real stupid mistake
 

i made 12 assorted 'star' blocks, 12 inch.....the pattern said.
so i trimmed them all to 12 inches, then realized that was to be the 'finished size' after joining them together.
they should have been trimmed to 12 1/2 inches.
thus the stars all have shortened points
what do i do now?
wondering if sashing would help, ? how to hide those missing points?

thanks in advance for any ideas posted. sigh.

You are not alone.... its the sort of stupid thing that i would do .... sashing is all i could think of as well, but I am no way an expert, I am sure one of the more experienced QB quilters will have a solution .. jj

Cut off is cut off. I don't know any way (other than taking the stars apart and making them smaller) to restore cut off seam allowances and star points, sorry. Maybe this quilt can be for free motion quilting practice or some such thing. We all make "stupid mistakes", especially if we are tired. ​It's 3 am. Maybe time to quit for now?

I know that mistake!... the upside is that you will never do it again. Hope someone can give you a rescue solution if not justabit's idea is a good one.

been there done that and true I didn't make that same mistake again but new stupid mistakes come my way often some days I feel like I put the S in stupid..........

just a idea, have not try this but I was reading your post and this pop in my head. what if you cut the star like you would for a D9P and put it back together with a sashs? sorry just a early morning idea.

Cut off another 1/2' and make it look intentional. You've just designed a new pattern ;-)

I love the idea of doing the D9p. I think it would be really nice.

What's so special about points anyway?
I can live without them!

Cutting them apart and reassembling was what came to my mind, too. Then it is not "oops I cut off the points"
it becomes "I invented a new design!!"

I don't understand why you need to abandon them because of a mistake. If all of them are cut the same way, you could keep going with the pattern, and you have just created a new design. It's a waste of time and fabric if you just throw them aside and say oh, well. Not perfect. Time to move on. I don't believe that to be true. I think the point is if they are all the same and cut all the same, in my mind they are totally salvageable.

Sashing will not help. As a matter of fact sashing will just show off the fact that the points are cut off. If you sew the blocks together the areas where there should be points should just blend into the next block.

When I do something like that, those blocks become crazy quilt material. I'll either use them as-is, or I'll slice them in random directions and use the pieces.

I love crazy quilts. :)

Well, look at it this way, all the blocks will look the same.

What if you made a really huge star for a center medallion and then used the blocks with the points cut off as alternating side blocks with some other blocks so that all of the "pointless" blocks are not together and won't be the focus of the quilt?

Could you post a pic so we can see your project?

Another idea..... Go with a really broad sashing and applique small stars, hearts, moons or all the above to each point, thereby covering up the gone points. Or just quilt the doggone thing and use it as your utility quilt....picnic, beach, lay on the floor for the baby to throw up on. Not everyone cares that the points are gone.

One more idea....do some kind of big center medallion, even if it is only a really pretty fabric that you don't cut up at all, then a small stopper border, then use 3 stars in each corner with focal fabric between them. After quilting if you still aren't satisfied, then add the applique.

I would finish it and use it for charity or a gift. NOT because the person is not deserving of a perfect quilt. But because they will think it is beautiful and have no idea that it was not designed this way. Non quilters never worry about this type of thing. It may become one of their most treasured possessions.

Just put it together like you were planning and name your creation " What's The Point ?". Then it totally looks intentional !

I like the idea that Debra posted. This will then make it look like the design was intentionally. I have seen a block like described by Debra somewhere before. Just finish the quilt and be glad that you have learned from this mistake. I found this block on Blockbase.

Great idea! You could even applique "What's the Point" or "this is pointless" in the border. Every quilter who sees it will love it.

I agree! What's done is done. No one is perfect and there are no stupid mistakes....although there are times when I do feel as you do. I say move on. Finish it and give it to one of your charities.

You weren't the first to do that - and probably won't be the last.

Exactly what I would do. Tiny missing points looks like a mistake, but I've seen patterns where the star is intentionally squared off at the edge. The effect is lovely.

I LOVE this answer! LOL.....

See post #19? Now add sashing with a small point in it in a different color. Sounds crazy I know but it's what popped into my brain!

Absolutely true!! I know I'd love it!

Love all the 'why not make it a design decision' answers. Absolutely what I would do. After all, I am the QUEEN of changing a pattern--usually to make it harder--but let's not go there right now (as I am struggling with a queen sized quilt where I changed the pattern--again)

As one comment said, "non-quilters never notice". This is SO true!! I just finished a commission quilt, and I was SOOO stressed about the custom quilting, but the customer was so thrilled, to the point of being in tears. She never saw all the flaws that seemed to huge to me.
I would trim the blocks another 1/2 inch (to make a 11 inch finished block), call it a "new design" and go from there.

Finish the quilt and call it "no point". Problem solved. :thumbup:

in quilting there are no mistakes, just design changes. :)

I think this is your answer!

Could you cut out the stars and applique them onto blocks the size you want?

don't feel bad, I have done the same thing, it should make it a little clearer. I am still learning and sometimes the hard way. I was lucky I had just cut and made a few blocks so just started all over.

I appreciate all of you for your collective sense of humor. Where there is a will there is a way to get around any "stupid" mistakes. I like some of your ideas to change her design into an intentional design change. Lots of stitchers getting their collective heads together solve lots of problems. We all make mistakes in one way or another but lots of solutions come from this board. Let's keep up the good work. We will all be anxious to see the outcome of this design dilemma.

What is a D9P--sorry, but I don't use initials and I don't know what they mean.

[QUOTE=shadoh;6768532]i made 12 assorted 'star' blocks, 12 inch.....the pattern said.
so i trimmed them all to 12 inches, then realized that was to be the 'finished size' after joining them together.
they should have been trimmed to 12 1/2 inches.
thus the stars all have shortened points
what do i do now?

Stop obsessing. Your "mistake" is really an opportunity for a great design element. Sash those blocks with something stupendous, unexpected, to make those blunt point stars pop. If all the stars are about the same degree of blunt, everyone will think you planned it that way and will ask for the pattern! I taught my high school students the following. KISS--keep it simple student. Now, change that to KISQ--keep it simple quilter. froggyintexas

If I were in your shoes, and I have been, I would make a design decision to make little yo-yo's to put on each spot where the missing points are, or cute buttons if appropriate, or some other shape to hide the boo boo.

Ha! That was my first thought! Cut more off and make it look like you did it on purpose.

D9P - disappearing 9 patch.

If you hang around here much, you're going to need this:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...s-t178507.html

It's not a mistake, it's a creative opportunity! I voting to trim another 1/2 inch, so the points are really blunted, therefore looking like that is how they were meant to be. Put them together with sashing. If you still see them as glaring mistakes, and can't stand to look at them the rest of your life, give to a charity or a non-quilting friend. It will be a lesson learned and you will make someone very happy. Please show us the finished project so we can all be inspired to continue on when we think we've failed.