Frequently Asked Questions
I hope the questions outlined below help to answer any queries you might have about the quilt pattern creator. If not, please get in touch via the contacts page and I’ll be in touch.
-Claire
What’s in the pattern?
Both patterns include fabric requirements for your specific quilt design, construction instructions for machine piecing your quilt (Reulanach) or the foundation paper piecing templates you need (for Reul-iùil), and colouring charts for the each design.
Reulanach quilts – 48” x 64” (Throw), 80” x 88” (Double), 88” x 88” (Queen) and 112” x 112” (King)
Reul-iùil quilts – 42” x 48” (Baby), 72” x 84” (Twin), 84” x 90” (Double), 90” x 90” (Queen)
The Reulanach pattern is sent with an extra PDF (and video turorial) with instructions on how to remove y-seams if you would rather make your quilt without them, and video showing you this process.
When you purchase the Reul-iùil pattern you’ll be given access to video with my top tips for the foundation paper pattern.
Both patterns use three star blocks. Reulanach brings together Lone, Le Moyne and Half Square Triangle stars. Reul-iùil uses what I’ve called Swirling, Geometric, and 5 Point stars.
I’m not sure which pattern to make. How can I choose?
We’ve put together a page outlining the main differences between the pattern. Which piecing approach to use?
How and when will I receive my pattern?
You should receive your pattern by email within 3 days of completing your purchase (if you waive your right to a cooling off period). Please ensure your email details are correct when entering them into the website, and always check your ‘junk’ folder in case our email (from hello@cloudquilting.com) has filtered there.
What do the pattern names mean?
Reulanach means ‘Abounding with Stars’ in Gaelic and Reul-iùil means ‘Guiding Star’. Scottish cultural heritage data and sense of place are two themes informing the development of my quilt designs. The Gaelic pattern name acknowledges this connection. Reulanach can be pronounced ‘ray-lan-uch’ and Reul-iùil, ‘rayl-ool’ .
How does the star quilt pattern creator work?
The quilt pattern generator (‘Quiltbot’ for short) consults star chart data showing you the stars as they were (or are) at the location, date and time you have specified. The two patterns (Reulanach and Reul-iùil) work in slightly different ways but use the same underlying technology. Star brightness (‘magnitude’) is used to assign the largest star blocks to the brightest stars in the pattern
Which stars are which in my pattern?
Your pattern will tell you which stars and constellations are in the general telescope area though it won’t tell you which star is assigned to which block in your specific pattern.
What happens when I ‘revisualise’ my quilt design?
Clearly there are many more stars in the sky than can be represented in a quilt of only so many blocks. For this reason we’ve built in a way to ask the algorithm to select different stars from the telescope area while keeping the core of the pattern the same. The design tool will keep the different designs you visualise in it’s memory until you make your selection to purchase or download.
How accurate do I need to be when choosing my location?
The location field on the quilt tool works in a similar way to Google maps. You can use the nearest town or landmark. Relatively small movements on the surface of the earth will not make a difference to your design because the quilt telescope has a large field of vision. Science! The location you choose covers an area of approximately 30 miles (48km) east and west of it.
Why can’t I buy more than one design at a time?
We’ve restricted the checkout to one pattern because we’ve prioritised our development time on all the things that you can see and do with the pattern creator at this time.
What inspired the creation of the quilt pattern creator?
The quilt pattern creator started as an exploration of how and where quilt makers invest meaning in their quilts and what happens when data is brought into that space. It was made possible with funding from the University of Edinburgh through the Creative Informatics ‘resident entrepreneur’ programme.
Why is the pattern so cheap?
The star pattern creator is new (as far as we know) to the quilting market and so comparators are difficult to find. A number of principles have guided the pattern price including the general cost of digital quilt patterns, the uniqueness of the approach and the desire to keep the cost as low as possible.
What happens if I’m not happy with my starscape?
You can revisualise your design (up to 5 times) before purchasing it so this shouldn’t happen. When you revisualise your design, the algorithm will select different stars from the starscape to appear in your quilt.
What if there's a problem with my pattern?
This shouldn't happen because we regularly check the technology is working and the pattern calculations are within the range expected. Please just get in touch with us if you think something doesn’t look right. Of course, we'll move stars to sort the issue!