We all have had to unsew a project at some time.. I just laugh at myself for being silly and sewing it wrong in the first place. No sense dwelling on it. Won't make it better. So laugh and rip.

I'm such a perfectionist that I rip and re sew things that others would probably leave. Today, I ripped several times because I was slightly cutting off a star point. I was happy to rip because all of my stars now have perfect points. About two thirds of the quilts I've made had no ripping; but I just consider ripping a part of sewing and, actually, enjoy ripping. One reason that I have made so many quilts that did not require the seam ripper is that I spend a lots of time carefully pinning before I sew and take the time to make accurate seams.

I unsew all the time and it doesn't even bother me anymore. I used to hate it. Now I am proud of myself for wanting and expecting my work to be of a better quality. I also feel that I have learned a little patience since I am no longer frustrated when I have to reach for my ripper. It's just another necessary tool that I use often. Every time I unsew a seam, I know how much better the finished product will look for my efforts. You keep unsewing with the rest of us!

I have visited Jack (the Seam Ripper) so often he thinks I have a crush on him!!! :shock: :D

Gosh I don't know if I've ever made a project that didn't require some correction - I just consider it part of the process.

You folks make me feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one that spends time un-sewing. I'll just have to learn to suck it up and rip away, lol. Thanks everyone!!!

I'm sorry your husband made you feel bad about it... but you shouldn't. (Men are just insensitive jerks sometimes, LOL.) As others have said, it's just part of quilting. It means you have high standards for yourself and when your quilt isn't looking like you had envisioned, you correct it. I often try out a quilting idea and if I don't like it I am more than willing to sit and rip out the sts to be able to try something else. The resulting quilt is always worth it. Please don't be depressed!

I almost never un-sew. I'd rather accept the alternate arrangement, modify the plan, or cut off an offending area and re-purpose it than spend my time and energy picking out stitches. Not to say that I don't know my way around a seam ripper, but I just choose not to make use of that option as a way of dealing with things very often.

I made a "Beatles" quilt for my daughter. If it is possible, I think I un-sewed it more than I sewed it. Guess it was
worth it.....it is her prize possession. At least that is what she tells me.

That is why I have about five rippers laying around and they are all well used.

It's not something I PLAN to do, but it comes with the territory. Fabric is stretchy so seams can become wonky. Fabric has two sides so the wrong sides can be sewn together. Quilts often use patterns so it is easy to pick up the pattern out of order. Ripping (or frogging as many call it) is just part of the process. Nothing to put extra emphasis on or beat myself up for. The faster I can undo the mistake, the faster I can get moving forward again.

Nope.. I'm part of the 100% Un-sew Club. The club dance is called "The Froggie" and we sing "rip it, rip it, rip it".. to any tune you want.

Most of the time my ripper gets a workout. Sometimes only needed to correct a seam that got caught the wrong way at an intersection and only a few stitches need removed to correct the problem. But unfortunately it usually gets heavier use than that. LOL

Unfortunately, I cannot say yes to your question, but I certainly say I could. I'm afraid I might be the queen of un-sewing, but I'm learning to live with it. If it weren't for all the "un-sewing" I would get my quilts done more quickly. But after the "un-sewing" I usually come back to it with some hot chocolate and some munchies and I'm good to go.

I have done my share of ripping stitches but as annoying as it has been in the past, I can see how much I've learned and grown through each situation. I recently had to undo the top of a purse and adjust the straps. As annoying as I found that to be, when it was done, I was thrilled about how much better it was and more importantly, how happy my customer was. You WILL move beyond ripping so don't beat yourself up so much. There is no quilting police so you are free to rip or not rip as you see fit! 😋. It comes with the territory, but as long as you are still enjoying the process, don't worry about the seam ripper being your friend! 😍

this week on one of the quilting shows the host asked - how do you tell an experienced quilter from a beginner? The old timer has her seam ripper right next to her because it is not a question of will she use it, but when she will use it!

sure i have! and i have some quilts with holes in them to show for it!
=
ha!


aileen

Well, I just finished sewing borders on a table topper yesterday. And the longer I look at it the more certain I am that I will have to remove it because it's too busy. Ackkkkkk ! First time to have to remove ALL the borders for me. Alas, I have my job cut out for me tonight when I get home.

I agree with Tucky, I do a lot of flogging. I seen an article not long ago about the correct way to use a seam ripper, it helped immensely with speeding up my flogging. I even have one of the electric seam rippers, but still prefer the regular (correctly used) seam rippers.

Seriously? You mean sewing for 10 minutes and ripping out for 30 minutes isn't normal? LOL I, too, am contemplating ripping out a lot of quilting on a project I need finished by tomorrow for a baby shower. Started a project too late ... discovered the pattern was incorrect (wrong length given for a vertical piece) ... had to come up with a way to fix since I had no more extra fabric ... and my quilting is just not making me happy. But I still love to quilt!

Oh yeah. This is the one I hate. It's why I always buy about 1/2 yd extra.