Roundabout Problem
 

So, here is what's going on. When I made the blocks for the Roundabout, I was having issues with my quarter inch not being accurate. The blocks were supposed to measure 9.5in - I had some blocks that measured 9.25, so I trimmed the larger blocks down to match so they would fit. I realize now I should have adjusted the smaller blocks up.

I am now dealing with cutting off my points on the sides any time I put them together. Another problem I'm having is that no matter what I try to do to nest the corner seams up, they're just not coming out right.

I know I've lost the design, but should I trim them down again to 9 inches? I'm really lost at this point and I've somewhat committed myself to do another one, so what I'm learning on this quilt, I know I'll be able to apply it to the other and it'll be much better. I'm kicking myself for making this mistake on this quilt, but every one is a learning experience.

Any thoughts??

How much do you have done?

How much coordinating/matching fabric do you have left?

How much unsewing are you willing to do?

How much "tolerance" do you have for "design recalculations"?

Some of us would write the whole thing off as a learning experience and dump it in the wastebasket.

Some of us would pick it all apart and recut all the pieces.

I have a thoughy about the pressing - but I need to check it out to see if it would really work. In my head, it does. Not so sure if it will work in fabric.

The thought is to "spin" the pressing on the pinwheel parts - and then attach the corner pieces.
Sew the triangles together, and then press, "Spinning" one set going one way and the other set the opposite direction.
Then attach the corner pieces. And then press one set of corners towards the center, and press the corners away from the centers on the other set.

Here is a video about "spinning" a block: https://www.google.com/search?client...hVKQ80KHRkqBV4

Another one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7PvSuASf0

When opening a seam to the stitching line, I do not cut the thread - I leave it at least one-fourth one inch long.

All of the blocks are done, this was made using fat quarters, so if I scrap it and try it again, I would have to buy the fat quarter bundle again. My brain has been kind of hinting of scrapping it and do a different pattern altogether, my nephew is going to love whatever I make for him. My heart, however, broke just a little bit when I realized what had happened and the realization sunk in I may have to ditch the pattern for something else. It made starting my sister's quilt a little painful and not going to lie, I was a little gun shy but so far, that one seems to be going smooth, albeit with a couple of hiccups that I was able to solve. I would have to pull out the background fabric and measure it, but I do have the backing already here. I have scrapped an entire quilt when I realized it wasn't going to work out before, I don't have a problem doing it again, it just hurts a little because it's my nephew's quilt.

Picking it all apart and starting over - also an option, it would be a big saver of money. Granted, that's a lot of seam ripping, but once I had everything pulled apart, I could easily trim down everything and sew it back together more accurately with smaller measurements - maybe take the block all the way down to 6.5" or maybe 7.5" versus 9". Granted, a smaller quilt, but again, it's my nephew, he'll love a quilt whether it's big enough for his bed or just enough for a large lap quilt. Getting used to my new sewing machine has been something I honestly wasn't expecting to take long, but it has and my seams are much more accurate now versus when I started his quilt.

The best I could suggest is to take the corners off and size the pieced blocks down to the same size. Then sew new corners on. Be careful to center the blocks as you trim them down

I would add skinny sashing strips in between in a dark color. that will help the points look better. and yes the quilt will be loved!

I think this is a very doable idea.(A little bit annoyed at myself for not thinking of it! ) You won't lose much more fabric, and you can get it redone without too much more effort,

The colors are bright and cheerful - and what most people will notice are the centers of the blocks, anyway.

I tend to be a picky, but when I looked at the picture, what I saw first was the pinwheels and the colors; and I had to look for the problem.

For the nicest possible finish, I also like the slice off the corners idea. It's one of the nice things about how triangle math works. Remember to account for the seam allowances! Typically I would make one of my positioning templates out of the gridded acrylic template plastic.

That would make it smaller -- and it would add up over many repetitions. So -- for larger the strip idea is awesome, if you picked some sort of print that contains all three colors, it will tend to visually blur at the not-so-pointy points.

Or, you can just put them together with blunt points and call it good enough!. We learn each time (and some of us take a few repeat lessons learned over decades...). You can learn some more by experimenting with a different basting or quilting or some other technique.

Or, you can tie it together with buttons over the points and say, why yes, the embellishment was a design decision -- and you don't need to say why!

Can you take your blocks apart and salvage some of the pieces? Then scrap the pieces you cannot salvage and remake the blocks. Just a thought. I have been where you are a couple of times and sometimes it is just better to start over and put the current blocks in a basket for another quilt where the points are not gonna make a difference. I would see if you can find the single piece of fabric in yardage or a single FQ and go from there and not have to buy a bundle.

I agree with Tartan, finish it up and don’t say a word about the pointlessness of it. It will be a beautiful quilt regardless, and your nephew will love it all the same! I hate it when something like that happens to a quilt that I am making for all the right reasons and it doesn’t seem to measure up as I would have liked. Having a little more expensive under my belt now, I realize more and more that people could care less about our perceived imperfections, they are just thrilled to be a recipient of something that I have made just for them.

How old is the nephew? Could you accent the quilt with some appliques that are age appropriate to cover the worst of the corners? There are so many fun fabrics that can be fussy cut for all age or hobby groups. And, by the way. The points you are agonizing over won't really be noticed once the top has been quilted and washed. We are our own worst critics. Give him this quilt and when you want to, maybe a few years down the road, make him another one. He still won't see anything but the love you put into making the quilts.

See, this is why I love this forum so much, if you need help, you get it in spades.

I am going to rip the seams and srart over, I think thats going to be the best option. I've already started to deconstruct, too many seams are wrong and I think if i were to do anything else, the same problem is going to come back to haunt me. Plus, I can work on my points more. Leave it to me, I have pinwheels in my sister's quilt. If anything, by the time I'm done with these quilts, I'm going to be a master at it.

I will post an update later, thank you guys, you rock!

Have you tried pressing your seams open? It should help with the bulk in the center, be sure to shorten your stitch length if you do. Kimberly Jolly of the Fat Quarter Shop has a great video, (you can skip to 3:27) for how she deals with bulk. Also, if you are going to remake your corner triangles don’t be afraid to oversize them a bit for more wiggle room when trimming down, you’ve got this and either way it’s gonna be a treasured gift and a labor of love for your nephew.

https://youtu.be/aYLIVgDaChU

I've been thinking about pressing the seams open as I rip the stitches, I think it's easier to align the seams better, plus I've noticed that my machine just doesn't like that much bulk and it did cause me some issues when I worked on this the first time. I hadn't thought about shortening the stitch length, I'll be sure to do that.

I like the idea of the corner triangles, I think I'll leave them the size they are now, attach them when it's time and then trim them down on the block. I think I may have to cut a few new corner triangles, but luckily I ordered a tad more background fabric than I needed.