thimblebug6000

Look forward to seeing your crayon quilt, I've been looking at My Crayon Box from Quiltmaker Sept/Oct 2013 today. I like to kit up projects for our summer camp trips and will be trying to figure out if this one is a good candidate.

coopah

The more I try to stick to a pattern, the worse things get. I just use it to jump off. Never much for being a follower.

mom-6

About the only times I follow a pattern are if it's a mystery quilt or if it's something I like that is a new technique that I can't figure out on my own.
Otherwise a pattern is a starting point and anyone looking at the finished product may or may not be able to figure out what I actually started from.
Early in my quilting experience I came across a magazine article that got my ideas rolling. Don't even remember what the magazine or article was. Just remember it was bright with interesting color progression. Anyway the quilt that resulted from that was an around the world in about a dozen muted shades of greens!

beaqltr

I use it as a starting point. I will only alter things I think my limited skills are capable of.
Most often I don't stick with a color layout. I'm not crazy about making 10 of the exact same block.

Barb in Louisiana

I am one of those who use the pattern as a jumping off place. Rarely do I stick with the whole pattern as it is written. There are exceptions.... BQ, Around the Block and Just Can't Cut it are great as they are. Most of the others get changed, even it is only the size of the borders.

paoberle

Sometimes I follow the pattern exactly. Sometimes I try to follow the pattern, realize something is not correct, so I adapt. A couple of time I've had some precuts that I wanted to get out of my stash and I have just made up my own pattern.

Shorebird

I'm a 50-50 kinda gal........If the pattern is a size and design I really love, quilt is made exactly as the pattern directs......However, with others, it is a start, and anything/everything is up for change....some of my best quilts have used this "what if......" method......

coffeecozy

You said that so well! I thought getting the eq software would help me make simple changes but it just made me discover a hundred more ways to complicate everything. "OK first let's set it on point, how about change those blocks up a size, oh, let's try putting them around a medallion block." Lol

Elaine433

I consider a pattern the same as a recipe.....the instructions are a suggestion.

gjc2001

As others have said - some patterns I follow exactly - like if I'm doing a miniature. But for other patterns I often change it up a little. Sometimes adding a piano key border vs a plain border. Again like cooking you make it the way you like it. Tartan - I like your decision to use black vs white for the background. Please post a picture when you are done or even a picture along the way.