Not happy with fabric choices
 

I have started a Dear Jane twice and I'm still not happy with my fabric choices. First I was using mostly Kansas Troubles fabric but it was too scrappy and I was having trouble thinking of a sashing fabric that would pull it all together. So I switched to Kansas Troubles fabric and muslin. Does anyone else get started on a project and then decide they don't like what they've chosen? I'm not making the entire DJ quilt instead I wanted to make kitchen and dining room curtains/toppers. I make the mistaking of buying a kit for McKenna Ryan's cute little "Which Came First" that I want to make and hang in my kitchen. of course, the kit is batiks so now the Kansas Troubles fabric would not go well with the wall hanging ... and now I want to completely switch and make my DJ with batiks ..... ARGH!!! Batiks is soooo unbelievably expensive. I'm about to give up on DJ and just keep my fingers crossed that my curtains don't fall apart when I wash them. Just had to vent to those that understand ... thanks for listening

Suzy

I do understand your frustration! It's just part of the creative process, so don't let it get you down.

I think that's part of why I have so many UFOs. I get started and then see how it would have been better if I ........ and then don't want to finish because it's 'not right' anymore, but I've gone too far to want to take it all apart.

Could you maybe go on and use your KT and muslin blocks for placemats or something to give as a gift?

I do understand your frustration! It's just part of the creative process, so don't let it get you down.

I think that's part of why I have so many UFOs. I get started and then see how it would have been better if I ........ and then don't want to finish because it's 'not right' anymore, but I've gone too far to want to take it all apart.

Could you maybe go on and use your KT and muslin blocks for placemats or something to give as a gift?

I started my DJ in red and cream as I wanted to replace the quilt on my bed with the same color scheme. Then I saw so many other pretty DJ's, so I started one in scraps at the same time. Still again, I saw a background fabric that I loved and started a third DJ. All of these are being done as a quilt along here on the board. So in a year and a half, I will have 3 DJs done. At different times in this process, I wonder if I'll like one or the other of them. In the end, I think the busy-ness of the number of blocks will tie it all together.

I have been told that I have a good eye for chosing colors and fabrics that go together. I don't know if these people would say that if they knew what I went thru to get there. I could not quilt without my digital camera. I take photos of fabrics that I think would go together and then I look at them for a while; I may or may not print them out. Sometimes it takes me longer to chose the fabrics than it does to make the block. I've done 3 BOM civil war quilts where I could have just done what was given to me buy most of the time the colors chosen aren't to my style so I go thru this process of elimination. I try to at least come up with the colors and then it's just getting the right design of the fabric that I want. I'm doing a hand applique quilt now with bright colors for the flowers and I'll start off with the fabrics chosen for the block but almost always before I get it finished I've either seen something else in my stash or was at a store and got something different and changed it. Good luck. I'm sure what ever you do it'll turn out great.

It sounds like you are not a scrappy person. I would personally have no problem mixing batiks, denim, brights, pastels, 30's fabrics, civil war, gingham, and whatever else in the same room. I have, however, had a problem starting a DJ, and the main reason is that I can't decide what fabrics to use. I applaud all of you who have started them, and really admire those of you who have finished them.

Yup. I still have a ton of blocks left over from a quilt that I changed my mind about. The good news is that I've been using some of those blocks for a scrap quilt I'm working on.

No, I generally stick to my color choices. I have enough trouble getting a project finished - if I started second-guessing myself on the colors and fabrics, I'd NEVER get anything finished. Now sometimes it takes me a while to select the final colors but once I do - that's it.

I've learned the lesson the hard way. Now I make a test block before committing to cutting out a whole quilt. I have some elaborately pieced potholders now from the failures.

That has happened to me with many quilts, but I've also found that as I push on and get to the end, or closer to end, I actually do like it very much. Just keep going and you may well be pleasantly surprised. Trust your instinct.