It has been an interesting sewing week for me. I've made quite a bit of progress on my AMH blocks, as seen below. I really like them, and I am excited about this quilt. I had to stop because I ran out of my solid, Kona Ash, but that should be arriving any day now.
The pattern that I am using for this quilt creates a lot of scrap. There is quite a bit of trimming needed to create the shape. So while waiting for my Kona to arrive, I figured, hey, I may as well make a couple pillows out of the leftovers. Sounds like me, right? I know.
I made a pillow that I adore, but I can't share that one with you quite yet (top secret sewing, hehe). Then I made another pillow top, using more of the leftovers. And guess what, I am not in love with it.
Does that happen to you? I hate when that happens. You spend all this time working on something, and it doesn't turn out how you hoped. I mean, I like it okay, but I'm not crazy about it. If I'm being honest with you, it really ticks me off. Just ask my friend Jessica, who got an email very shortly after I completed this square, and it was filled with me complaining about how annoyed I was. It just put me in a bad mood.
Here is my question for you... What do you do with a project that you do not love? Does it make you mad? Do you pitch it, or hide it in a closet? Finish is, and hope you change your mind? Tear it apart and start over? That is what I'm learning towards. I'm really curious to hear what you do.
with love, Angela
I usually try to rework a project I don't like or offer it up for a family/friend who likes it. I love the center star on your block and think that perhaps if there was a thinner solid color (Ash?) border before the Innocent Crush squares it would help your eye not to jump around so much. Good luck on what ever you decide! =)
ReplyDeleteUgh, this happens to me all the time!If the fabrics aren't my favorites, then I usually just toss the unfinished item in a deep, dark hole (drawer somewhere)- because it makes sense to feel guilty about throwing it out, even though I know I'm never going to look at it again... right?;) But if I really love the fabrics, then I will either finish it (and stay frustrated forever) or take it apart and start fresh (which is frustrating at first, but eventually leads to satisfaction). =)
ReplyDeleteI hide it and hope that the next time I find it I'll like it.
ReplyDeleteHappens every time!
ReplyDeleteI usually just carry on, with hope I will fall in love.
Try and think of the bigger picture. I think it would look great with another plain cushion in turquoise and another one grey with texture.
I love it..you could have a give away!
(the cheek of it!)
If in doubt pretend its a Kaffe Fassett!
Clare x
Can't see why you don't love it???
ReplyDeleteWhen I don't like something I usually put it somewhere out of sight. Nine times out of ten when I come across it again, I can't figure out why I ever hated it. I'm sure that is what will happen if you just put this to the side for now.
DON't pull it apart whatever you do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with not taking this one apart. It's too many small pieces, too expertly sewn for that. I think it would be less work to start with fresh scraps than to take this all apart for another go! I think if you give yourself time you'll find a way to work it that you can love. So, I vote for giving it a break.
ReplyDeleteNormally I would rework it but you could also do a fun giveaway with this or give it to someone else from your friends who you know will love it :)
ReplyDeleteYou seriously don't like it? I absolutely LOVE it! Seriously!
ReplyDeleteBut I know what you mean - I started a quilt a long time ago with AB Lotus - love that line, but not the pattern I started. I've just shelved it until inspiration strikes.
That Kaleidoscope is going to be a stunner. I was thinking of maybe doing SITC in that pattern someday, but I'm also scared of the load of scraps it leaves behind.
I used to think that I was giving up if I just shelved a project for a while, but I've discovered that time gives me a new perspective. It may take a day or two, or a year or two, but I find that if I let it sit I come up with a way to fix what I don't like or find that what I thought was a disaster was just the emotion attached to the object and not the object itself.
ReplyDeleteAs for this project, I liked Holly's idea of a thin border around the stars to separate them from the squares. Beautiful colors and I love your "umbrella" blocks (sorry, not sure what they're called, but they're gorgeous.) Good luck.
I usually make it up into a smaller project like a pillow, that I can then gift to someone.
ReplyDeleteIts funny how our tatstes differ as I really love the block, I can imagine it as a pillow front surrounded by some Kona Coal!!!
i hate when i make something i don't love! i've had several quilts that i've finished tat i didn't end up liking. they just sit in my basement - waiting for us to use them. i kept thinking i might eventually like them, but i don't. i would say - take it apart a make it some way you'll like it - or give it away to someone who will. that's what i'm going to do next time a quilt top doesn't turn out the way i thought it would.
ReplyDeleteBeen there & found the best thing is to give it away to someone who loves it. it's a win-win because it makes me happy to see someone enjoying & using it, instead of it being in the garbage or tucked into a closet :)
ReplyDeletewell i ADORE the project. but this happens to me too. i'm sure it happens to all of us! i usually take a little break, come back to it and keep going, finish it up, do something fresh with the quilting/binding whatever and usually i change my mind. P.S. my kona ash is arriving today i'm using it with my soul blossoms quilt! love kona ash. it's a perfect neutral.
ReplyDeleteHa ha - I have a shoebox in my closet right now filled with blocks from a quilt I started. On the top is a label that says 'Warning - this box contains failure'! I did rework some of the blocks into a very cool quilt for my niece; someday I will make the rest into a couple of tops for Project Linus.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very nice work! Might as well post it on Etsy & make a little bit of money off of it! ;-)
ReplyDeleteDon't do it! I think it's so awesome. Put it away for awhile and come back to it and see that you think!
