Do you get Quilt Depression? - you won't BELIEVE THIS!

[Guest Linda S]

It is cold, pouring rain and dreary here today, but the weather is not what is bothering me. I have had a customer quilt on the frame for two weeks now. It's just a panto, although a little more involved in lining up this particular design with the IQ. However, the quilt itself depresses me so much, I just haven't wanted to go up there and work on it. From a distance, it's actually quite pretty. Sort of a blended log cabin in all sorts of creams and tans. However, it has batik, flannel, and regular quilting cotton in it, much of it is hand-pieced, and it is not square anywhere. Quilts like this take me back to when I was a rank newbie and had no idea what I was doing. They suck the very joy of fabric and thread out of me. Does this happen to anyone else? I am determined that I will go up there now and finish it, and then I'm going to load some fun stuff and play with Sherry Rogers-Harrison's Inktense stuff for a while. I have got to get this quilt out of my life!!

[Quilting Heidi]

Linda when I get quilts to work on that I have no interest in I set goals for myself. For instance, get 1/2 done and then spend a day on just me.

[qwltnldy]

Linda, I can relate.

At this very moment, I have a hand-pieced antique (80-100 years) crown of thorns that has many of the same problems you mentioned. I am custom quilting it and am on the very last part and even though my design is quite simple and shouldn't have taken long, due to the flaws in piecing, the fact that it was wadded up in a bag for who-knows-how many years and flared borders I have "quilt depression".

So I get it.

Here is what my DH said to me: You will finish it, it will be lovely, you will get paid and move on to the next quilt.

Keep your chin up!

[newmillie2010]

i actually love these vintage quilts. i always think about the person who spent so much time and energy putting together this quilt. i also have one on the machine right now and i enjoy thinking about the exact pattern that will give honor to the quilt. so it's a bit wonky ... a tuck here and there will not destroy the beauty of the quilt. i have done several and upon presentation there are usually tears of happiness that this once ugly duckling is now a beautiful swan, ready to be handed down to someone's great=grandchild or grandchild. I get bored to tears with the typical block, block, block, block quilts ... but that's just me! have a great thanksgiving everyone!

[Guest Linda S]

This one isn't vintage. It's just a bunch of poor choices. Don't get me wrong, I like the over-all effect, but who mixes up all those kinds of fabrics and expects it to come out okay? At least I got decent batting this time (Pellon Cotton with scrim) instead of pre-washed Warm and Natural!

[LadyLake]

I've discovered that I have a similar problem with intensely beautiful quilts. Learning from experience, I'm trying to just 'get 'er done', rather than continually dreaming about the possibilities for the quilt, and never quite getting to actually quilting any of them.

[JustSewSimple]

Linda, think how fun it might be to quilt it after a quart of rum and coke. It will be done and you won't even remember having to look at it!

[jmcclannan]

I must admit I smiled when I read this thread. It's good to hear that others suffer from the same malady I have. I guess working on one of "those" quilts makes me really appreciate the fun quilts I get to work on. Thanks for reminding me I am not alone.

[Guest Linda S]

WHAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAA! So much for my pledge to finish this quilt tonight.

[aleksich]

Linda, OMG that is what happened to me today. Must be that Oregon weather doing it to us. I just am waiting until Friday to get more backing and piece it in. Go have a Happy Thanksgiving

[ffq-lar]

oh crap

[Deb2bie]

Oh shoot!!! And other explitives I can't write here!!!!

[DoryJM]

Oops!!!

[Beachside Quilter]

Linda R took the words right out of my mouth!

[Quilting Heidi]

Originally posted by ffq-lar

oh crap

I'll bet it was a little more colorful than that.:P:P:P

[victoriasews]

It's times like this where you want to just whack it off and hope she doesn't notice.

[quietlifeaz]

"Here is what my DH said to me: You will finish it, it will be lovely, you will get paid and move on to the next quilt." posted by qwltnldy

I need to hang this on my wall!

[Dave-Jane]

Oh Linda - It always seems to go that way- when one thing goes wrong---it keeps rolling !!! We have two lovely ladies as clients who love to quilt, they are made with much love for their families, but really- no one else would really want them. They are always huge - like 125 X 140 and never lays flat, and usually a combo of fabrics. We always use Dream Puff to fill the lumps - do our best to talk them into a panto.

Dave has to really mentally motivate himself before he starts on the quilts - But just remind ourselves - the quilts are made with love--------

[miss jacque]

Yes, and it is even worse when it is your own...........Jacque

[witha'K'quilting]

Yikes...will she notice if the last row is missing?

[LauraJ]

Big bugger! Have had that happen a couple times - take the quilt off - cut off a side of backing or the top - stitch it to the bottom - put back on, yadda yadda yadda. Ucky work.

One of the things I do when I do NOT want to do something is do it as quickly and as soon as possible. The ABC's of management. A's - the worst things or hardest things to do - get 'er done and gone. Then the B's and C's are so much more enjoyable. Taught this concept to lots of middle school kids - get that hard homework done as soon as you can and when you're awake to do it! Then coast through the rest. Heard it helped quite a few of 'em.

Hang in there and hope the fix was easy.

[IQuiltToo]

Kristina - you took the words right out of my mouth. Exactly! That would be my solution. Much easier to take out that row than add both backing and batting. Give the client a call!

Or, there is a fusible tape to piece batting together - do not remember what it is called. Maybe she has more backing yardage if there is not enough on the quilt. She should be charged extra for all this work!

[seakitten]

Sylvia's got the right idea! What did you do?

[quiltmonkey]

Originally posted by victoriasews

It's times like this where you want to just whack it off and hope she doesn't notice.

[quiltmonkey]

This happened to me before. I just unpinned the bottom, pulled it over to the table side, brought my sewing machine over and slid my machine along the table as I sewed an extra piece of backer onto it. Yeah, it's a pita but doable.