Heart Rate Testers

Pattern testers are an invaluable resource for pattern designers and I thought mine deserved their own blog!

The Heart Rate pattern is available at Etsy and Payhip.

I put a call out for pattern testers for my Heart Rate pattern back at the end of May. I had initially wanted to bring this pattern out in February, but this past year has been a lot, so it took a lot longer than I thought to get all the instructions down for each version! I had an amazing response to my tester questionnaire for a first time pattern testern and I’m grateful to everyone that applied! Choosing was so hard, but I looked for enthusiasm, a variety of skill levels, and an interest in the proofreading side of it. I’ve done a few pattern tests myself (you can read about a few of them here) and really enjoy double checking quilt math and making sure the instructions make sense. A public Instagram isn’t necessary for me, but if you want to pattern test for various desingers it’s generally a requirement. In this digital age it’s a huge help to get seen by more quilters when other people share your quilt on Instagram or Facebook, so this can be a part of testing as well. I’d like to be able to compensate pattern testers even a little for the amount of time and effort they put into it, but think it’s probably a little ways down the line for me!

My Testers!

Here they are in no particular order! Please check out their websites and Instagram profiles to see more of their work.

First up we have Jasmin of @Quilts_of_Summer, she made an ombre throw size out of some gorgeous pinks. You can check out her Etsy page here.

Next is Laura of @silversstiches that made a throw size fat quarter version in the alternate layout. Her website is here. She used a fat quarter bundle from Cottoneer that I brought back from Texas with me during my last visit in 2019 so I’m thrilled she decided my pattern was getting the honour of the “Space Cowgirl” bundle! (I’m also lucky to have such a good quilting friend, she was kind enough to do a final final read through for me, and put up with me talking about writing a pattern for months and not getting it finished, haha.)

Then we have Kris who doesn’t have an instagram, but is a member of the Young and Millennial Quilters group on Facebook which is a wonderful community! She made the baby size using the ombre and a set of prints.

Dayna from @firstsprucehandmade made an amazing two colour version using just black and white for the top and it is so striking! Her website is here. She had it longarmed and the quilting is gorgeous, it’s definitely worth checking out more photos of this one on her Instagram!

Christin from @mamasquiltingjourney made the sweetest baby quilt using some floral fat quarters for the fat quarter friendly version.

Vickeidy from @sewspicious also made an ombre baby quilt with some great pinks and purples! Her etsy shop is here.

Alaina from @sewingwithsasquatch started with the coolest pull of fat quarters and turned it into an awesome throw! I love how she mixed up the upside down heart middles to shuffle the colours around even more! (her Insta handle is also pretty epic!)

And finally Lois from @patchworkandhexies made a baby size using the multicolour option and I love how it turned out with the prints she chose! (If you like english paper piecing you should definitely check out her Instagram as she’s got some fun things on there and hosts some swaps as well!)

If you’re interested in pattern testing it’s worth keeping an eye on your favourite pattern designers for when they’re looking to release new patterns! Having a public Instagram account where you post photos of your quilting will help your chances of getting chosen by a lot of designers, but it’s not always a necessity. If you like modern patterns you can also check out the Young and Millennial Quilters group on Facebook as there are occasional pattern tester calls put out there too!

If you would like to hear about my future pattern testing opportunities please follow me on Instagram @spunstraw and/or sign up to my newsletter! I’ll start emailing my subscribers with my pattern testing form before I put out a public call so it’s worth getting that headstart!

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