I believe that all great quilt designs should be clear, easy to follow, and efficient in both use of material and use of time. I want everyone who buys one of my patterns to actually make the quilt, start to finish, in a short period of time. So all my patterns have complete directions all the way to “wrap quilt around recipient”. The pattern never ends with “layer, quilt as desired and bind” — to me that means you will have an unfinished quilt top to leave to your heirs.
Every pattern also has to be clear. If you stop because you don’t understand the next step, your project may be gathering dust for years. So numbered, detailed instructions with lots of photos and email support free from me is included with every pattern.
Another important ingredient to a great pattern is efficient use of materials. And that brings me to this week’s project. I had some fat quarters in this great pattern called Indian Summer. There were teepees on one of the prints and their triangle shape inspired me to make a saw toothed edged baby quilt. When I finished the quilt, I had lots of leftover triangles, so in the interest of efficient use of materials, I designed a bunting to use the triangles. Then, because I was on a roll of inspiration and had 4 corners of leftover fabric, I designed coasters to match.
Here is the result:
The completed set is available in the shop here, the pattern is in the works.
Maryland Quilter 
G’day Jamie. I wish that you had designed some of the patterns that I have used over the years. I have had to try to make sense of some shockers. I totally agree with you, that patterns should be easy to understand and fun to make. I made a bag for a Xmas gift for a dear friend a few years ago and I have been making bags for many years, but this pattern was so hard to understand, the measurements given didn’t work, it was a nightmare in a lot of ways. I ended up contacting the designer by email to get her to give me some help. Never heard back from her. I did however manage to work it all out after much thought. I even told the store owner where I bought the pattern from, about the hassles and she laughed and told me that, yes, there was a problem with that pattern. I wasn’t the first to complain and she thought all the patterns had been removed from the shelf. Anyway, your quilt, coasters and bunting all look fabulous. Take care. Liz…