After designing your pattern sometimes it’s a good idea to cut it out on paper first before cutting it out on fabric. That way you can see the full design, double check the size, and also make any changes.
When John first started designing he used masking tape to join newsprint paper to the size of the actual quilt. 45″ x 45″, 90″x 90″ even 108″ x 108″. He would then fold the large paper to it’s 1/8 fold and design the pattern. When that step was completed he had the ladies cut out the whole 1/8 paper pattern and then finding any open floor space opened the pattern to it’s full design(this was a great practice time to show the quilters how to lay out the quilt). At this time he and the ladies were able to see the pattern opened to its full design. We got our newsprint paper from Hawaii Hochi and purchased their end rolls. Today we use less paper and mirrors.