Monday, March 10, 2014

Across or Around??

Thank you for all of the sweet comments on the ABC . . . Read With Me quilt plan I posted on Friday ;)  I am really excited to see how this quilt will come together ;)  I was hoping to work on some more of the ABC blocks this weekend but with a wrestling tournament and a piano festival, that just didn't happen ;)


I did however get a lovely email from a reader saying how much they loved the design and suggested that making the alphabet go all the way around the quilt might be easier to "read".  I love both ideas and was having a hard time deciding.  So I am asking your opinion.  Which is easier for you to "read"??



The first design with the ABC's being read ACROSS the quilt or the second design with the ABC's being read AROUND the quilt??

Thanks for your help :)  Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

Pin It!

112 comments:

  1. Around for me too! Maybe you can add some triangles border that guides the eyes around in the right direction :)

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  2. I like the around, it flows nicely.

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  3. definitely around as it is for children. Across is confusing.

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  4. I have to agree with the ladies above me :)

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  5. Around! I honestly didn't even see it that way when you posted it last. I assumed it was around, HA!

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  6. Definitely around! Much better flow.

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  7. Around!! As a former teacher, I think it would be easier to read for the students, and a possible teaching tool for a teacher to use!

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  8. I love the around the ABCs design since this design has continuity for me :-).

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  9. It looks like I'm the first person to say across. My mind reads it better that way, especially when looking at the bottom.

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  10. I like across better. I think around might be confusing for some kids, especially across the bottom since reading should go left to right, not right to left. It will be a fabulous quilt either way though.

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  11. Around! The teacher in me thinks it would be a bit confusing for kids to see it differently.

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  12. When your blog popped up the other day, I thought around would be better! So I kind of chuckled when I saw today's post!

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  13. I am used to reading "around". So, like the second version better!

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  14. Around is more immediately understandable. When it is arranged in the "across" format, I had to figure it out by searching for the "I". (Which isn't impossible, but didn't come naturally.)

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  15. Depends on the audience and preference. I kind of picture this as a reading blanket also, like the kids will sit in the middle while they read - and therefore 'around' would make sense to me.

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  16. the second one is much easier to read for me :-) So I would suggest AROUND

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  17. I think around is better, the littles wouldn't understand where to look. I wish I could make this one too, it looks so cute!

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  18. Around, for sure! Especially for a preschool. It's easier for your eyes to follow the letters around than to bounce back and forth across the quilt. It would be very easy to miss letters that way. I love this quilt, by the way!

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  19. I would definitely have to say around. It flows better and I know my toddler would find it much easier to follow. I really cannot wait to see how it turns out!

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  20. This is such a cool idea for a quilt. Especially with little ones. I personally like the one that goes around. When I read something I tend to continue on the same path not jump all over. LOL At least not easily.

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  21. I think around for little readers. :)

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  22. I like the around :) Such a cute pattern!

    Susie

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  23. I'm in the around group, especially for children.

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  24. Very cute pattern, I like the around version

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  25. I think I like around best too. Have you tried it going counter-clockwise with ABCDEFG going down the left side?

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  26. If I had to pick, I'd choose around. It's going to be so adorable!

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  27. Around:) more appropriate for the level of development if a child of alphabet learning age, or grups learning to read:)

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  28. Gotta go with the majority here Melissa, around is much easier for me to see the intent...fun idea for the design :)

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  29. I like around better: I think it would be easier for young kids to follow, especially since they are just learning the alphabet. Wonderful quilt: it's a great idea!! Hope you are doing well!! Hugs, Helen

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  30. My vote - AROUND. I love the quilt. I would love to purchase the book "Spell It With Fabric." I hope I can find it at the AQS Lancaster show this week.

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  31. I know most everyone is saying around, but I disagree! I think around is confusing at the bottom, where the letters are going right to left. It doesn't look like the alphabet to me! I wonder if you kept the same letters at the top, go down the left side with I,j,k,l,m, then went down the right side with the next set, then finished at the bottom with the same letters as you have on your across quilt. It would make more sense to my eyes! That's my humble opinion! Darling quilt!

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  32. Definitely AROUND the quilt! I think the school will treasure your quilt. Thanks for sharing your ideas & inspiration with us.

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  33. I see the problem with the bottom row but still think around is better :-)

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  34. Around will give a better flow for teaching young children the Alphabet. I am sure when we all get to make one (as I am sure there will be a pattern for us) we will be able to align the letters in a way that suits each individual. Think it is a wonderful quilt, as they always are. Thanks for sharing

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  35. I'm one of the few that likes 'across'. It reinforces reading direction from left to right.

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  36. Around! I even pinned your first post, noting, "Cute quilt idea! But I would make the alphabet go around."

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  37. I like the letters going around the quilt

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  38. I love around, but I wanna say across just to be different! ;0) ko really I do like around!

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  39. Oh most definitely AROUND! This quilt is gorgeous and perfect for little ones. Must put it on my "to-do" list!

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  40. I love the design and agree it should go around.

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  41. Across! I know I'm in the minority but it just doesn't look right going around.

