Ugly quilts
03-07-2012, 05:55 AM
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Rocky Mountains of Idaho
Posts: 1,454
[QUOTE=Favorite Fabrics;5036895]I belong to a group that makes quilts for Lutheran World Relief and boy, are some of our quilts UgLy! They're made from whatever anybody has ever given to the group in the way of textiles. Use your imagination and you won't be far off.
At one point, I wrote to LWR to ask them what their guidelines for quilts were and I will share with you the lovely response I received from them:
"As far as looks, we believe that every quilt is beautiful in its own way because of what it does for another person. It's our/your way of wrapping God's loving arms around someone in need and what's more beautiful than that?"(QUOTE]
The response that "Favorite Fabrics" received from Lutheran World Relief, really says it all doesn't it? Thank-you for sharing in your reply Favorite Fabrics, it really puts this discussion in the right perspective for me.
At one point, I wrote to LWR to ask them what their guidelines for quilts were and I will share with you the lovely response I received from them:
"As far as looks, we believe that every quilt is beautiful in its own way because of what it does for another person. It's our/your way of wrapping God's loving arms around someone in need and what's more beautiful than that?"(QUOTE]
The response that "Favorite Fabrics" received from Lutheran World Relief, really says it all doesn't it? Thank-you for sharing in your reply Favorite Fabrics, it really puts this discussion in the right perspective for me.
03-07-2012, 07:03 AM
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 635
I've been quilting for years and just two days ago put out the ugliest quilt yet. It sure seemed like a good combo of fabrics at the time, but it turned out UG-LY. What a disappointment after all that work. 
03-07-2012, 07:06 AM
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 430
My quilts turn ugly when it comes time for me to quilt the sandwich, I love putting the fabric together, it is just that end part. I can't afford to send them out and when I try quilting on the machine, I have broken upteen needles. And hand quilting holds them together but nothing to show off. - J.
03-07-2012, 07:40 AM
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Bosque County, Texas
Posts: 2,709
I think ugly quilts are like ugly dresses. Haven't you seen someone wearing a dress that you wouldn't be caught dead in? And they were proud of it! One of these statements must account for every ugly quilt ever made:Pt. Barnum's "There's one born every minute" or else "Ugly is in the eye of the beholder."
Last edited by TanyaL; 03-07-2012 at 07:47 AM.
03-07-2012, 01:26 PM
#35
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Littlefield, TX, USA
Posts: 1,077
Now, how did you spy the quilt I have on my longarm right now? I used to say I've never seen an ugly quilt...well, I take it back!
Someone (I know who, but she shall remain unnamed)..took bright red and royal purple and made 4 patches (ok, not bad...they can go ok together). Then they took the royal purple and mixed it with a thin (sheer almost & not cotton) hawaiian print with yellow, lime green, hot pink & black on a purple background...and made half square triangles...with the print arranged to look like a square on point in the center of each block. I can even live with that... get ready...then they put a 3-1/2" bright yellow border...and I can almost live with that...but the 5-1/2" bright green border...holy smokes that's just not cutting it! I'm to the last row of blocks...just secured the bottom border..and two of the blocks in the last row are 1/2" to 3/4" larger than the others.
The quilt measured square (well pretty darn close)..but I sure didn't count on these last two blocks!
I've got the blocks quilted...but the quilt is not what I wanted it to be...I started with freehand ferns & swirls in the top border...half circles and teardrops across the yellow border...thinking I was gonna make this quilt blend some...so the green has a denser pattern that I intended for the center. I decided to use the same design in the center of the quilt (on the blocks)...in a random pattern...then when I rolled the first row...the ugly thin fabric...was showing in dots on the back...I had to pull the entire section. I am so annoyed...I am putting a big swirl in each of the 6" blocks & that's it... I'll finish the borders...as I've fudged in the too big blocks as much as I can...and be done with this one. UGH..I'll post a pic later. Oh, forgot...the backing...bright red & the bobbin thread is rainbows..yep, glad this is for a family member...easier to shrug it off. I'm doing 15 quilts for her..this is the 6th in the group & the first I couldn't do anything for.
