Some ways to mess up a quilt -
 

The fabric bleeds -
The fabric shrinks unevenly -
The pieces are cut the wrong size -
The seams are the wrong size -
The seams are uneven -
The instructions were wrong or poorly written -
The template patterns were not accurate -
The cat "dumped" on it -
The fabric scorched while it was being pressed -
Some pieces were misplaced and can't be found -
The thread was old and now the seams are breaking -
The sewing machine tensions were off and this is why the seams are popping -
A trimming snip ended up being too deep -
Was impatient when removing some stitching and now there are tears in places -
Barely had enough fabric to start with and then made cutting errors -
The cat decided to climb up a quilt that was on the ironing board and now there are tears in it from the cat - and then tears in it from the maker -
It got blood on it from the human -
One of the fabrics from this grouping was used for another project - and a substitute is hard to find -

I think there are more ways - these are just some of the ways I've had issues with a project -

Any additions to the list?

Using the wrong coloured thread for quilting and not realising until the next day when the lighting in your sewing room is oh so much better than it was the night before!

Wow, how utterly depressing. Did you have a bad day sewing? :(

That list is enough to discourage any new quilter from continuing and even makes me consider quitting after 40+ years.

Try to focus on all the wonderful things that can (and frequently do) happen to make a quilt turn out far better than you ever dreamed possible. Quilts often reflect the attitude of the maker at the time of their construction. (sorry you had a bad day...)

Thankfully I have not had to deal with very many of these or i would probably have given up.

.
It is simply a "pot-stirring" topic solely for entertainment IMHO.
Back to my beautiful quilt in progress.

Not sure why we would need instructions on how to mess up a project. :eek: Not something I want to think about.

The main objective is to enjoy sewing and creating something beautiful. Somehow that can be achieved even if disasters occur along the way.

It was meant to be - sort of a - poke - at where things can go wrong. And perhaps a reminder to check on some things before continuing -

I have had all those things happen - over about thirty years - and most of them were learning experiences - one way or another -

which is why I now

- wash everything washable before cutting it
- check the pattern - and/or make a test block before progressing if something seems wonky
- now know that instructions and patterns are not always 100% accurate
- now know how to get all sorts of stains out of fabrics
- have learned how to improvise
- can do almost invisible mends

So most of the experiences were not all bad - a bit frustrating at the time - but "overcoming" was a high.

I go to great lengths to avoid bleeds and shrinkage, though. Much easier - for me - to avoid the issues at the outset by washing before cutting than trying to undo the damage later.

Mandy "got" it! :)

*Not making a sample block before cutting all the fabric!!!!
*Not doing the math on how much of each fabric to cut for each # of blocks. (too many left over blocks, made two quilts with same fabric

Starting a project!! lol