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A Design Opportunity

PattyJo

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PattyJo Advanced Member

PattyJo

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One of our local quiilt instructors has said many times that if you make a mistake, it is just a design opportunity. Well, I had a design opportunity created for me by me. Here's the story.

I've been working on a small panel quilt for a baby shower gift and I knew that the backer was only a bit larger and that it was going to be close but I thought that I could make it work. Well, I got to the last advance, I was 3" short and would have been quilting in my zippers!!! So, my first thoughts were that I was going to have to rip out all 3 borders that I had just finished so that I could cut down the size of the borders and put in a narrower design. It took me the better part of a day to frog it out. As I'm frogging the last 6" or so, it dawned on me that I could have taken the bottom zipper off, attached another 6" of backer fabric and just put it back on the machine. So I took the zipper off and attached the 6" strip of backer. Re-attached the zipper, put it back on my Millie and once again began stitching out the borders in exactly the same size as before. (Do I hear any comments out there???) Ok, I get it all done, off the Millie, I'm thinking boy this turned out nice. Got my binding that I had prepared stitched on and came into the family room to do the hand stitching. Maybe some of you already know what's coming, but I had 2 sides done and I'm looking at the bottom of the quilt and realize that I had the seam where I attached the extra 6" of backer, put in so that the raw edges are on the outside and not on the inside of the sandwich. I think at this point, my DH made the comment that he sure wished there was a checklist that he could go thru with me so that I wouldn't have to go thru so many corrections (like that would help). So now this is where the Design Opportunity comes in. I found some twill tape that would cover the raw edges and I'm going to put all the information that would normally go on a label, onto the twill tape and it will go from side to side and I left an opening under the binding to slip the ends into. I'll put the babys name, DOB, weight, length, and then made by some poor old grandma that can't seem to make a quilt the easy way. I thought that I would tell on myself, to hopefully give you all a chuckle and to correct any misconceptions just in case you might of thought that I have my act together!!!

So there you have it, another disign opportunity.

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Mary Beth Advanced Member

Mary Beth

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My DH thinks like your DH...he doesn't think I should need to rip out :o DUH! Me either!! But it happens. He is all business and tells me how unproductive it is to unquilt and requilt....thanks for the help, mister!!

You, however, did some fast thinking. Sounds like the perfect solution.

In reading your post, I was struck with how we think. You knew it was going to be close but you thought you could make it work. How many times have I thought that and how many times was I wrong :D

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MarieBrewer Advanced Member

MarieBrewer

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CHECKLIST? Is your husband a pilot or former Air Force? I get tired of hearing about checklists. We used to have them for everything every time we went somewhere. Guess DH finally gave up on me. I do admit that I make lists (I can't bring myself to call them checklists) for lots of stuff. I blame it on aging. Great idea to cover the misstep.

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Merryjo2003 Advanced Member

Merryjo2003

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Necessity is the mother of invention! Great solution! I'm laughing beause I just had a similar problem, only way bigger! I have an older customer who's eyesight isn't what it used to be. She resurected a quilt she had started before I introduced her to a 1/4 inch foot with a guide. This was a king size quilt and fairly wonky. That wasn't the worst of it. She used muslin for the backing. No problem, but it was far, far from square. I tore the edges to square the backing. It was barely enough, length wise. I thought with the quilt shrinking a little as I quilted I would be alright. WRONG! I got to the end and was about 1 to 2 inches short. I had to take it off and add another strip of muslin. Then I noticed one of the panto passes was not lined up correctly. (Probably one of my numerous interruptions!) I had to frog 3 rows! Well, I spritzed it with a little water in one area that was batiks to close the needle holes from where I frogged.

Finally finished and it looked great! Then I went to hang it up to take a pic and found the red batik ran and there where several spots on the backing:mad::mad::mad:. Can you say Tide stick, anyone! I'm so done with this quilt!!! I just want it to go away. I told my daughter this is one quilt I will not be sorry to see leave!!!:P

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Darlene Epp Advanced Member

Darlene Epp

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Great save Patty Jo! You could have also put a hanging sleeve over the seam as an extra "service" to the customer, so the quilt could be hung at a later date. Can you tell I've also done this before?! :cool:

Here's a trick I teach my students to use when the backing is a bit shorter than you'd like, OR if the piecer wants a pieced backing centered.

Lay the backing on the floor, and then position the top over it, in exactly the position you want it to end up. Then take whatever marking tool you want, magic chalk (removes with steam), safety pins, basting tacks, whatever; make "hash" marks down the side of both the top and backing at about 10" intervals. Then when you advance the quilt, all you have to do is line up the hash marks and you KNOW you'll be okay when you get to the end.

This is also a good idea for beginners, so they understand how easy it is to overstretch either the back or top and have the quilt "buckle" (polyester batting) or run out of backing when they get to the end.

Have a great day! I'm off to take my Dear Dad (90 years old in 5 weeks) for his radiation therapy. The drive is giving us precious one-on-one time, so there is good to find in every situation. :)

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PattyJo Advanced Member

PattyJo

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You guys are the best, Making this quilt was supposed to be a quick easy shower gift. Ya, right. Oh well, I will post pictures when I'm totally done. I still have to get the correct spelling of the baby girls name, and all of her specifics to print onto the tape. The tape is 3/4" and I'll print all of her information on by hand, then sew it in place by hand.

Darlene, your hash marks are a very good idea and I'll be sure to do that next time. As far as putting a hanging sleeve on it, this time it would have put the sleeve on the bottom as I did consider that, but didn't think they would want this little panel quilt haning upside down! Brilliant minds think alike.

Today, I'm off to try and start another quilt & I'll try and think 2 steps ahead of myself, so there are no more design elements to consider! If nothing else, this quilt has given my DH and I some good conversations...nuf said..;)

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