Last year I made Star Block quilts for two nun that taught me in High School (45 years ago). As I was getting them ready to mail, I noticed that one star point faced the wrong direction on both quilts. They are completed and oh well, I let them know that I am not perfect. They both loved the quilts and said it made them special.

I just did this recently. After designing an original pattern, I took a new sheet of graph paper to make my working sketch on in preparation for making the first actual fabric block. Somehow, in the transition from design page to working page, I changed the pattern (a lot) by adding an extra 4.5" row all the way around it. I even cut and sewed up the block from the work sheet, and sent a photo off to a couple of friends for critiquing. I knew something was wrong, but couldn't figure out what. LOL. It just didn't look right. So I went back to the original pattern and compared to my working sheet and DUH!!! How on earth did I do that??????... So to friends I had to say, please disregard that block, lol, it is all wrong. That mistake also set me back on my project 2 whole days. grrrrrrrrrrr

I have ripped the wrong seam sew many times, it is unbelievable to me. I also put together a 9 patch quilt and realized after all was sewed that one whole row was wrong. I can laugh now but then I wasn't laughing and even the cat knew I was upset.

What a good friend she is. You must appreciate that she wanted her quilt just as it was given to her. :-)

My "oops" moment was not exactly a sewing one. I had been using my "2nd" machine for a while at home and went out to sew with a group - I took my "1st" machine with me. It was not a morning of great clarity anyway and I needed to change my bobbin.....talking to someone and dropped the bobbin on the floor. Found it and said "darn - where is my bobbin case?" We all looked for it. Frustrated, I went to the dealer to purchase a new one and was told they would have to order it....loooonnnnnggggg story short - there is NO bobbin case for my 1st machine and this story has been the subject of much mirth and merriment with my friends. The only thing that makes me feel better about it all is that the clerk at the dealer did not know either!

rekug,
I laughed myself stupid with that one. Too funny.

I sewed my applique to my skirt during a class. Not just a little, but one whole design. I laugh now but I wasn't laughing at the time, although the teacher was.

I think you win the prize, Marilyn. Thanks for the chuckle.

These just keep getting funnier. lol

Been there; done that; feel your pain!

Oh, my goodness, I have laughed till I cried at these...I think someone mentioned this but now cannot find the exact one...but I have quilted scraps to the back of my quilts...seems like it happens almost every time I quilt a quilt. I just call it quilt art.

Also, this is the one that really does embarrass me...when finishing sewing the binding on with the machine...the part where you do the invisible finish if you know what I mean...I did that wrong about three times before I finally got it right. I would sew it together and there it would be twisted. You would think I would learn after the first time.

my cheeks hurt from laughing , thanks to all for sharing. of course I would never embrasse myself(hahahaha) but will say I do do my best sewing with no bobbin thread even at a class. but everyone was nice they just watched the material fall to the floor that i was assembly sewing (i thought). finally figured what they were smiling about and noticed them pointing after i put my glasses back on.

funny misstakes
 

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:,,I have done a few of these, but the one i will never forget . when i was sewing a 9 patch and noticed that i was short a few blocks of one color , then noticed that had sewn double squares in the nine patch.{two on top of each other}, he he , DottieBug:o:o

This brings back a great memory and I'm sitting here chuckling to myself. My quilting buddy Dina and I signed up for a class which was a little too advanced for us. We decided to be cool and go with the flow. After sweating over some tough cutting we started to sew our blocks. All of a sudden Dina starts complaining that her machine just wasn't sewing right so I tried to help her. We fussed, fiddled and adjusted but no stitches. . . . until a fellow classmate pointed out that it would probably work better with a spool of thread. Boy were we embarrassed. To make matters even worse we got to laughing so hard we were in tears. It's a wonder we weren't booted.

Trying to make a mitered corner and kept sewing it the wrong angle more the once! :eek:

Oh my gosh, I totally forgot, I've done this too!!! Had everyone in the house looking for my bobbin case for 2 weeks!!

My most embarrasing mistake happened at work where I used industrial sewing machines. I was asked to stitch on a machine that I was unfamiliar with, one that had a permanant walking foot. Things went along well until I started to become a bit more comfortable with the machine and put my fingers too close. Wham, the foot came right down on my thumb. The pain brought instant tears to my eyes. I was so glad no one noticed what happened because I wasn't feeling very smart at that moment. Thank goodness I didn't break any bones.

FrayChek is a poor substitute for sewing machine oil.

I started giggling as soon as I had read as far as "pair of shorts." I just knew how you were going to finish that statement. When I was a young teenager and first starting to sew w/o my Mom standing right beside me, I decided to make a pair of shorts. I was so proud of myself until I finished and checked my work. I had done the same thing you did. I was by myself, but I was mortified and checked to make sure Mom hadn't seen what I had done. I quickly took them apart and read the pattern (as I should have done to begin with) and followed the directions to finish them correctly. Thank you so much for the funny memory. I did tell Mom what I had done and we laughed together. I was still a bit embarrassed though. :):):)

Just about laughed myself silly over the magnets story and the quilt on the carpet (which I've done myself!)....

