charity-crafter

I'll share my first quilting project 25 years ago when I actually bought fabric for and everything. A double wedding ring quilt. It was the first time I used plastic templates with a rotary cutter. The lady at the fabric store told me that it would be so easy with this new template set. (Now, I ask the person who recommends something what their experience level is before accepting the advice)

I didn't have much experience, didn't pay attention to grain lines-pish posh, who needs grain lines, mixed fabric types, didn't prewash, and the very best thing was I needed a huge amount of beige so instead of spending all that money on fabric. I found a poly/cotton sheet that I tried to use. Which would have been passible if I had cut off all the decorative trims and hems and such, no, of course I didn't do that because who will notice? My 1/4" seam wasn't accurate, I didn't sew straight at all, some places it was more like 1/8 or even 1/16th because the machine and fabric sort of had a mind of it's own.

When I finally pressed it after about 1/4 of the way through a queen size quilt, the cottons shrunk at different rates and the poly/cotton didn't shrink at all, but some of the reds sort of bled onto the beige. One of these days, I'm going to take it down and do something with it, haven't decided what.

On other projects that don't turn out quite as the directions say, I tend to toss the instructions away and see what else I can do with these pieces/squares. Good luck and welcome to the WIP club

patdesign

There may be a way to salvage what you have, think about working outward from the center of the blocks and find the one with the SMALLEST dimensions once you would recenter it, then cutting from the center out make all the blocks the same size, the quilt will either be smaller and you can enlarge borders, or you can picture frame each block by an added amount to make the quilts the size it would have been. A tip for the future, always work from the center out when measuring to square up a block by that I mean if You take 1/4 off one side then you should take and equal amount from the other side. Dritz sells a blue ruler with little 1/8 inch squares printed on it with a zero in the center to use for marking before cutting. I dont use it to cut as it is thin and Iam afraid to cut my hand, so I am very good friends with the disappearing ink pen.

Pat in So Fla.

Eliebelle

Oh, BOY have I been in your shoes - over and over and over.... Believe it or not, after working on a seemingly hopeless project (I, too, HATE to give up!), somehow or other, it seems to work out! However, if you feel there is just no hope for this project, by all means, GET RID OF IT!!! You don't need anything dragging you down and keeping you from trying again! You'll be amazed at what you have learned when you try again!

IreneS

As a new quilter myself I feel your pain as hard as I try to cut everything straight somethimes it just doesn't happen and I just leave it for awhile and then one of these days I'll go back maybe when I have more experience

Jeanette Frantz

Jan,

My mother had one of the most profound sayings. If you're not making mistakes, you're not doing anything, and that's the biggest mistake of all. Also, she always felt that the fellow who invented the pencil with the eraser on top was a pretty smart cookie! Lord, I just made a real whopper last week -- I was able to "hide" my mistake -- so I was just blessed, or lucky! Please don't be discouraged. We are human and if we were all perfect, we couldn't stand each other!

Jeanette Frantz

k9dancer

This is a brilliant idea!

Sierra

I had that problem once and cut every block over again, but smaller. I used a square ruler and they matched and the quilt was about 4 inches shorter than planned. Who cares? It was for a child and if he outgrows it.... well, that's to be expected. For now he loves it.

wordpaintervs

I just love the love and optimism within this wonderful group of people. They always reach out to help others. It is so wonderful.

We just keep coming back for that love, optimism and encouragement. What great folks hand out here.

Thanks ladies AND gentleman quilters. You are so appreciated

zoeytoo

All great suggestions! Mine was already suggested but I want to say you are doing so well for the amount of time you're at this. Rome wasn't built in a day. This pattern is challenging but you've given it a good effort and look at the parts that came out good. No reason to throw out the baby with the bath I'd add strips to join the blocks maybe on point . This will turn out to be a lovely quilt just not the original design but an "original" design by you. When I don't have things go my way...which is every moment ... I just follow that "if you get lemons make lemonade" saying. Have a cup of tea, take a walk or bubble bath, say F it and use one of the great suggestions given here. You can do it! Who says the original design is better that your new design. Here's your chance to "improve" it. Will you tell us what you do?

zoeytoo

You said just what I was thinking. I so agree.