I did a BOM several years ago out of Australian fabric - not me at all! It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen. Have the blocks done but am dreading putting it together. Everytime I take it to retreats to work on, we all get a big laugh out of it. The fabrics would be nice with another color but there is absolutely no contrast at all. I must have been on something the day I signed up! Hoping maybe one of my grandsons will like it. I have about 6 BOMs in various stages of completion that I don't like. Sure does make it hard to finish them.

I think we need an Ugly Quilt Show. Last year we had the What Was I Thinking Fabric contest. :)
Just show us your design boards with a few blocks.

Even though you don't like it, someone else will see great beauty when it is finished.

I like all of my quilts. They're not perfect but I like'em. Most of the ones I make are made from scraps. I did buy some 10" squares to make a 10 Minute quilt for my granddaughter's wedding shower and used the left overs to make a friend's dtr a quilt. Still had left overs so I cut additional squares from my stash & made me a summer quilt.

I agree with many here who say ugly is in the eye of the beholder... but what I have learned is that I keep plugging along. Mainly because if I have a quilt that I don't like.. I can try something new on it. I don't like it anyway so if my new technique doesn't work I am not upset about it. Many here are pros and may not want to try anything new, but I hate to try something new on a quilt that I love. I have done that before and I have been sorry. When I am done I donate them... churches have raffles and love getting quilts for prizes... my sister has a daycare and so she is more than happy to get one that means she doesn't have to buy one

You may be able to salvage the quilt - and still make something you love. Of course it might involve 'frog stitching' (rip it, rip it). I can feel your frustration. I have been there. You can read a story about my UGLY quilt here.

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2013/...laid-love.html

I also made an ugly One Block Wonder using some cheap fabric from WalMart that I thought would work well in the hexagons. It was way too busy. But I put it together and brought it on our beach vacation. My DD who is super fussy about color and design sat on it in her bikini and looked lovely. She took it home with her, which made me very happy. It's in the eye of the beholder and also in how it is used.

Give the ugly quilt to a place that provides essentials for the homeless people. These places always advise to make an ugly quilt for the homeless; a lovely quilt would get stolen.

I just love reading everyone's thoughts on things. First - it appears that many people have done OBWs that turn out to be their Ugly Quilt. Hmmmm - I've wanted to do a OBW, maybe I'll hold off for awhile! Taking it to someplace for the homeless...Brilliant! I had to do some computer listening yesterday so I started sewing the blocks on this thing together. It might not be as bad as I thought, just not to my taste perhaps. After I get it sewn together I'll post a pic. Do I put it here or start a new thread? And don't think you'll make me feel bad if you say, "you're right, that's an ugly quilt!)

Before we moved south, a group of us met on Tuesday nights. Our teacher decided we should all make a table runner. Everyone wanted to except me, so I picked out a pack of fat quarters I did not like from my stash. The runner was made up of log cabin blocks. After it was put together, it didn't look so bad and I really had done a fine job of quilting, so I entered it into our county fair. I won a blue ribbon for it and the judges notes on the entry tag said "considered for best of show." I get a lot of compliments on that table runner, but it's still not pretty to me!

If I start reading a book and it is DULL, i drop it. The same for a quilt unless you think it would make a pieced back for a good quilt. But remember that's a lot of work for a quilt back.

I'm thinking I'll just power through, turn off my brain, finish the quilt and donate it. Hopefully someone won't think it's as ugly as I do!!!



Yes, this! You will feel good not wasting fabric and you will feel good donating. A win, win!

My favorite cuddle quilt is one passed on to me to finish that another quilter on this board just hated and thought was major ugly. I just love it and think it is beautiful.
Please don't toss your ugly quilts in the trash! It will be someone else's treasure and delight to take and finish. Believe me, I know! :) Hugs and smiles from one lucky quilter.

You could donate it as pieces. Some will finish it and donate it. Someone is bound to like it.

I haven't hit ugly yet BUT I have gotten so frustrated with the way something is going together that by the time I got it done I gave it away.

This has not happened to me...yet, but it did happen to a friend. Rather than not finish the quilt or rather than throw it out, she bought some dye and dyed it. The result was fantastic! .....Just a thought.
Good luck with it.

What about having a thread on here to post "uglies" for swap? If you have an ugly you post it. If somebody sees something they like, they let the owner know and make arrangements to swap or just the person could pay postage and have it sent to her/him. Not for sure if that's allowed, just thought it might be a way for UFO's to get finished and loved.

I'd much rather see her pass what she has on to someone who likes the fabric or pattern

Salvation Army homeless shelters can always use quilts; ugly or not. Our food pantry takes quilts, also. When people come in to get food, some of them don't have bedding either.

I finish them smaller than what the original intention was. Someone will love it somewhere.

This is what I would do too! In fact I have done it - chose the wrong fabric to make a class project - hated it - finally threw it out. Someone asked why I didn't donate it to charity - my response I wouldn't give something ugly to a charity - and it was truly ugly.

Take the project "as is" to Goodwill or another resale charity in your area. Someone will want it. Life is too short to spend your time and effort on something you don't enjoy -- especially when your main reason for doing so is enjoyment.

I think I might add another colour, or subtract the one which screams out the most.

The first one I did was actually a pattern called " coin -something " became a quilt for a cancer patient. Finished fine.
Two months ago did a flannel one -ugly - to me but figured out the pieces were too big. Went to the homeless shelter where they now have 14 children and the manager said it was great . Now I feel that my time was put to good use.

I made a quilt some years ago out of orphan blocks - I thought it was ugly. But, when my niece was moving her family to Minnesota, I let them each take a quilt with them. It was their early Christmas present - they got to pick and I didn't have to ship ... she picked that ugly quilt ... she thought it was beautiful. Proof that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. There was a post (not here I think) about a new guild that was getting started and they were making charity quilts -- they were looking for donations -- I was able to send two tops that I didn't want to finish (they were all assembled, just needed backs and quilting) and a whole stack of UFO blocks. I got the sweetest thank you from them. It felt good to let go of things that I knew I would do nothing with and someone else would.

I am working on an ugly quilt right now. Don't like how the block looks yet I never give up so placed it aside and worked on a brand new Kaffe fastest quilt fabric with batiks, which is tedious and multiple piecings....ahh nice.
Well after a few Kaffe blocks I picked up the other quilt pattern and made a few more blocks then placed them on the bed. Wow, what a surprise to see that the ugly quilt was actually coming together. Sometimes you need to walk away for a while then come back to restart a project.