Bonnie H Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 A customer brought me a small wall hanging to custom and a queen size bag of the thinnest cotton loft of quilters dream. It's my preference to custom quilt on something a little thicker ... That's me being nice and not saying this is my least favorite batting because it's soooo thin and the time that goes into custom I'd at least like the quilting to be seen. So long story short, we decided to double the batting and she tells me to feel free to do as I like because she really liked the last quilt I customed for her. How can a longarmer not like that?? So tonight I'm cutting the batting that I don't particularly like and dang it if I cut it too short. I'm so mad at myself right now I could cry a little. Cheer me up and tell me I'm not the only dork here!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Oh far from the only dork! I can't begin to count the number of times I've messed up. My favorite mistake to repeat consistently is to wonder why the customer has given me such wide backing, then when I get to the bottom and am short on backing I have a quick mental yell at them, then realize that I've messed up. Again. Have a good cry, it's just a blankie after all. By the way, that heat press batting tape is a wonder. Basically just strips of fusible interfacing on a roll, but it's a fast and easy fix. Easier than taking the quilt off the machine, fixing the backing and reloading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 I'm in line at the dork parade! We've all done something "dang-worthy". I once couldn't figure out why the machine seemed mired-down towards the end. I'd quilted in a piece of batting that I'd stuck under the front roller to take up some backer slack. That was hard to frog! Backer loaded wrong so it's too short. Done that... Quilted the top third with the wrong top thread. Been there... Used two different bobbin colors by mistake. Yep... Forgot the name of a customer who handed me a quilt at guild. Nightmare time... Forgot a customer was coming extra early and answered the door in my jammies and fuzzy slippers. At least she laughed! Rest assured that you'll figure an elegant fix and your customer will be thrilled with the finished quilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 I was trying to do the binding on a quilt last week and I really wanted to get it done because it would have been my fifth one done in September. I was on such a roll. I was feeling just a bit off then realized I had caught the "cold crud" from my granddaughter and I was trying so hard to keep it out of my lungs, but I really wanted to just finish the binding so yup...I went to my sewing room...sick and all and attempted it. I somehow folded my binding fabric stupid and cut out a whole bunch of 2½" wide strips that were...drum roll here...22" long. Yup...all of them. I'm feeling better now, slowly but surely and I think I dodged the horrible asthma stuff. I'm still just looking at the binding strips. Shaking my head makes it hurt...lol. Maybe this week will be a better week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail O Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Loaded a backing right side up. You'd think that during all of the time you spend prior to quilting looking at the backing, I might have noticed that I was looking at the right side. Nope. Didn't notice until I had a bunch of SID done. If it was mine, I probably would have kept going. But it wasn't, so I got to skin it and purchase a new backing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Gail, I did that about a month ago on a little quilt that I was doing just to try out a new batting and pattern. Since it wasn't for anybody else I just went on and left it upside down. Sometimes the reverse sides of the fabric are almost as pretty as the fronts, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaSteller Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Oh dear. We've all been there, I'm sure. I too do not like thin batting, and I'm finding most of QD's batts have too much stretch to them, particularly for our machines, which don't have the lift-up the the quilt roller arm, so you can smooth out the batting as you go. Give me Hobbs Wool anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qltnbe Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 I was told not to accept a "too thin" batting as there is no way you can move it or pull it or stretch it without pulling a hole in it. Next time just tell her you don't accept those kind of batts as they don't work well on long arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeannieB Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 here's my list of "little cries" from my first year + a few new ones! (Now, I just look back and smile and shake my head!) I cannot sneeze and stipple at the same time. Backing loaded right side up does not look near as good on the back of a quilt as a backing loaded wrong side up. If you wear long sleeves, make sure your seam ripper or scissors are close to the head of the machine … just in case you sew your sleeve to the quilt while getting in those odd positions holding a ruler. A bug landing in spikey grey hair while FMQ can cause a 14” unwanted stitched line across a quilt that does not necessarily match the stitching pattern. Eyeballing a straight line does not mean the stitched line will be straight – use your channel locks. Changing a needle because you are having stitching and tension problems and putting the needle in backwards will not correct the stitching problems. Loading a quilt backing, batting and top on TOP of the leveler bar (instead of underneath it) will create stitching problems and tucks in your backing. QuiltPath does what you tell it to … not what you intend for it to do. When a customer says, “oh, just do what you want”, that’s not always what they mean. When a more experienced quilter tells you, “practice, practice, practice”… that IS what they mean! Red-E-Edge clamps do NOT roll around the take up bar. It takes 23 minutes to freehand 68.5 inches of bump back feathers in a 5-1/2 wide border. However, it takes 10.612 times as long to rip out those same feathers whenever you realize you forgot to change thread colors. Prized t-shirt quilt with customer’s last name in big, bold double stitched block letters in the center of the top border … only to find out from the CUSTOMER that I spelled his name wrong! I really do enjoy this job!!! 