dicueto

Good morning everyone! I hope you all are having a good week! Has anyone every engaged in a project that just went wrong from beginning to end? I have been working the last year on a queen size quilt, that, because of my inexperience and failure to plan properly ( I realized this after a monumental error caused me to rethink the whole project), is now a bed runner. It's nice, but the whole thing has been a fight since the beginning ( I call it "The Beast!"), constantly having to adjust, and running out of fabric. I've had to search nationwide via the web for extra yardage to complete the darn thing. I can't give up, because I've put so much time into it, but I just want it done now. I know it's my own inexperience taking on a project I probably wasn't ready for, but now I feel very discouraged, and actually a bit afraid to start a new project. Has anyone ever experienced this? I would like to know I'm not alone, and need some company in my misery 😉

Moira in N.E. England

Think positive!

This whole experience has been a huge learning curve for you but you are so much wiser now.

Try doing a few small projects. Cushions are great fun and if you don’t want them for home they make lovely gifts.

anonymous

Frustrating and a bit discouraging to have a project like that. #1, you didn't give up so that is a win. #2 What you learned along the way=priceless. Take a break and you will get excited about your next project.

Iceblossom

Oh, I think all of us have a story or two about beast quilts... In one of my "better" bad stories, I traditionally pieced a queen-sized Storm at Sea and I believe in doing all of one step at a time. So I first pinned, and then sewed my first long skinny triangles (horrible bias edges) to the diamonds all entirely wrong. So I carefully took them apart and did it again. I mean, I did the exact same mistake again! Took it all out and got it right the third time but trust me, you didn't want to hear the things I was muttering by then.

I congratulate you on your perseverance. I think some of my success in quilting has come from learning how to recover from bad situations, it's not that they don't still happen but that I'm better at dealing with them now.

But, sometimes we get all we want from a project before it is complete. It's ok to throw everything in a box and ignore it for awhile, or to just completely get rid of it. I pick up UFOs with various issues at the thrift store and finish them or at least use them for fabric.

QuiltingLawyer

When I first started I made the mistake of making a T-Shirt quilt for my husband.... it grew into a massive, bigger then a California king, sized quilt. He had been a roadie for years and I used shirts from his favorite artists that he had worked with.

Never Again. I did finish it. But it could use some additional quilting.... it could be so much better. But I just couldn't deal with it any more. So done is done. And now I know that I will never make another T-Shirt quilt again and why they are so expensive to have made. And it's not even a comfy quilt! All the decals on the shirts make it not good for curling up with.

I also sometimes start a quilt and then realize that I just don't like it or it's to fiddly for me. I then use the blocks that I have finished to make backings for scrappy quilts. Most of my quilt backs have an assortment of random blocks.

For your next project start something smaller. Make a crib quilt or throw. Don't pick a really complicated pattern. Also... don't be so hard on yourself. We've all been there and it's fine.

Tartan

Some projects are just a fight from beginning to end. Kudos for not giving up on it! Jump back in with something small and fun to build your confidence.

Rhonda K

You are not alone in this journey.

Last week, I threw a bag/purse project in the trash that was never going to get put together correctly or anywhere close to it.I could have revised and made something else. It was just a mess. I can't keep looking or plundering through failed projects so release them (yes, plural) to the trash man. That little voice telling me I must finish a project was shushed for once.

However, I did lessons and may try it again another day.

Be kind to yourself.

dicueto

Thank you everyone for your positive comments and personal stories! Knowing others have been there/done that, I really don't feel so bad now. This is a wedding shower gift, so, unfortunately, tossing it was out of the question. But believe me, I think I would have just tossed it if I hadn't run out of time to do something else. The really frustrating part, is that it's for my future Daughter-in-law, and I really wanted it to be something special. I'll just never reveal it was supposed to be a quilt, she'll never know! I've made a decorative throw pillow and will make complementary shams to make it a set. I guess we all have to have a plan C if Plan B (tossing) isn't an option! 🙂

Anniedeb

Good for you for making lemonade!! I jumped into the deep end, feet first, without being able to swim, when I first started quilting. I just kept forging ahead, reading articles, watching videos, and utilizing the info here on the board. Everything is/was a learning experience, and I lived the "there are no quilt police" motto. Keep moving forward, and learning as you go!

patricej

many times.
my last three, in fact.
luckily they were all just over-size lap quilts.
the last thing i need right now is a queen-size nightmare. lol lol lol