Numbering Patterns

 

 

You wouldn't think that there could be good ways and bad ways to put numbers on your patterns right? would be difficult.  Just put a number on every piece, right?  Nothing's ever easy though and there ARE a few simple rules to follow that will make things much easier when placing your cut glass pieces onto your pattern.

 

Let's start by imagining a window with a bird and two different flowers in it.  Most people want to number each subject matter separately.  For example, they will number the bird first, then one of the flowers, then the second flower, followed by the background.  This actually scatters your numbers all over the pattern making them extremely hard to find.  Instead start in the upper left and work your way to the right.  Your next number should ideally touch the last number that you wrote.  Follow any path you like but keep the next number as close as possible to the piece you previously numbered.  For example,  37 should be as close as possible to 36 and not on the other side of the pattern.

 

In the pattern below (which has been numbered correctly)  you can easily and quickly find piece 91 because it has other 80 and 90 numbers near it.  It is NOT nestled up at the top between 9 and 7 for example).  

A great exercise is to follow the numbers in the pattern below so you can see just how it all plays out.  Just remember that the next number in the sequence is somewhere near the last number.  They can still be hard to locate, but at least you know the general location of the piece.

 

 

Other things to remember:

1) Your pattern that you are building on, the pattern that you have cut out, and especially the glass you have traced the pattern onto must ALL be numbered or the numbers are pointless.

2) If you are using tracing paper to make your copy onto poster board, number the pattern while the tracing paper is is still in place this way you only have to number things once.  This also helps prevent numbering errors and saves a GREAT deal of time.

3) It's easy to miss a piece.  Don't worry.  If that happens look number it the same as a piece next to it and add the letter B to it.   38B for example.

4) DON'T FORGET TO NUMBER THE GLASS YOU HAVE TRACED YOUR PATTERN PIECE ONTO!   I see this happen all the time where the pattern and the poster board pattern have numbers but not the glass itself.  The purpose of the numbers is to help you place your glass on the pattern.  If you haven't numbered the glass after you traced around the poster board pattern onto it you've numbered your pattern for nothing.

And that's it.  Happy numbering!