To fix or not to fix--that is the question
07-15-2014, 09:48 AM
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Here and there
Posts: 1,669
Hey, everyone, I need your thoughts on an unfinished quilt. When my son was 12, he started making a quilt. It's a brown & teal mini trip around the world using the Tradition with a Twist method. He's a bit of a perfectionist and got frustrated and never finished the quilt. I'd like to finish it for him to have for his children (he and his wife just had their first child). His seams are inconsistent (varying from 1/2" to the edge of the patch). I've gotten different advice from just a few people. Some say fix it and make it as perfect as you can while others have said to only fix what's necessary for the integrity of the finished project. I have see-sawed back and forth and thus it remains in the UFO pile. I asked my son and he said that he'd like it to be straightened out but I'd like to keep his work as much as possible. I was thinking that maybe I could use various sections of his work for the backdrop for an applique project. They have a jungle theme in their nursery. I think this would allow me to keep much of his work while the viewer's eye would be more drawn to the jungle animals and the crooked seams can be worked in as part of the design element. I'd love to hear thoughts from board members. Thanks.
07-15-2014, 02:59 PM
#32
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 79
Hey, everyone, I need your thoughts on an unfinished quilt. When my son was 12, he started making a quilt. It's a brown & teal mini trip around the world using the Tradition with a Twist method. He's a bit of a perfectionist and got frustrated and never finished the quilt. I'd like to finish it for him to have for his children (he and his wife just had their first child). His seams are inconsistent (varying from 1/2" to the edge of the patch). I've gotten different advice from just a few people. Some say fix it and make it as perfect as you can while others have said to only fix what's necessary for the integrity of the finished project. I have see-sawed back and forth and thus it remains in the UFO pile. I asked my son and he said that he'd like it to be straightened out but I'd like to keep his work as much as possible. I was thinking that maybe I could use various sections of his work for the backdrop for an applique project. They have a jungle theme in their nursery. I think this would allow me to keep much of his work while the viewer's eye would be more drawn to the jungle animals and the crooked seams can be worked in as part of the design element. I'd love to hear thoughts from board members. Thanks.
I recently received a quilt top that my Mom had pieced many, many years ago. Probably one of her first. Not wanting to redo her work I did a lot of pressing and quilted "as is". Some seams were at least an inch, others not even a quarter. Many seams were turned the wrong way. Wasn't sure it would ever look good. It did!! The quilting seemed to cover the mistakes. Then I met with my brothers and sister and had a drawing for possession. I would leave it as is so that his piecing will still be there. After all he was young when he did it.
07-15-2014, 05:29 PM
#33
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Mabank, Texas
Posts: 8,780
I wouldn't change a thing. I would leave his work exactly as he left it, tack it to a solid piece of fabric and frame it to hang on the wall. If you redo everything it's no longer his work, it's yours and you will lose what you are wanting to save.
07-15-2014, 10:13 PM
#35
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 17,636
well, in the end, your gut knows best...
but here are my thoughts.
What you said sounds good to me.
Sometimes a perfectionist is really ok with someone else's work and you
are his mom and it is going to his child.
Besides, having had his first child, he needs practice in not expecting
perfection. He's going to need a lot of patience with his child.
I like the idea of his work and yours given to the new baby, but
hey...lol, i'm just a bystanding mouse
but here are my thoughts.
What you said sounds good to me.
Sometimes a perfectionist is really ok with someone else's work and you
are his mom and it is going to his child.
Besides, having had his first child, he needs practice in not expecting
perfection. He's going to need a lot of patience with his child.
I like the idea of his work and yours given to the new baby, but
hey...lol, i'm just a bystanding mouse
07-16-2014, 04:29 PM
#37
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SW Missouri
Posts: 226
Thanks everyone. This can be such a difficult decision. Beauty is not always defined by perfection and many quilts are more valuable (at least to the family) because of the imperfections and associated memories. I had the opportunity to speak with my son again this morning about the project. I told him that I'd laid out all of his work and was reminded how beautiful his color choices and design were and that I couldn't bear to cover it up with the appliqued animals. He said that he didn't think that what he'd done was enough to be worth finishing. I showed him the pictures and told him that it would made a 42" X 42" square without borders. I showed him the material I was planning to use for the border and asked him what he thought about adding hibiscus flowers in opposing corners. He said, "Mom, I know that you will make it beautiful. I trust you. Add what you like. But, Mom, even with borders, it's not big enough for me." And then he grinned impishly. I reminded him that at age twelve it was big enough and now it would be Ellie's quilt. But I think that was a hint to get to work on another quilt for him. 
Thanks again everyone and I'll post pictures of this finished top soon.
Thanks again everyone and I'll post pictures of this finished top soon.
07-16-2014, 04:42 PM
#38
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Noblesville, IN
Posts: 235
I agree with Barb. Why would you ask him what he wanted if you are going to ignore his request? Fix it for him. He'll love it. You probably have other things that he made when he was young that will remind you of his childhood imperfections. But now he is a man and wants his quilt to be as perfect as is possible.
07-16-2014, 05:33 PM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bushkill, Pa
Posts: 534
You have a lot more sentimentality about the quilt than he does. He doesn't see how totally "cute" the whole idea is to show his son something he made when he was younger. He wants it fixed so it looks really decent. I would agree with the thought that if you want to keep it that badly, make another quilt for the baby and keep this one. Otherwise, do as he asks, as much as it may hurt, which is to fix it.
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