Sunday, July 27, 2008

Stupid me

I am angry at myself to the point of wanting to go out and stand in the lightning storm which we are having right now. I spent all morning yesterday putting my blocks for the Orange and Cherry Jubilee into rows. I had two setbacks along the way. One, there wasn't really enough room to get all the blocks out to look at what I was doing. Two, I couldn't get my printer to work so I couldn't print out all of Bonnie's instructions. But the real reason I'm angry is just because I am careless.

Ok. Got those blocks into rows. Got some of the rows sewn into larger pieces yesterday and today, for the past three hours, I sewed all the large pieces and extra rows into one big flimsy. GREAT! I am done with this for awhile until I start working on the border! The room can have the furniture returned to normal! I shall take a picture to show my blog friends. So I positioned the quilt over the piano and took a picture.

And stepped back to look at it again. And went... Wait. Something is wrong. OH NO!

Can you see it? Not just one something wrong by the way. 15 something wrongs! I amaze myself at my accuracy at managing to position exactly half of my blocks wrong! I went back to Bonnie's website and read her directions again.

"Notice how the 4 patches in the center of the spinning star blocks all go ACROSS the quilt."

Now how did I manage to miss that whole line and why is it that the first time I notice the irregularities is when the quilt is in one piece. I counted the correctly placed and incorrectly placed blocks and they are equal. If there were three blocks facing one way, for example, I was ready to go back, rip out those strips, turn the blocks around and resew. But 15 blocks? No way! So now I will look at this quilt and forever know that I messed it up. I'm folding this up and hiding it in a box for awhile. I'm too angry at myself to look at it anymore beautiful colors or not.

I know, I know. Think of it as an Amish quilt and the mistakes prove that no one but God is perfect... But honestly. Wouldn't you hit yourself over the head if you did this too!?

Just out of curiosity, how many of you would take this quilt apart and put it right?

26 comments:

Amanda said...

Oh Tanya, I so know how you feel. But honestly, I couldn't spot the mistakes until you pointed them out and I imagine that no-one who doesn't know the pattern would ever know - try to think of it as your own spin on the original pattern. I think I'd do the same as you - fold it up and put it away for a bit until I felt better about it, No way would I take it apart. But, I'm sure that one of these days you'll take it out, look at it and think it's not so bad after all and get it finished.

Leah S said...

Honestly... I would have been stunned at first, and then burst out laughing. It's either laugh or cry in those kind of situations.

That aside... I wouldn't worry about it. The first thing that I see in your quilt is pink, red, yellow-orange, and blue. Most certainly not the 4-patches! I couldn't even see it in the smaller picture, I had to enlarge it.

I hope you don't hide the quilt for too long Tanya. It's eye-catching in a good way and can send plenty of cheer to the user. And since so many blocks are off, it might as well be a new pattern, you know?

I also know as a quilter that you've put in MANY hours in putting the quilt together. The scrappy 4-patches, the HSTs, the odd measurements, the cutting, the pedal time, the bobbins to wind... it's heartbreaking to see it lumped into one giant mistake. But I really hope you'll be able to wanly smile at it and finish it some time in the future. :)

Patricia said...

I like your quilt as it is. It's vivid and interesting, I wouldn't change a thing. You did a very good job. Most often "mistakes" make quilts more interesting. So is yours.

Don't blame yourself , I'd finish it and cuddle under this gorgeous quilt.

mamalong said...

If I had done this, I would probably also be deeply disappointed and frustrated. But no way would I take it apart and redo it. But honestly, no one but you and possibly Bonnie would have ever noticed this sort of mistake.

Anonymous said...

It took me forever to find the mistake. I doubt a non quilter would ever find it.

If you hadn't pointed out where to look for the mistake i wouldn't have noticed it.

The Calico Cat said...

A. I would not rip it out.
B. Even when you point it out, I do not see the "mistake."
C. You eye's are drawn to the large orange squares that are all correct, then they are drawn to the star points that are all spinning the same way...
D. The only person who will be able to tell - it you! I bet if you mailed it off to Bonnie for quilting, that she would not even notice - or say anything!

mamaspark said...