Someone (I know who, but she shall remain unnamed)..took bright red and royal purple and made 4 patches (ok, not bad...they can go ok together). Then they took the royal purple and mixed it with a thin (sheer almost & not cotton) hawaiian print with yellow, lime green, hot pink & black on a purple background...and made half square triangles...with the print arranged to look like a square on point in the center of each block. I can even live with that... get ready...then they put a 3-1/2" bright yellow border...and I can almost live with that...but the 5-1/2" bright green border...holy smokes that's just not cutting it! I'm to the last row of blocks...just secured the bottom border..and two of the blocks in the last row are 1/2" to 3/4" larger than the others.
The quilt measured square (well pretty darn close)..but I sure didn't count on these last two blocks!
I've got the blocks quilted...but the quilt is not what I wanted it to be...I started with freehand ferns & swirls in the top border...half circles and teardrops across the yellow border...thinking I was gonna make this quilt blend some...so the green has a denser pattern that I intended for the center. I decided to use the same design in the center of the quilt (on the blocks)...in a random pattern...then when I rolled the first row...the ugly thin fabric...was showing in dots on the back...I had to pull the entire section. I am so annoyed...I am putting a big swirl in each of the 6" blocks & that's it... I'll finish the borders...as I've fudged in the too big blocks as much as I can...and be done with this one. UGH..I'll post a pic later. Oh, forgot...the backing...bright red & the bobbin thread is rainbows..yep, glad this is for a family member...easier to shrug it off. I'm doing 15 quilts for her..this is the 6th in the group & the first I couldn't do anything for.
Originally Posted by QuiltingCrazie
Ok so I'm guilty of looking but did you know they have forums with posts of ugly quilts. Some don't belong and thank heaven I had a great teacher so I never made a weird or wonky quilt. Wow just had to share because I thought there was no such thing but.....at least I can learn from other mistakes. There's even a contest.....
03-07-2012, 08:46 PM
#36
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Elkhorn, WI
Posts: 127
In 30 years, you can bet I have seen UGLY quilts. Sometimes I fear i have become a bit of a quilt snob. The charity quilts my group make aren't too bad actually, but again, i have been doing this a while. I heard some time ago that the "Nice" quilts weren't stolen from the homeless, but that they sold them for the money for food or drugs. so sad.
03-07-2012, 11:15 PM
#37
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Jozefow, Poland
Posts: 4,474
Originally Posted by DogHouseMom
I remember seeing an ongoing ugly or bad quilt contest some time ago. I remember one quilt in particular, a crazy quilt and one rather large piece was wool while the rest of it was not. Well .. the quilt had been washed and dried and the single wool piece looked like it was trying to swallow the rest of the quilt whole. It was hysterical.
03-08-2012, 01:58 AM
#38
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: my heart is in texas, philly and london
Posts: 4,756
it might be a tx thing, bunbyte, because i have seen ugly, too. but i don't think i've ever seen an unloved quilt. and really, that's a lot more important, to me anyway. i've made a quilt for my new grand-daughter, and i realize i didn't know many of the 'rules' so it isn't a classic beauty. lol, but it will be loved with all it's mistakes and every color of the rainbow in it! it was made with love, and it will wrap her in love and that's all i really care about, too.
03-08-2012, 11:15 AM
#39
Power Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 11,375
Originally Posted by nancia
it might be a tx thing, bunbyte, because i have seen ugly, too. but i don't think i've ever seen an unloved quilt. and really, that's a lot more important, to me anyway. i've made a quilt for my new grand-daughter, and i realize i didn't know many of the 'rules' so it isn't a classic beauty. lol, but it will be loved with all it's mistakes and every color of the rainbow in it! it was made with love, and it will wrap her in love and that's all i really care about, too.
Oh boy, I have seen quilts being worked on at Hancock Fabrics...that I just can't even think of a way to describe.
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