Wednesday, May 11, 2011

It's all about tearing your hair out!

Do you remember this fabric I bought recently?

Well my aim was to make a quilt using the brown fabric at the top as a feature fabric because I couldn't bear to cut it up into small pieces.
So I have been busy measuring and cutting and sewing and it was progressing nicely.

I am using a pattern from the book Two From One Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. I was thrilled with the progress, the fabric looks gorgeous.
However, shortly after I laid the blocks out on the bed in the pattern things started to get ugly! LOL

It quickly turned into an exercise of frustration as I started sewing the blocks together and realised that no matter what I did my points weren't going to meet. grrrrrr
 
I went back and remeasured everything, all my squares and my seam allowances. The tiny triangles on the corners are too small. Even a blind man could see that! However, when I unpicked one it was cut exactly the right size.
I even emailed the authors of the book who emailed me back a very lovely email, but the bottom line isn't pretty. To fix the problem I'd have to unpick a LOT of stitching and buy more fabric and re-sew everything. 

I was thinking that maybe I should change the pattern some so that no one knows that I've made the grandest botch up of all time?


What do you think if I put all these blocks together, and maybe put the nine patch blocks round the outside?

Of course if you tell anyone I stuffed up big time, I'm going to have to hunt you down! LOL

Back to the sewing room......Carole :)

 
 


19 comments:

Lindi said...

What if you stitched ricrac across the 9 patch from one tiny triangle point to the other? You could use a colour to match the triangles, or use alternating cream and blue.

ShabbyChicShaz said...

How frustrating, well done you for sticking with it, with me it would have gone in a cupboard and not seen the light of day for years. Great fabric. I'm not a patchworker as my 1st and only quilt will bear witness to, being unfinished and in a cupboard.... So I hope you find a solution as the colourway is a really fab one :)

Cait said...

I don't like them all together in the middle and I think the gorgeousness of the fabric mix would be lost. I would (a) leave it as is - who cares that it's not right, unless you're planning on entering it in a show? Or (b) unpick. It will be a lot quicker to unpick than you think (from one who has life experience at this, LOL). Remember how long you will be looking at it when finished - you've got to feel the lervvv for it now!

Lisa said...

Hi Carole
I think the 2 options are go with it as it is, or sew on new triangles (you may not have to unpick, maybe the size difference is sew great that you can stitch the new ones in and the trim those ones away).
I'll bring you a book that shows a quilt with the effect you will get if you sew them with the small triangles... I've just remembered I have one.
Lisa

Shane Pollard said...

Oh Carole
That sounds like a 'me' problem.
Though I still haven't got around to cutting into my beautiful fabrics for my quilt - now I'm even more paranoid!!!!!!!!!!
Tell me if you find the solution - please!
Adore the fabric of course.
Shane

Lisa said...

Just a thought... did you cut 2 & 1/2 squares in half to make triangles and then sew them on, rather than drawing a line and sewing along it. This would cause a big variance in size from what you would expect to see.

margaret said...

I think I'd be embellishng my heart out!!! buttons, lace and dodads to cover the worst

Doreen G said...

I won't be any help to you Carole because I would have tossed it into a cupboard locked it and thrown away the key by now.

Diane Kelsey said...

Inspirational design through necessity! If you stick with the original design, without adding lace, ribbon etc, you will never be happy with the quilt.

Sandies' Patch said...

Oh pants! on second thoughts, maybe you could make some cropped summer pants out of it?
I'd personally go with the embellishments rather than unravelling it all.
Don't let this one put you off doing more quilts....

Hugs,

Sandie xx

Magpie's Mumblings said...

In my humble opinion I don't think it's messed up at all - you've just created a new pattern. Point-matching is precisely the reason I don't 'sane' quilt - crazy quilts are so much more forgiving!

Indianna said...

Hi
Was it wrong in the book?
Have a look at "carousel quilt" by "Quilt Dad" it has a square joining the large blocks (the same colour) and you could cut a row of squares to fit...hope you can work out what I mean!

Linda Jo said...

I'm glad you have all these people to help you with this. I'm useless...I would have just thrown it away...put it in a charity bag or such. Maybe you can leave it as is and name it something appropriate like... When Ends Don't Meet.... or My Best Laid Plans? Let the cat sleep on it?

Bobbie said...

What about leaving the snowball blocks as they are, and just make new 9-patch blocks that will match up???

Unknown said...

I think you should unpick and fix it. Only because I KNOW you CAN do it! Otherwise, for myself, I would have stuffed it away somewhere from frustration. This is why I do not do precision quilting (I don't quilt at all!)

BTW, I have posted a sneak peak of your hoop today. Hopefully you will get it soon!

Ann said...

I'm with Margaret in that I'd use some lace on it. I would not unpick it...just me,but it would seem to daunting a job. I think it's lovely as it is..and as magpie mumbling said..it's a new pattern!! you aren't going to put a pic of the origonal pattern of it with it..so who's to know? except you..!!!!
came by from Nathalie's blog...can't wait to see the hoop she mailed!!
looking forward to seeing your completed quilt!

Sharon W. said...

Well first off, I would say there is an error in the original pattern or directions. Look at your nicely pieced blocks, and they meet beautifully, but take up the 1/4" seam allowance and they no longer meet. That is a design error, not your fault---the seam allowance should have been included in the plan. I would suggest adding narrow (1/2" or 3/4") sashing between the blocks. That would move the blocks away from each other and perhaps fool the eye into thinkingthat the corners are meeting? Or, add solid color blocks to break it up. It is all so lovely---colors and your piecing--that I can't agree with people who say "just go ahead and put it together". Obviously you are precise in your work, and you need a final plan that satisfies that precision!!! Set it aside for a few days???

Sharon ML Schutt said...

I'm agreeing with Lisa and Bobbie. Pattern should have directed you to sew on the marked diagonal line to form the snowball corners. That said, I was thinking like Bobbie to make new 9-patches, but change the dimensions to fit the snowball points. Good luck!

Love Bears All Things said...

Help!!
I can't get on I'm Making a Journal. Lost my link for it when I changed computers and lost the one you sent to me so I could post...
Please send both again.
Mama Bear
samibear@gmail.com