canuckninepatch

is it possible to put sashing between your blocks so that the fact they don't match up won't be so obvious? It will likely change the pattern completely, but it, ay be better than trashing it.

DebbieG

[QUOTE=kristakz;5448616]A couple of thoughts. If it's the picture I saw, and your problem is that the points don't match, perhaps you could add some sashing between each block? Then the point matching won't be so important. You might still lose a few points, depending how you trimmed, but it won't be as obvious.

My thought exactly, sashing will sometimes do wonders!! Post pics, you may be way too hard on yourself...I have only trashed one quilt in all my years and that was a quilt as you go......it was awful and stitching didn't line up front and back...threw in the junk!!

KyKaren1949

Yes, I also get discouraged. I have been quilting for four years. I tend to be a perfectionist anyway. I still feel like a beginner in so many ways.
I went to a quilting retreat this spring where we used templates to make "Storm at Sea." I spent 15 hours cutting out my pieces. When I sewed the first block together, it was a mess. It won't lay flat, and I can't figure out what I did wrong. I tried really hard to do it correctly. Plus, I have about $100 in the fabric!
I finally just put it all in a large zip loc bag. Maybe someday, I'll come back to it and will have enough experience by then to figure out what I did wrong. But, for now, it was just too frustrating to keep at it.
Don't feel badly. I'm sure many of us have experienced the same thing.

clsurz

IMHO as is the opinion of many quilting fiber artist there is no such thing as an error or things not matching up. I agree with you that I also do not use other people's patterns and make my own. I belong to at least two quilt guilds around here and another in another city in this state and they will tell you I have never used a pattern and refuse to do so. I have taken many online classes from quilting fiber artist who are known internationally who will tell you "rule #1 - there are no rules", "rule #2 - oh yeah there are no rules".

DO NOT THROW away your project, reinvent it into something else.

I've had ladies around here who are of the "cookie cutter mindset" tell me in the last year that when they first got to know me they felt bad for me and felt there was no hope for me because to them what I was attempting to create without another persons pattern and saw what I was doing was sending chills through there bodies and today they admire what I create although they feel they could never do what I do.

My point in sharing this is THERE REALLY ARE NO RULES even if you use a pattern. If it does not come out like you think it should based on the directions create your own design out of it and make it yours. If you really think about it all a pattern is for the most part someone who most likely used someone elses pattern and modified it into a new pattern to make it there own.

There are many things to do to salvage such a project so post a photo so we can see what your concerns are and we can make recommendations on how to make it your own.

jcrow

I trashed all my blocks on a quilt I was working on a few years ago because they didn't turn out right and I was so frustrated. About 6 months later it came to me how to fix them. It was a lightbulb moment. Dang it! I had thrown it out and I could have fixed it. So, don't trash it. It might come to you some day or night, completely out of nowhere.

Latrinka

Keep trying, don't give up! Good Luck, can't wait to see your quilt! I'm with some of the other posters on here, I don't use patterns, I get ideas, then just do it MY WAY!

DJinSC

Jan, I wanted to make a comment, but wanted to read what everyone else said first. I'm glad I read all of them and saw your second post that you had been bolstered into trying again and had success. I was eager to add my comment to please don't be discouraged. You obviously have improved in the past year and still love quilting. And I was hoping you wouldn't trash the project since you said the fabrics were so pretty. So, good luck with the rest of the quilt, and I do hope to see pictures of the finished product. By the way, I've been quilting for about 9 years now and do something utterly stupid with every project. I just shake my head and keep going. I love quilting too much to give it up. Keep going girl!!

2manyhobbies

We certainly don't tackle simple projects, do we Jan! :-). Geez the pattern looks tough. I'm with those who think something can be done. Get that pic up!

dc989

I tend to be pretty hard on myself and later found that what I thought was a glaring error didn't even show when I put a quilt together. If I put it aside for a while I can usually think of a way to salvage my mess ups. Know you must be really frustrated.

institches33

There are no mistakes, just design changes.
What about sashing between the blocks? Blocks on point? Flying geese inbetween the blocks? With all that work and your love of the fabric finish it, use it and love it.