Notwendy

Elmer's washable school glue is a lifesaver. If you 've never tried it, give it a shot. It keeps the edges from shifting and keeps everything lined up nicely. It doesn't stain and washes out easily (basically just a thick starch).

Onebyone

I use washable glue to match seams then ease in the rest of the two blocks to fit. The important thing is to find out why the blocks are off. Either your seam allowance isn't accurate, bad pressing, or fabric cutting is off. Even a smidge off on all pieces will make a mess of your piecing. If you can, put the bad fitting block on the end of a row. The least place a judge looks is the top left second row.

lots2do

Hmm, that is interesting. (The comment about the last or least place a judge looks. Our guild had Barbara Barber from England speak once. She said that she always started her quilting in a corner and worked from there. She had a similar reason for doing it that way. You should have heard the gasps from the audience. She did have beautiful quilts and she had won ribbons.

MFord

If your quilt is going to a show, that could be a problem. If it's going to a family member or friend, or a charity, the recipient will bless you profusely and show it off with pride, and no one in their world will notice whether a few seams don't match up - even (gasp!) whether you've cut off a point or 10. I've never had one given back! And, as my best friend says, quilts aren't supposed to be perfect - and she should know, she has a whole collection made by various ancestors!

Also, try starching the heck out of everything

Karamarie

I think we have all been there at sometime. Something I have tried and works if not too far off is to make your 1/4 inch seam a thread smaller or bigger. Worth a try.

Karen G

Francie, I love your attitude and your advice! Some of my projects stay in time out for quite a while.

klswift

and that is the reason so many of us have UFOs. Try to walk away from it for a few days and see if fresh eyes will help. Perhaps what you now see as errors will not seem so important with a bit of perspective. Quilters can be so very, very hard on themselves. I know it sounds very Pollyanna, but, try to look at all the good stuff in the quilt and not focus on the (probably very small) imperfections.

Stitchit123

For me it's usually when I am cornered into making a quilt for some one who chose colors or different types of fabric that just don't play nice together. And I always try to be extra careful with my cuts when it's their fabric, because I have no idea where they purchased it. One lady brought me a pastel pink satiny and a bright safety orange printed duck cloth to make a baby quilt. When I tried to explain why these were not compatible she said just do the best you can with it. Well I put it back in the bag and handed it back to her and said this is the best thing I can do with these. Reasons 2&3 were I could not inflict a baby with those colors or the rough feeling of the duck.

Innov8R

One of the best benefits of quilting has been to help me focus my perfectionistic tendencies on my craft rather than self flagellation when I miss the mark. When something goes a little wrong (and all honest quilters know it sometimes happens) I focus on figuring out how to prevent it from ever happening again. I don't look at my failures; I look at the increasing number of experiential lessons I've learned and move forward with pride in how much better I am now than I used to be. Whatever you did or didn't do that resulted in your frustration is immaterial. What you learn is priceless.

carolynjo

I've been there too. Just take a deep breath and lay it aside doe a while. Then, try again. As you say, only you will know where the problems are when it is quilted, bound, and washed.