Jump to content

aack! what am i doing?


Recommended Posts

OK, no pictures ... but have you ever gotten in the midst of a somewhat intense custom job and just wondered how the heck you got into the middle of this hot mess?  I am just hoping that I've had my nose too close and I'm not seeing this job with clarity.  Oh, my!  I'm standing here imagining that all you great quilters just have such a smooth ride across and down your quilts ... and I'm the only one who has to stop and pick out stitches ... time and time again...and do other unbelievable tasks just to make it a bit more pretty.    Believe me, this is nowhere even near close to perfect ... I'm hoping I can take a day or so and remove myself from it aura and see what happens.  Geez.  I'm not looking for sympathy, just some assurance that most of us go through these trials by fire.  Now .... where's that fire extinguisher?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, we all go through that very same process!!!!  Stand back and take a breath - it gets somewhat easier with each custom quilt.  But I can't say that that feeling ever goes away completely - at least it hasn't yet for me!!!!  Hang in there.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ahh, been there. There right now actually. Even after quilting for years you will have those. Don't judge and pick out until you have walked away, unrolled a larger section and looked at it from across the room. We are looking at a small section, with our noses practically on the quilt. Walk away, before picking. Chances are no one else will see it unless you point it out. If it still bothers you when your done, then pick it out and redo.

Shirley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today, i was doing some SID on a chevron quilt and had to get in one of those contorted positions holding the ruler in my left hand and driving with my right. When i got ready to slide the ruler down a little ways, i found i had sewn my long sleeve to the quilt. My seam ripper was on the table behind me where i couldnt reach, my scissors which are normally clipped to my collar were on the same table. Trying to wiggle out of that sewn down sleeve without ripping the quilt was quite creative! LOL! Hope i dont do that one again!!! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want to recall how many times I have frogged, and the many tears of frustration and swear words that have flown out of my mouth. :P We all become experts with frogging techniques.

 

Don't feel alone. We've been there, done that... many times.  And, we are all our own worst critics. Don't fret too much. I am sure your quilt is much nicer than you think it is. Like I said, we are all our own worst critics. and repeat: this is only a quilt......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeannie, that is hilarious!!!!  At least it is to me, probably not to you so much........ ^_^

 

And I have a firm rule (a holdover from my days as a draftsman): never quilt more in the morning than I can frog in the afternoon!  In drafting, it was, "never draw more in the morning than you can erase in the afternoon."  Applies to sooooo many situations!!!!! LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeannie.....really?!  You are too funny.  I'm still laughing.   :D  :D

 

As for feeling like my quilting is a hot mess....yep, it happens a lot.  We are quilters, most of us strive for perfection.  While we quilt, we notice every single time that the needle doesn't go exactly where we wanted it to.  And that makes us think, "wrong", every single time.  And we all know that no amount of wrongs makes a right.  

 

Take a deep breath.  Just because it's not what you planned, doesn't mean it's not very good.  

 

Sally Terry says to stitch any design that comes to your mind, "just make it pretty".  That's been helping me a lot.

 

Sharon Schamber teaches us to stop, visualize, then stitch.  Repeat,  Stop, visualize, then stitch.  That helps me a lot too.

 

Walk away from it.  Come back in a few hours or tomorrow.  Take a look.  Bet it looks really pretty!!

 

Life is too short to frog.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I echo all the great advice you've received!

When I have a bad spot of quilting ( I call those areas "awkward", not ugly!) and ponder reaching for the ripper, I pause, mark it with a pin, and move on, making sure I take care that the same awkward-ness doesn't show up again. Then when I finish, I re-examine those pinned spots. If I absolutely can't stand it, I'll rip and re-quilt. But if it's not as bad as I first thought, I let it go. "Awkward" can be a bad CC line, a waver from the ditch, a spot where all the rest of the scrolls go in one direction except for that opposite one--you see what I mean. And most times I'll fix about half and leave half. Freehanding can't be made to look like computerized quilting and a little personality on a quilt is a good thing! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ran into those opportunities for frogging quite a bit when I began custom quilting. I still do for that matter. I also learned bad words could be made to come out of my mouth, frustration and tears seemed to be my constant companion. I questioned my goals, why was I doing this to myself etc.etc. I called a well known local quilter and asked for a lunch date to discuss what I was doing wrong all the time. At the time I thought this quilter walked on water, she told me she has slip ups or opportunities for artistic license all the time and she cured herself by applying the 24 hour rule. Let it be for 24 hours, if it still bothers you after that, and if you can still find it, rip it out, if not, leave it. I was floored to find out my quilting idol was human! As mentioned by others here; we have all been there and will continue to find ourselves less than perfect, it is ok.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never have a smooth ride. I get quilters blank all the time. I get a quilt on the machine and then think I should do my original idea differently. Then get stuck. I never see the things I think will look so bad in the end though.

The last quilt I quilted thought all along it would be a disaster, It was wonderful. Thanks t  all of you gained a lot of confidence in the last 10 years..

 

 

Ginny S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank goodness I'm not the only one.  I seem to have a really dysfunctional relationship with all my quilts.  I start out in love with the designs in my head and soooo excited about how it will look when I am finished.  Then the infatuation fades and the honeymoon is over and I wonder why I ever thought my plans would work at all and I worry that I have RUINED someone's quilt.  But then the quilt and I spend a little more time together and we start to make up, and usually when I have finished we are good friends again.  It's exhausting, but at least I have happy endings.

 

Carol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...