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  42. I vote around, it seems to flow better and easier for me. Across is different, so that may be a good thing!
    Whichever you do, it will be gorgeous, it's a beautiful combination of patterns/ideas! I want to make one in hopes of having a granddaughter one day. Four boys so far and not one of them is interested in reading!

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  43. I favor around first, but everyone is familiar with these letters, so it probably doesn't really matter which way, it will still be understood!

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  44. I like the letters going around the quilt. That way your eyes aren't bouncing back and forth left to right trying to read/follow the letters.

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  45. Around is much easier for me to read. And little ones often read with their fingers guiding, so it would be easier for them as well.

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  46. Another vote for around. It's much easier to follow.

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  47. Around! I'm dyslexic and the first one totally confused me o.O Also, did your mother never tell you not to wrestle pianos?

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  48. Definitely around. I really love this quilt and what you did with the letters. Beautiful job.

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  49. Around! Much easier to read. Love the quilt--great idea.

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  50. I'm going to be the oddball here, but for some reason the back and forth makes more sense to my brain. But my brain.... well. Maybe there's a reason I'm the oddball here :) :) Either way, it's going to be awesome :)

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  51. I prefer the letters going around but having said that, which ever you decide, it's a splendid quilt! Great work!

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  52. When I first saw your quilt picture, I was momentarily confused that the "I" was on the other side of the quilt, for I expected it to follow the "H". So I vote for around, too!

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  53. I love this! I woukd go around. It was tricky to read the other way.

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  54. I would definitely go around. Easier to read, because it's in order. Cute quilt!

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  55. I like the first design with letters going across.

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  56. The second one hurts my eyes - feels like they are going in circles since the letters are in backward order.

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  57. You might want to turn your blocks so that the base of each letter faces the center of the quilt so they will be oriented properly for the child who is sitting in the center of the quilt singing his alphabet and going around the circle of letters. Next time won't you sing with me. C

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    1. I third this - I like the idea of sitting in the middle of the quilt and being able to "read" all the letters from that vantage point.

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  58. Well, I like the across, by far. It's the order of the thing. Of course, you could put the alphabet in the middle and the books all around the outside. But I like it the way it is!

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  59. I am going to be different. What about across the top ABCDEFGH down the left side IJKLM down the right side NOPQR then S to Z along the bottom. I don't like the reverse along the bottom.

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  60. Hi! I like across - we read left to right - so it makes sense that way. I also don't like the alphabet going vertically up on the left hand side of the quilt. It's going to be great!

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  61. If the alphabet was going all the way across the quilt then it would be fine but I think that as it is a border it should go around. Children tend to read around the page if the writing is on the outside. It is a beautiful quilt and I think that any child would love it no matter how the alphabet reads!

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  62. Around is definitely easier to read. It is lovely!

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  63. Funny how our eyes are trained to see things - I never made the connection that we were reading it across instead of around and in order. Now that it has been pointed out around does flow better.

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  64. This is so cute. I agree that reading around is much easier. Have fun!

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  65. I'd have to say around as well - in addition to it being continuous, it's also clockwise, which is another way we're trained to look at things. Love it!!

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  66. Who knew there could be so many options!?! Ask Cami's teacher how she'd like it. Loving the comments

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  67. Around, but people read LEFT to Right so I think it should go counter clockwise

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  68. What about around, but have all the letters facing the inside of the quilt?

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  69. Okay. I asked my 3-year-old. He was confused by the across, but once I pointed out to him how it went, he was able to "read" it. He was able to read it going around easily.

    My 6-year-old, who is a strong reader, says she prefers the one that "goes in order" (the around).

    Just so you get some responses from the intended audience. ;-)

    I prefer across because the letters going backward on the bottom just looks SO WEIRD to me. I'd have to see how it looked with all the letters facing the middle before I decide if that would be better. With the "Read with me" in the middle, it might look weird to have the letters upside down or sideways.

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  70. I think it would be great if the letters went around but they were all orientated so that the bottom of the letter faced the middle

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  71. I like around better - I had to "hunt for" the letters in the across version.

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  72. definitely around. it's too much space to go across the whole quilt and your eyes get lost from the alphabet. I bought an ABC My Friends Tigger and Pooh book for my boys, and the alphabet went around the page with a picture of Tigger in the center, like around your quilt, and it's very easy to follow and very fun. it acts like a frame around your "picture" quilt.

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  73. I like around, but would like to see an image of all the bottom portion of the letters facing the middle of the quilt and sew what that looks like compared with the first two images.

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  74. I like around, but I would turn the letters so they all face the middle like the top row does. Does that make sense? Sitting in the middle of the quilt, the kid could spin around to read the Alphabet. If you plan to hang it, that wouldn't really work....any way you do it, will be good. I love anything with letters and numbers....

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  75. As a librarian, I think this quilt would be awesome on the wall of my branch. I think the alphabet would "read clearly" if it stayed in the correct order all around. Think of five year old kids trying to read it.

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  76. I like the around lettering, and love the quilt.

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  77. Around. Drove my eyes crazy tracking back and forth.

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa