cutting! The Heron quilt is beautiful! Great job💕🧵

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Really excellent point. Check for corrections right away. Thanks for watching.

[@valeriemacdonald2831]

Heron…love your tips. And thanks for your suggestion for the maple leaves.

[@tracyrichmond-pshyk8863]

That quilt is awesome. It looks just like the Blue Heron that is the symbol of my mom’s home town, Barrhead Alberta. Love it. I’m sure that at this point I wouldn’t be able to find that panel 😞. As always a great video with very useful information. Much appreciated.

[@littlejoan7473]

My Mom was also a stickler with patterns calling for more than the amount of fabric actually needed. I was learning to sew my own clothes and could get my patterns cut out for considerably less than called for. Over 50 years ago, but I still analyze projects before diving in. It was good training for the quilting bug that came later in life.

[@katherineanderson8570]

John McPhail of Art East Quilting Co. writes excellent patterns - and designs delightful quilts. The heron quilt is beautiful!

[@joydavis3089]

That is a Heron! I too have suffered from bad patterns. Thanks for all that you share with us.

[@shawnaleewhitney6630]

Re: free patterns ftom manufacturers, IF they've been made (and, as Maureen said, sometimes they haven't) theyve likely been made by someone who's dine a lot of quilting, maybe even the designer of the fabric line or the kind of pre-cut they're promoting. Love the heron quilt! Beautiful!

[@user-kd3hp6sr5h]

Heron. Patterns can be very frustrating. You are so right: read it all the way through and make that practice block

[@christinemeers4858]

Heron. I’m already subscribed. Thank you for the giveaway

[@lionteen1]

The heron quilt is so pretty. I always enjoy your videos they make so much sense. I am in the UK, so I am not expecting to be included in the drawing

[@leonanowland3017]

What about no pattern. I was gifted a box of laser cut batik fabrics pieces with a picture. Now that is a fun project. I've made one block so the remaining 19 should be easy. Thankfully its batiks so I can sub in fabrics from my stash to make up for mistakes. I love quilting and love your opinions.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Wow. That is a first for me. No pattern.

[@sharonlyman3029]

The heron is lovely. Great use of panel. I wanted to say how much I love your videos. Your suggestions always give me something to think about and improve my skills. Also, I love Deb Tucker tools/technique sheets, so that's a plus.

[@mariavaldez7147]

Ive been watching the herons in my area for many years. They are beautiful but very shy. Thanks for all your great info, and i thought it was me when the block i was doing came out wrong!

[@freddiehansen7324]

This is really useful to those of us who are new/newer to quilting. I'm still learning to "read" a pattern, I'm on my 7th quilt. 3 of the quilts I made I sort of followed a pattern but not really, as I had way more fabrics/colors and it wasn't from yardage (the pattern only mentioned yardage measurements) I also made the quilts square ( I just really like square quilts) But I DID make a test block which helped me see how easy the quilts would be. My last quilt I made had (for me at least) "bad" instructions. It mentioned laying out ALL 338 blocks on point and then sewing them - that didn't work for me. I also used more colors and wanted a color gradient in there. So instead, I looked at the finished quilt design and started from each corner - meeting in the middle. Going row by row 1-3-5-7-9 etc. block per row was just so much easier than laying out 338 blocks. ( I have cats so laying anything on the floor is an "invitation" to be laid on or played with!) It might be that I made it more complicated because I AM a fairly new beginner to quilting but I feel the instructions were clear as mud. There were no pressing instructions either (which I figured out as I went) The quilt top is finished and I'm very happy with it. I learned a lot from making it. But I will not be making THAT pattern again.

[@noplacelikehome9116]

I make square quilts too! They just fit on the bed better and as long as you don't have a directional pattern, you never get it wrong when you make up the bed. 😁

[@freddiehansen7324]

@@noplacelikehome9116 exactly! lol

[@leighthrockmorton8351]

A beautiful heroin quilt. We have a lot of herons in Charleston. Love them! Thanks for offering this!

[@pam1894]

I live on a little lake and we have Heron's that fly in for protection and fishing. That is a lovely quilt top. I so enjoy your videos.

