this chaps my ass....sorry, but it does. i try really hard to not be negative, but sometimes i feel pushed.i ordered a quilt pattern from a well known (online) designer (high traffic blog, published book and patterns. teaches as well) for $10.00. i got it the other day and could barely wait til i got inside the house to open it.
when i did open it it was two pieces of paper!!!! TWO!!!! and only one sided!!! the 'cover' quilt shot and fabrics requirements were on one sheet and the my-kindergarten-kid-wrote-the-instructions directions on the other..that's $5/piece of paper
what the hell!!
now normally i don't A) buy patterns and B) only buy in person to open to double check this doesn't happen, but i was totally mislead by the 'reputation' of said 'designer'. when i do buy patterns/books it's pure laziness cause i don't want to figure it out, but sometimes i buy the pattern cause i can't figure the piecing from looking at the picture. these day i only buy applique or tote patterns...(with all the lawsuits flying around, i just design my own to be safe)
this is why i sit down with a pencil, graph paper, and a calculator (or plug everything into EQ) and figure out how to make a quilt from a picture, instead of forking over my hard earned money for two pieces of paper. *sheesh*
i have a little word of advice for future pattern designers-if your instructions only take one side of a piece of paper, it's best to 'fluff' the content with some nice in-progress diagrams, add a 'freebie' small project, or show some alternate layouts/sizes...cause trust me, if it comes up on conversation- i will tell my quilting friends to not waste their time or money.
oh oh oh oh.....and one paragraph at the bottom of the (already short) directions encouraged me to purchase the 'alternate fabric color chart' for $6.00. i expect that should be included with that one page $10 pattern- duh! $16 for three pieces of paper.....nope, don't think so.
this is just a bit of the 'commercialization' of quilting i'm witnessing. i miss the times when quilters would openly share and teach other quilters for the pure joy of it, not for copyright or money. i'm seriously worried for the future of quilting.
okay, i'm done.
Posts
I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience... and I don't blame you one bit for venting! Hope you shot the "designer" an email about your disappointment...
ReplyDeleteI completely understand. My recent issue was with a garment pattern that was two sides of two 8 1/2" by 13" pieces of paper. It was horrible. If I hadn't been sewing garments for 40+ years, there is no way it would have been completed. There was nothing said about finishing any of the seams - how long would a child's garment last without finishing the seams? I test patterns for some designers and the patterns are tested multiple times by multiple people before they are sold and they sell for less than the $10.00 you spent on your pattern or the $12.50 I spent on mine! Live and learn.
ReplyDeleteHi Doods! Nope, just send them a link to your blog! Let them know how lucky they are that you didn't "out" them by disclosing their name for all the quilty world to see!
ReplyDeleteLinda Rech
I'm with you...rarely purchase a pattern after being burned once.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you - I *rarely* purchase a pattern, and only if it's something I can't figure out myself with math and/or EQ. Money is tight and I'd rather spend it on the fabric!
ReplyDeleteI have bought two skimpy and lame patterns recently, thinking they had done the drafting for me. In one, they created a string pieced shape then top stitched it down with raw edges exposed. With onwadis hung it would fall apart. I love to be able to download a pattern but I wonder if it has made the problem worse ( set the bar/expectations lower). In person review only from here on out.
ReplyDeleteI would consider myself a traditional piecer, but there have been a few exceptions. I find myself drawn to the traditional blocks, log cabins and such. No need to buy a pattern, just sketch it out with a piece of graph paper.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. What happened to the days of sharing an idea or pattern with other quilters and the fellowship that comes with it? Have we all become so cold in the search for the all mighty dollar? That's just sad....and grandmother would not be happy. IMHO.
It's been ages since I bought a pattern. I will be cautious when I get some to sell in the shop. Sorry to hear things are headded in that direction, but that's what happens when so many new quilters don't know how to draft designs and have spent so much time just sewing "twenty yellow brick" squares together.
ReplyDeleteOuch! I can see why you were disappointed. I guess that is part of why I have never pursued publishing any of my ideas, but I have started to share them freely on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI bought a pattern and it was missing its layout of the quilt! It has a picture of the quilt on a bed but it doesn't show the borders that it talks about. I am not sure what my borders will look like, how big they will be, or what order they go in. I am very confused.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I go too far the other way with my patterns. My last one had 9 pages of pictures and diagrams and instructions for each step in applique process... and 5 pages of applique patterns. I find it hard to "teach" someone with a pattern, so I put in a lot of detail.
ReplyDeleteI find that so many of the "new" patterns are the "classic" and traditional blocks turned a differnt way or worked in the wonderful new fabrics that we get to play with now.
ReplyDeletePart of my pleasure is looking at a "new" pattern and seeing if I can figure it out. About the only patterns I buy anymore are new techniques that I wish to try.
You need to tell that pattern company and tell us who it was. They don't need to be selling anymore if that's what is in the package!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the above... especially after you have also paid shipping charges which are always more than what it actually costs to mail something,... another way for the ihndividual to make money as shipping isnt taxed. Definitely have to watch the costs for quilty stuff today.
ReplyDeleteDon't even start me on the postage cost that is sometimes charged! I got stung badly this week myself.
DeleteI say yes to all of the above comments. I have a goal to one day design and share/sell patterns as I love to design and teach. (*sigh* one day when I am not working full time again) If it only took them two pages (really one) to explain their design then they did a crappy job not worthy of sale and they should get some strong feedback as such. Having worked in a quilt shop I can testify to the wide range of crappy to excellent patterns out there. Do them a favor and report your dissatisfaction, if they are ethical, they will give you something more free or give your money back. I agree also that quilting has become way to commercial.
ReplyDeleteBUT I have to say I love the picture of your pooch sniffing the bad smell emanating from said bad pattern! pricelss :)
OMG I LOVE your reaction! I figured it was only ME. If I can't LOOK at the pattern (shows etc) I don't buy them. I do admit I bought a hot pad pattern the last day of Paducah. I already had figured out in my head...but it was the last day and the "Impulse BUY" time set in. Thanks so much for reassuring me that I'm only human...JUST LIKE YOU! HUGS!
ReplyDeleteway to go
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion going here! I agree with my pal, Patty Ashworth. Although a designer cannot stop all mistakes, still they need to assume responsibility for the quality of their product. I pretty much gave up on patterns long ago. It's more fun that way, anyway. I've enjoyed visiting your blog!
ReplyDeletebest from Tunisia,
nadia
It's a new fad. Put a picture on the front, a sheet of non legible instructions and charge 10 bucks. I've quit buying obvious "homemade" patterns from quilt stores. Last pattern I bought from a particular store was so bad it was disgraceful. I should have dumped the entire kit back in her lap and demanded my money back.
ReplyDeleteHave you called up/emailed the company and asked for better instructions. If the directions are confusing, I email the author and ask. Most are happy to help out.
I've just finished writing the instructions for a quilt pattern for a class. There are nine A4 pages. Five of those are heavy with cutting and piecing instructions! I'm still to put in the digrams so that will most likely push it to 11 pages. I make my patterns so my students can take it home and finish the quilt without a problem. Just hope they don't photocopy and pass it on!
ReplyDeleteBeen there. It was the only pattern I've ever purchased and it was from a well-known, blogger, author, pattern and fabric designer. I could have made higher quality copies on my home printer. This was and still is a hugely popular pattern and no one else has mentioned this. Maybe I'm the problem.
ReplyDelete