Stupid, stupid, stupid!
 

Now I did it. Made a Christmas top with log cabin blocks and a big Santa appliqué. The appliqué was done with a blanket stitch (big mistake) and when it was done I saw that the appliqué was not placed correctly.:eek:
Now to rip it out...to make it faster I used one of those scalpel-like rippers (bigger mistake) and now I have some rips in the top.

What can I do?? Put more appliqué over them? I don’t know!

i did get Santa placed correctly and sewn with a small zigzag.

please help!

Renate

First, breathe. Then breathe again.

Can we see a picture to help offer suggestions?

I can sympathize with your frustration.

Now - go do what zozee suggested - show us pictures - and you will get suggestions - someone may even come up with a better than original idea!

I first put a drop of anti fray on the cut so it doesn"t get worse. Then I would consider a tuck, or an applique over the cuts. Like if it was next to santa's face I might add a "pipe" or fluffy beard to cover it. If next to his back, add a sack of toys. If near his hand, add a mitten.

You could add snowflakes to cover errors.

All great suggestions. The only thing missing is a very berry wine cooler.

If the tears are tiny look at a product called Bo-Nash. There are YouTube videos for it. It has saved us a lot of headaches.

This was my first thought.

A friend showed me how to use iron on 1/4 inch double sided hemming tape to pull the tear together. Then just applique over the top of the tear.

I've done this too, and just used some same colour fabric on the back with db sided iron-on adhesive, then some darning stitches with same colour thread. No one will notice, or care.

I wish you could change the title to, "Whoops, I made a mistake."
We all make them. This one sounds like another applique would be in order, but Gay's suggestion would work if the holes are small.

Is the quilt already quilted, If not, replace the torn strips in the blocks. Tedious but manageable.

Redo the applique, but make it a touch bigger. Stabilize the back.

Wow, such a great response to a once thought impossible problem! I am so grateful to all of you.
At this moment I believe either the ideas from Up North and Rhonda K will resolve my dilemma. So, off to my sewing area to fix my boo-boo.

Berry winecooler sounds like like an even better idea!��

relieved Renate

First - stop being so hard on yourself - we have all done this or something worse. After you have had a moment, you will realize this will not be a mistake but an opportunity to add a design element! It is a santa quilt, so, are they in spots to add small ornaments? a small wrapped christmas package? a peppermint candy applique? or even place a few stars in the same color as your center pieces of the log? If you scatter a few of these things around, everyone will think it is part of your design and will be amazed !!!!!

I'm glad things are getting better for you Tippysmom. If you've been quilting long enough similar things happen to us all... I can't tell you all the ways and times and sometimes reasons I've cut a quilt or otherwise had to do a major repair. The only other idea I can give you if the tears are on the log cabin part at the site of the applique is to consider an outline/shadow the shape of the Santa only a little larger, think of a half inch of black or whatever. I had a friend do that once, we all commented on how it made the applique pop out and she confided that it was "just a fix".

I fix a lot of worn out quilts for various other quilters, just completed one that was 50 years old and the young man passed away, so was very important that I correct it without disturbing the original design and fabrics. I use lace a lot to make repairs, the lace should match the color you are trying to fix, cream and white are my first choice, just use school glue and paint a light coat on the lace, tuck the pieces together as best as you can, let it dry then use your sewing machine with tiny stitches, do a zig zag perhaps, you may have to place a small piece of fabric or lace on the underside of your background, to help stabilize your work. Sometime I use crayola crayons so you cannot find the mend. If you use the crayons, lay a paper towel on the crayons marks, and hold a warm iron on the spot, to lift off any excess wax.

Can you enlarge the applique just enough to cover the rips and reapply it.

Applique is your friend when hiding little design elements you didn't mean to add.

ZoZee says it best.. Breathe first, have a cup of tea, coffee, milk and relax for a few seconds. We all make booboo's - and thankfully we all survived. Just add additional applique Christmas themed pieces. Holly Leaves, snowflakes, or whatever is appropriate for your current motif.

Hope this makes you feel better. I'm making a quilt with 16.5" blocks. I cut one whole side of my block wrong. Grrrr! Went upstairs, got my jammies on, woke up in the morning and had a quick solution. Also, my GGD cut a small hole in the quilt I made for her so I cut out some hearts and appliquéd them around the quilt and it looks like that's how it should be. I was sick when I first saw the quilt! It happens to me way toooooo often. You have some great tips. It will be great!

Yes, several people have told me numerous times not to beat myself up over various situations. I tried to calm down, had a glass of wine, and then searched for snowflakes online. Found hundreds! So I finally found one that I thought would work and am using it. I think it will add to Santa’s overall look, so maybe this was meant to be. I really am so grateful for your help and really grateful for your support. It means a lot to me.

My five year old granddaughter says, "we don't say stupid". LOL

I am glad you have had a chance to step back. I am learning that finished is better than perfect. In any work really, there will always be mistakes that need to be worked around. In all projects you will learn something.

I finished two mini Halloween quilts this week which I posted in pictures. You can see the places where I can improve but I am happy to have two projects to use now. I have made some decisions on how I will do things differently in future projects. Learning and moving forward.

Looking forward to seeing your embellishements.