[@genawalter401]

Heron. Your advice of making a practice block is so helpful! I have done them and sometimes I decide not to make the quilt or I switch up my color scheme because after making the test block, I didn't quite like how it looked. Such good advice!

[@NolaTheAlamoChiliQueen]

Have a good time next week. The heron quilt top is beautiful.

[@kristywilliams9181]

I love the Heron quilt. My daughter has a lake house and the name is Blue Heron. This would look awesome in her lake house.

[@kellysmith50]

Heron!!! I agree werding out the bad pattern writers! We as quilters have that ability with our buying choices. The more of us who dont buy them or return them proves we are tired of mediocre.

[@jkscott5865]

Heron. Blue herons are common around here. I like your comments on avoiding pitfalls with bad patterns.

[@mike1968442]

Never had a “bad pattern” because I don’t EVER take “purchase” a pattern from someone. I have a brain, I use it!

[@judyfargo8162]

Great advice, as always. The heron quilt is stellar. They're such beautiful birds that I can even forgive them for making a feast out of the seven koi I inherited when I bought my house. They have to eat too, but it might have been a raccoon anyway. I've heard herons have a taste for fancy koi.

[@CindyOgilvie]

As a newer quilter I agree that too many words is just as bad as skipped steps. I have a friend who says the blue heron is her spirit animal. That quilt panel is lovely.

[@donnahutchinson2464]

Thank you for the tips, very helpful! Another tip is to go to the website listed on the pattern and look for pattern corrections. I have found this very helpful. Thanks again!

[@DesigingJ]

Heron I enjoy your videos. I learn a lot - thanks for all of the important info you give us.

[@wendysilverthorn-duggan189]

Heron. I have been very lucky so far, no bad patterns. Thank you for your knowledge!

[@joycebibeault1814]

Heron. What a beautiful quilt top. Love your videos.

[@GeminiPeg]

That is a Heron! Beautiful quilt.

[@jenniferreinke9898]

I so agree with you on making a practice block! The Heron pieced top is lovely. Thanks for the chance to win this

[@MsQuiltnut]

Heron. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge!!

[@tjlacorti1126]

Oh the heron is just beautiful. I so love the colors. I'm a beginner and just now trying my first panel. It's a dragon panel. I would love to take care of the heron quilt forever. T y

[@janicecheatham8532]

Great video! Love the heron top in all the blues, which is my favorite color. Enjoy Bernina U.

[@user-eo7kw5sb5t]

Yes I agree with all you said. Pressing instructions are important.

[@TheGranChris]

Love the Heron Quilt. I have had a few bad patterns and cranky authors but most authors are very nice.

[@connie651000]

The heron looks so nice in this quilt. ❤

[@PriscillaLancaster]

Excellent video. Herron - very nice quilt top.😊

[@dianagrant9479]

Heron, please. I think it is lovely and I would be honored to finish this quilt. Bad patterns are out there. What I find especially aggravating is buying a book and the one quilt you want to make features a poorly written pattern.

[@katrinahough290]

With patterns hitting $10+ it's not being cheap to ask for your money back. I had a pattern on the wrapper of a set of 5" strips WOF. The pattern directions had you cut fabric, smaller than what you ended up squaring the blocks. I wrote the manufacturer, told them I'd ruined the blocks... They wrote back defending their pattern, BUT, they replaced the fabric and sent another pattern. I always write the manufacturers if there is an issue. (I did adjust the measurements and continued on, just making it work to finish the quilt, smaller, but it was alright for a kid's quilt).

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I think the more we tell them about mistakes, the more they will double, triple check patterns to make sure they are right the first time.

[@teresaayars3164]

I think the Heron quilt is beautiful. Have fun at Bernina University

[@suekelly840]

The Heron quilt top is beautiful.

[@bethkoch11]

I have lots & lots of patterns - some well-written, others not so much. There are some designers that I rely on, but sometimes I find a pattern I love from someone I'm not familiar with. Case in point, recently I made a quilt with the blocks set on point. The side setting triangles were too small, and I had cut them all out. I went back on line and I saw that the pattern had been corrected with instructions for larger setting triangles. The quilt turned out very nice, but I had to find other background fabric since I had run out of my original due to cutting the triangles (as instructed) too small. Shame on me for not checking this out better ahead of time, but shame on the pattern writer for letting the original mistake be published without proof-reading a little more carefully. I have a pile of unused setting triangles that I'm sure I'll use sometime, but it's frustrating. By the way, your scarecrow turned out so cute!

