That certainly is an admirable quilt. I understand your pain with the short seems. Been there, done that. When I realize I've got weak areas I fuse a scrap of fabric over the seam in question, and pretend it never happened. If I discover the gaps while, or after, quilting. I get out the needle and thread and repair the spots with a baseball stitch.
Accept your lesson, but make the best of this beauty. Take some hand stitches and put the quilt to use. It's gorgeous.