Made the wrong fabric choice
 

I debated and debated yesterday at the fabric store about two of my fabrics for a quilt I am working on, I didn't feel confident with the choice I made but bought the fabric anyway. I brought it home and started piecing my quilt and was really unhappy with the choices I made. I've decided to scrap those two fabrics before I do more work with the quilt. I've found better fabric choices on www.fabric.com. It is just so frustrating to buy the wrong fabric and to have to rebuy essentially.
Yael

Look on the bright side: You are just adding it to your stash. Someday it will be the right fabric for that special project.

Another bright side: all the online fabric stores have great discounts at the moment - if you have to rebuy this is a pretty good time to do it!

Alison

We've all done that. It's smart to change your mind about fabric EARLY in the project. Otherwise the quilt will never get done.

I know exactly what you mean!!! I will try to stay local where I can buy 1/2 yd time and make a practice block. Although, I do have enough material for my next quilt....sigh.....

Good for you for realizing it wasn't working instead of sewing away. :-)

It happens to me all the time. More than once I have asked to take the fabric to a window or outside so I can see what it looks like in the sunlight. Usually the shop is okay with it - but once in a while some one will tell me they have the natural light and it won't change, but it does. My GFG has one set of flowers that look okay - but in the store the fabrics looked like a better match. No one really knows it but me - but frustrating just the same.

I love this reply, it's so true. lol

This is also why it is strongly suggested that you make a sample block before cutting all the fabric. What looks great on a bolt might not look so wonderful in a block. Don't feel frustrated, this is all part of the quilting process!

Better that you decided you didn't like it BEFORE you finished the top. I think it's a sign of confidence to be able to make a change after you've started a project. Good luck.

I think many of us have had that problem. There has been more than once I have made a tester block and hated how it looked and had to rethink the design. That fabric will be great for something else later.

I love the bright sides. As for trying the blocks, when I use blocks in my designs I think I will definitely do that in the future. :)

I'm just not good at imagining how all the fabrics will look when they come together so I change my mind mid quilt a lot. Needless to say, I have a large fabric stash due to multiple purchases on a regular basis.

So funny I just posted about this!!! I'm experiencing that right now. But it's my backing fabric...I can't tell if I love it or hate it. :(

I have done that myself in the past. Now, I try to go with my instinct and if I don't feel confident about the choice, I just don't buy until I am sure. I also try to take some of the pieces I already have or the pattern with me when I buy.

Well, like someone says, you learn more from your mistakes than when it all goes right. Now, at least, you have more information on what works and what doesn't for your next quilt fabric choices. And more fabric for your stash. I guarantee that you will find a project where the fabric you decided not to use will be perfect!

Really nice that you found better fabric choices online. I'm always a little skittish when it comes to buying online. I like to see how the fabric look and feel with my other fabric so I buy at our LQS.

Chalk it up as tuition, the price of learning. Education of any kind is never a failure. Put those fabrics beside others in your stash to see if you can use them somewhere, or make grocery bags, placemats, potholders, strip quilts, or something else. If you cut them small enough they will be fine!

I should learn to follow this advice about making the sample block before cutting all the fabric. Not something I usually do and it has turned out a little ugly a time or two.

I've definitely learned from all of my mistakes. :) Every time I am quilting I'm learning more and more how to do things. :).

I've bought fabrics that I thought would be a good border (or two) then don't like them after the blocks are done so often those fabrics end up on my back. It kills me to go buy 7 or 8 yards for a back so by using the "border" fabrics, it doesn't seem like as much fabric all together to get the back done.

I'm sure this happens a lot. I haven't been quilting that long and have already done it. I bought Christmas remnants only because they were very inexpensive. Should have passed. I'm not really a Christmas person and the result looks like someone threw up in Christmas colors. I hate it. The four finished blocks and the rest of it are just sitting there until I figure out what to do with it.

I sympathize as I've done that. You did right to make your quilt what you want it to be by purchasing additional fabrics, rather than have a quilt you'd never be happy with. Add the wrong fabrics to your stash as one day they'll be perfect in another quilt.

Making a quilt for my Niece's wedding. I specially ordered a fabric I thought would be perfect for the sashing. Laid it out on my design board, not quite what I thought, but I knew it would look better once sewn(and I'd spent quite a bit on it, so I knew it would eventually look good), began sashing between blocks. Still not too happy, but I knew it would look better when I got the horizontal parts on (and I'd spent quite a bit on it, so I knew it would eventually look good). Put in the horizontals and it still was not what I hoped, but I figured it would look better when I got the first border on it (and I'd spend quite a bit on it, so I knew it would eventually look good). You know the rest. I ended up taking the whole thing apart and replacing it - with something that did look really nice. Now I have lots of little strips of relatively expensive fabric because I wouldn't face reality in the first place. String quilt someday I hope.

I love fabric.com. Get so much fabric from there. Prices are great and they have a pretty good selection.:o

I had that happen way back when I first started quilting. I went into my LQS looking for specific colors that they didn't have in stock. I had a picture of a quilt that I had fallen in love with, and wanted to reproduce it as closely as possible. Well, the employee there insisted I could use other colors and fabrics and it would look the same - NOT! I HATED the fabrics she cut for me, and putting them in that quilt did not make me like them any better. I ended up wadding the whole thing up and throwing it in the garbage. Now I know better - if they don't have fabrics I want, I walk away. Find it elsewhere or wait a couple of months for new fabrics to come in.

Would the fabric work for the backing? I really like pieced backs and if the color or print is not just right it could still look great on the back side.

I don't think it will work for the back. I do have a nice fabric that will though. :)

The trick to using a not-quite-right fabric is to add more fabrics. This obviously works better in a scrap quilt than a planned quilt.

My experience with fabric.com isn't the best. First, they say they have something (on their site) and then later, after I have ordered and paid, they say they don't. I've had that happen probably 10 times and seldom shop there anymore. If I planned on it for a particular quilt,I am out of luck. Second, the fabrics I've received don't look like they do on my monitor - and I check it on several monitors before I order. I've got two bolts downstairs right now that meet that description and no idea of when I'll ever use them for for what I'll use them. They sure don't work with the project for which I bought them!

I hope you have better luck with them.

Well it's something we have all done. Although it wasn't the right choice for this quilt I'm sure it will find it's way into something else.

I made a mystery quilt, so really did not know how all of my choices would work. Well, one really wasn't the greatest, but at least it was only a small part of the whole.....The only ones who really notice are other quilters. LOL.... It is still a UFO right now. Have more pressing ones to finish.