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Jeannie--- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing bear Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 the one that left me shaking my head: Put customer quilt on machine, thinking Circle Lord Baptist Fan, Baptist Fan, Baptist Fan ... quilting quilting quilting, Baptist Fan, Baptist ... whoa ... that doesn't look like BAPTIST FAN! I was so entrenched with BP, that it didn't register that I was using the Swirls boards ... geez, sometimes I really worry about myself ... the good side of this is that I ONLY did half a row before realizing mistake. So only 4 hours of frogging instead of days and days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiestaQuilter Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 You ladies are the best! I know I'm not the only person who makes 'oopsies' but it feels good to know you all can have a sense of humor about it, well eventually anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleyl Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 Gee I don't feel so alone! Shirley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted October 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 Love these, thank you!! Jeannie, thank goodness you did this over a year and not all in a week!!! Beth, I do have some of that tape (thanks for the suggestion!!) but this batting is so thin that don't want to fuss with trying to apply the tape to it. I ended up using one of my own twin battings Quilter's Dream Deluxe cotton batting and am going with that. It certainly beats having to double the request loft. I will give her back her bigger piece and keep the two small ones. I will find a project for it eventually. LindaS, I agree, I hate that thin of a batting, and no scrim! My frame has handles that I can lift the belly bar up and easily smooth the batting under the quilt top, but with the bigger quilts, that batting really gets stretched out of shape FAST. I normally won't quilt with the request loft except on a small baby quilt. Oma, hope that cold crud is gone!! My little grandson has it and I hate to shy away but until this year DH and I have never had colds so bad. Sorry for your 20 inch binding strips. I hate hand sewing the binding over that darn miter. Looks like you will get good at it with that quilt!! Upside down backing is a nightmare of mine. I always check and double check and triple check. I'm so OCD about it but I know I'm going to have a "one day" event! Sylvia, I've put the wrong panto on a quilt once. A gal brought me 3 bunny quilts, 2 were table runners and were to have one panto that was dense and another was a bigger quilt that was going to have a less dense panto on it. Both pantos had the word "daisy" in it by the time her quilts came up in the cue, I didn't read it right and put the dense panto on them all. I called her and she said don't worry about it, so I gave her the mistake free. I was never so happy to give away quilting before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 Thanks for making me laugh today! LOL you are all right we have been there. I have done many of these things. Most embarrassing moment was a customer showing up when I was still in my PJ's!!! Thankfully she thought it was funny. Most horrible embarrassing moment was when a customer arrived my home phone rang. I didn't care let it ring and the answering machine will pick up. Well that was when MIL lived with us and you all know how well that went! She picked up the phone and then stuffs it in my face without even saying hello to whomever was on the other end. Then she is pissed at me for not saying thank you and stands at the door to the basement staring me and my customer down. I wanted to throw her down the stairs but restrained my initial impulse. I of course could have handled it better with MIL whom I looked at and told her to move now and next time if she didn't intend on answering the phone then let the answering machine answer. Told her I'd survived 30 years without her in my home telling what and when to do things. LOL I didn't see that customer after that quilt, even though I apologized profusely and told her how difficult it was not knowing what MIL would do. I thought she was lost forever but she just emailed me the other day, she had just taken a break! I will never forget that moment. We all of course put the back on right side up, use a different color bobbin, sew in something like a pin or cut the batting too short at least once in our quilting life.That is a quilters life so mark that one off your bucket list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mscott2611 Posted October 7, 2014 Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 This post has made me feel so much better about my quilting career so far. I have frogged more things than I want to tell and I recently quilted a whole quilt and was on the way to delivery when I was reading the take in form and realized I had quilted the wrong panto on the quilt. The pantos were very similar but not the same. The customer open her quilt and before I could explain my mistake began to tell me how the quilting was exacting what she wanted so I just let it go. I know I should have told her but she seemed so pleased with the quilt that I just could not bring myself to admit my mistake. Was I all that wrong? I did tell her that I was giving her a discount and she was pleased with that. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.