ReplyDeleteDepending on the size - and in this case since it's a block with small pieces (or looks to be) -- I give it to a friend who also sews/ quilts. We take care of each other's less-than-loved partially finished projects. If it were larger, I'd say take it apart.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to cry when I think of all the precious time wasted. And then I feel like a failure. But it doesn't have to be considered wasted effort really because I keep trying to remind myself of the mantra that I keep when my 3 year old does crafty things---process not product. And sometimes, the process is at least as important as the product. The process adds a lot to experience and knowledge. Plus, surely not everyone gets everything perfect on each attempt, too.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea someone had to put some sashing around the star or something. The Coal color seems like it should be a perfect fit for Innocent Crush. I wonder if it just needs more of the solid with all the tiny pieces of the busy fabrics.
I like the star block-that's me though;)
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the other posters. I hate it when that happens to me and I usually get mad and walk away for awhile, but then I come back in an hour (or a day or 3 months) to it and really look at it. Do I still hate it? If so, then I decide if it's worth it to take it apart or should I just toss it. I've done both, or just given it away. And sometimes, I just put it away awhile longer if I still don't know what to do with it. My grandchildren will wonder "What's this pile of half-finished stuff??"
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think the pillow looks great. You may not like it, but your work on it is beautiful. And if you still don't like it you could do a giveaway or post it in your shop. Either way would make someone very happy. And get it out of your hair.
Oh that has happened to me before and so upset that I put so much time into it. I think your pillow top is very pretty...since you have a shop on etsy, I would just finish it up and post it on there. Surely someone will buy it....I like it :)
ReplyDeleteOh goodness. I hide it... a drawer, a closet a "WIP stack" (aka abandoned projects)... I'm not sure whether anything condemned to one of those places has ever seen the light of day. I'm so bad!
ReplyDeletethis happens to me all the time!!! I donate stuff constantly, especially quilt tops. Or if its big pieces I seam rip, iron & stick it back in my fabric. If it's small-ish I back it with some bamboo terry cloth, turn & top stitch...voila, an ugly but functional kitchen towel...haha.
ReplyDeleteI like Holly's suggestion in the 1st comment. Putting the piece away for a few days and looking again with fresh eyes usually works for me.
ReplyDeleteOmgosh too funny! I tend to shove things into a drawer and let them sit. Sometimes I rip it apart and throw the fabrics into my scrap bin. I hate wasting fabric :(
ReplyDeleteI love it. I'll send you my address. You can mail it to me...!
ReplyDeletegiveaway? one person's trash is another's treasure! That would look great as a pillow in my family room :)
ReplyDeleteDepends on what the project is and how big the pieces are - if they bits are salvageable I'll take it apart and reuse them, if not I usually shove it in a box or chuck it. If I'm making it for someone else and I think they'll like it then I just power through.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I wonder if your secret pillow-thing is the same as my secret pillow-thing? ;)
I turn it into a charity baby quilt!
ReplyDeletePut a wide Kona ash border on it and see how it changes everything.
ReplyDeleteUmm, you can mail it to me, seriously!!! So cute. Put it away for a while and then bust it out when you get me as a swap partner ;)
ReplyDeletedon't take it apart, maybe just set it aside. love those love blocks though, the ash is just beautiful with the innocent crush. :)
ReplyDeleteIf it's a block, I put it in an orphan block box with some others (the orphanage!) Someday soon I'll pull them all out and mix them together in a scrappy quilt!!
ReplyDeleteI punish it. I have several quilt projects sitting on the shelf right now being punished. The way I see it, it's all their fault! With time, I can usually forgive, take it off the shelf, and find a way to make it work.
ReplyDeleteI just had this happen to me. Spent all this time on an experimental Dresden modification and it was a total flop. I've folded it up and put it in the scrap bag. I can't bear to look at it.
ReplyDeleteWe all have days like that. I'm working on a something for a swap, and I've made the item twice already, with plans to make a third because it's not perfect.
ReplyDeleteIf it were me, I'd either put it in time out, or finish and gift!
Look at you go! I'm a bad quilter. I just throw away most of my scraps. I do understand what you mean with the whole not in love thing. When that happens, I usually set it aside and wait. If it's really painfully bad, I toss. (Which, considering my attitude toward scraps, is maybe not surprising!)
ReplyDeleteMe thinks swapping it with someone who has also made a 'dud' in their own eyes would be fun then you could rework or accept the swap and 'love it' in all its' glory!
ReplyDeleteI try to finish it and gift it . . . doesn't always work but I can usually think of someone who will love and cherish it.
ReplyDeleteI tend to finish it up and gift it out. But I will leave it for a while first.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you say you don't like that - I have been making something that's not too unlike it (for secret sewing) and I really love it. lol
Give it away! There are so many amazing organizations doing good work and the recipient would be so thankful to have a beautiful handmade treasure.
ReplyDeleteHmm I say give it away, because you don't appreciate it doesn't mean that someone else won't love it. How funny that I too have a wip in the same fabric that I started and wasn't loving, I have left it and reworked the rest of the fabric into something I love and will use the pieces I started with that I am uncertain about to accent the back ( with a little modification ). I would say with what you have pieced it is so small leave it.
ReplyDeleteHave a give-away. I LOVE it! I sew mine into gifts and donate to the Church Bazaar Fund-raiser.
ReplyDeleteYour block is beautiful! You just whipped that design up out of scraps you're working on? Nice! If you really don't like, maybe finish quilting it and put it in an embroidery hoop for wall art! and ohhh...this is happening to me right now on a quilt I'm finishing! It's only my second quilt..I'm not supposed to not like it this soon into quilting am I? It's growing on me.I like it.not loving it. But, I'll finish it and then decide what to do with it. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a question about your block, would you remember the sizes? I found this quilt from the accuquilt site so Im guessing you used a die? which ones did you use?
ReplyDelete