[@user-og6rz3mx7s]

Always love your videos. The heron quilt is beautiful.

[@kktowne6992]

Herons look so stately. I really like the changes you made to the scarecrow quilt. It’s always nice to see a quilter who is willing to improvise and make it how they want it!

[@rosehixon2790]

Agreed.❤

[@barbaracollins9100]

Heron, I just finished my first quilt and haven't used a pattern before but at least now I will know if i do that if something isn't going correctly it could be the pattern. Thank you for the informative video's

[@ccreel64]

Enjoy Bernina U! I’ll miss seeing you on Monday. Your videos with my morning coffee make the best start to my week.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thank you so much.

[@franpatzcraig6713]

HERON. It looks like a great egret to me, but whatever, it is beautiful. Thanks again for the great tips on choosing a pattern.

[@jackiebeck1427]

Will be looking forward to what all you have to share from the Bernina conference! The HERON quilt is lovely!

[@beckypetersen2680]

HERON. Thanks for all the good tips.

[@ciaobella8151]

Beautiful Heron quilt.

[@nancysharon931]

Great points that we should follow. 😊

[@patzimmerman2600]

Heron. Thx for your videos. And yes that is a blue heron.

[@virginiareitz7949]

I had an issue recently with a pattern that gave wrong measurement for side setting triangles. Following it could not help but cut off points.

[@kbdk245]

Heron. This quilt top Is beautiful ❤️

[@evelynlafargue504]

Heron. Thanks for all the tips.

[@linseiler1135]

Heron. It is a beautiful quilt.

[@sharonkobera8450]

Heron. that is a beautiful quilt

[@rosehixon2790]

Another great video and you look fabulous, darling! Thank you.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

You are so kind. Thanks for watching.

[@lynnlockardquilting]

Good morning, great video. I see herons once in awhile standing on one foot lol. Awesome birds forsure. Enjoy your class.

[@sharontefft559]

Enjoy Bernini University. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. The Heron quilt is beautiful

[@kathykaplan2451]

Heron!! Have a fun time.

[@normatulloch376]

Great advice, some patterns are the pits. The Heron quilt top is beautiful.

[@nursekate6772]

Heron is gorgeous!

[@debbiebraatz1919]

Heron, which it is. Lovely

[@RoseWaddell-jj7oe]

I know I will not win this quilt that has the Heron bird. Also I want to say Thank you for this information about Bad patterns. As someone who is trying to learn, this helps a lot.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Good to hear.

[@rosehixon2790]

❤ Hey, that’s a blue heron or it might be a crane anyway I’d love to win that so I’m using the word HERON and hopefully I’ll win. Have a good trip.

[@colettesorrells9015]

❤❤❤

[@kimberlykring2475]

Heron! I am not really good at reading patterns 😢

[@conniesnyder9463]

Very good point on practice blocks…. What ruler do you use to make the Maple Leaf block..

[@theopinionatedquilter]

It is Deb Tucker's Wing Clipper and her Corner Beam. The block is on her technique sheet Pickets and Quickets.

[@pathubert1237]

I have never used fat quarters, but, I understand that a fat quarter is 18"x21". If this is correct, how can you get 10 - 2" strips from 18" as stated on the Kaufman pattern? Am I missing something? Thank you again for your most informative episodes. I watch every Monday and love this week's HERON give away!

[@pathubert1237]

I have it now, you cut the short way which is not the way I always cut my strips, (I don't think I would like it) and have a 1" waste. 🤫 Senility has struck again!😃

[@sandyh8755]

Great video! The heron quilt looks beautiful.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

You cut from the 21" side so you can get 10 2" by 18" strips.

[@diannplatt-roberts8692]

Good onfo.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thanks so much forwatching.

[@valerieschlink13]

Heron

[@MaureenBrown-lp1ks]

The HERON quilt is beautiful.