Ripping out the same stitches over and over again to realize they were right to begin with how frustrating !!!!!! Learned not to work on stuff when I am tired or in pain ! Lol

This brings back a memory from many years ago. At that time I was a "Miss Know It All" and rebellious teenager. My grandmother was staying with us a couple days. She was watching me pin sleeves into the armholes of a blouse. I stitched them in, only to find out I had put in the sleeves UPWARD. My grandmother quietly said she knew what I was doing but did not tell me, figuring I would not listen to her anyway. She was right and it was a good learning experience, smile.

Now That's funny!!

Actually, had one happen to me today. Yesterday, had gone on a sew day with my guild. We sewed a couple of hours. Put machine into carry case and came home. During the night I woke up and thought I would finish project. Machine would not stitch. I could hear it humming and the wheel was spinning but the needle would not go up and down. Frustrated, I took it apart and cleaned out all the fuzz around bobbin. Put it back together. Nothing. I sat there staring at it for about a minute. Then realized when I had put it into carrying case I had slid the bobbin winding lever over and the clutch was not engaging. Moral: Stay in bed.

the other week my dad asked me to sew on a button
i quickly got to it knowing it was his favorite shirt(he is 85 yrs old)
the next day when he put it on the button i sew was sewn on the inside
not the outside. He thought it was a joke
days later he told me he found my joke funny
after telling me what i did he then told me he wore it
that way and no one said a thing
i quickly fixed it

On one of my early baby quilts I sewed one panel--a quarter of the entire quilt--of a trip around the world 180 degrees from what it should have been. When I was quilting the quilt, the dominant fabrics were in diamonds as they were supposed to be. But when I started to quilt the non-dominant colors, they made a rectangle, not a diamond pattern!! I finally noticed that one of the four corner blocks was the wrong color. I finished the quilt and called it a geometry puzzle. The people I gave it to loved it so much they hung it on their baby room wall.

Was making a "Stitch and Slash" wallhanging and when it came time to do the free-motion sewing, I managed to get part of the slashed fabric stitched to my free-motion foot! LOL Also managed to sew some direction sheets to the back of another wallhanging. Lesson to self - DO NOT put anything on the extension table EXCEPT what you are actually sewing! Hubby and I got a good laugh out of that one!

Once had the bright idea of sewing rag quilt blocks together with my zipper foot because I could get SOOOO close to the batting ... well there was also no protection with the needle to the right of the foot and sewed through my finger!!

Was taking a class a convention once when we were trying to hurry through something because we were running out of time. Somehow instead of sewing one handle on one piece and another on the other piece I sewed the handle front to back. Looked sort of like suspenders! Needless to say, I never finished that bag!

I trimmed the LAST block for a top to which I had NO fabric left and I was in a hurry. BAD combination. Of course, I cut into other finished blocks that were laying on the cutting mat. Can't remember how I solved that one.

Then I was the only participant in a bag class (to test out a new machine) who had the button holes going the wrong direction.

My biggy is the (still unfinished) Lone Star. Instead of radiating out of the center, mine radiate into the point. I still don't know how I did that.

Oh.. thank you all for the great laughs!! I don't have embarrassing quilt stories on myself... but there are plenty of embarrassing school teaching moments... so just give me time and I'll embarrass myself with quilting, too... I'll let you know!!

(I needed some laughter today!!! Thank you, quilting friends!!!!!)

we love to hear about the good,the bad and the not so good.

I have loved reading this thread, but I think it jinxed me. I was trimming up some threads on a completely finished quilt when I got poked. I have an open safety pin inside the quilt. I haven't quite decided how I am going to solve this big oops. Will have take a couple of days and consider all my options.

Tonight I was going through some fabric and found some that would make a good pillow for the cat rescue lady. Won't take but a few minutes, right? I had replaced a zipper in a jacket, and the old one had about 12 inches that was still usable. So I installed it into the pillow seam. Stitched it very carefully, back stitched each end, double sewed each side, and lo and behold! The zipper pull ended up on the inside of the pillow. I ripped (literally) it out, picked the little threads off the zipper, cut off the pillow where the fabric had ripped (that went into the pillow) and started over. This time I did it right.

That sounds like something I would do while I was having one of my "wonderful ideas." Too funny!!!!

I can just picture this - giggle, giggle!!!!!!!

A friend of mine told me yesterday that she sewed the seam ripper into the inside of the waistband. To me this is irony, isn't it? :)

This was the most fun I have had in months. Laughed out loud. Been there, done it in a couple of things, almost quit quilting before I got started, sewed for awhile and the bobbin ran out and I couldn't figure out how to make a bobbin and was going to QUIT . Someone else ran a bobbin.lol by the way, have learned to make bobbins since.

My embarrassing story was 6 years ago my son had pulled off the elastic to a mickey mouse hat so as a good mom i whipped out my machine set it on my bed and started to sew. The machine tipped forward sewed through my finger and i was stuck not able to move. I had to call 911 the worst part of it i was in my ratty tatty jammies no bra hair in all of its bufont glory and in walks 6 gorgeous firefighters who are trying not to laugh. My shining moment :(

When I first started quilting and learning to use a rotary cutter the blade slipped and went up over the ruler and cut my finger, when the bleeding wouldn't stop I went to the clinic and had 15 stitches to close up the wound. And went home to work on my project! I am more careful with a rotary cutter now.

I so needed a laugh tonight and bless your hearts I got a good one ya'll. QBers are the best!!!

Ladibug