It's just beautiful the way it is. Just think, God loves all of us and we are far from perfect or correct! You should love it because you made it and it is beautiful, just like you!!

artfilstitch said...

Hey Tanya,
Don't be so hard on yourself, things happen for a reason. You did a great job with the colors and putting it together. The cherries look so yummy in the center of the blocks, even though you may feel like you got the pits in the end...cheery up. IT LOOKS GREAT!!

dot said...

I would leave as is. I don't really see a problem. The mistake is what made it yours, you artistic license. Keep as is and enjoy.

Cheryl said...

I went to look at three other orange crush quilts before commenting. DON'T RIP IT OUT!!!!
Your orange and pink really stand out making your mistake a lot less noticable. One of the others that I looked at made the same mistake you did but it also isn't noticable. The other one I looked at, the stars aren't near as noticable. Pack it away but not for too long and then get it out and quilt and enjoy it! Believe me a non quilter and maybe even a quilter will never notice. Happy quilting! Love your blog!

Julie said...

Leave it alone! It really is beautiful and after letting it rest for a while you will love your quilt again. I would love to have it just as it is!!

jovaliquilts said...

I've done things like that and I know exactly how you feel! I wouldn't want to keep seeing it the way I had not intended, so I'd put it away for awhile, then take a look again. Either I'd not be able to see the problem anymore (that has happened!), rip it out and fix it, or finish it off and give it away. It actually is a fine quilt this way, but if it were mine, I'd think about my stupid mistake every time I looked at it, and I already have enough things like that around!!

Quilt Pixie said...

I seldom make quilts with repeating blocks, so liekly wouldn't "fix" it, but would do something to make it look like it was the intention -- add a small applique at the joints, or paint a flower there or something to make the quilt not only mine and like no others, but also to disguise the fact this wasn't the plan....

Kathy Wagner said...

Oh dear Tanya! I would be frustrated too but I'm sure I wouldn't take all those seams apart. I had one block in the Carolina Crossroads that I put in backwards and I did fix it, but 15 blocks is a whole other thing!!
If you belong to the Quiltville Yahoo group and scroll through the photos of the finished OC quilt top, you will see that many other quilters sewed their quilt together without setting the 4 patches in a continuous chain, and I think they are just as beautiful as the ones that have the straight chain.

Maya Madhavan said...

I understand how you'd feel Tanya. Like getting all the way there but not quite. However, I must confess that I kept looking and couldn't find the mistake till I read the rest of your blog. I wouldn't go back to fix it however. The top is very pretty and I would consider the placement of the 4-patches a 'special' twist!

BethanyQuilt said...

Tanya, Could it be that you "discovered" another pattern? When Bonnie put this pattern together, she made up what she liked. I know it wasn't what you intended, but maybe you made up a different "what YOU like". Sometimes I think we lose sight of the fact that patterns are simply someone's idea, not an inflexible rule that must be followed. My advice - put it away because it is too fresh in your mind - and take it out sometime when you are in a good mood and look with new eyes and simply see if it pleases you. To my eyes it is beautiful and full of joy.

Mary said...

It's beautiful and all the more interesting for being your own variation - intended or not. I would NOT take anything apart.

Don't be disappointed in the quilt because you made a *mistake* - step back and look at the quilt as a whole - certainly you'll see how beautiful it is.

Shelina said...

Sorry Tanya I don't see what is wrong with this quilt. All I see are such beautiful colors and a great design.

andsewitis Holly said...

I haven't seen Bonnie's pattern so I'm sitting here staring at your quilt trying to figure out what you are describing as being wrong because I don't see anything amiss with it!! Seriously. In fact, seeing your quilt with all those pretty colors makes me want to make one just like it. Honestly. I would keep it as is. It's beautiful.

Katie said...

It seems to me that lots of us made that mistake...or almost made that mistake. I would have if I hadn't read some discussion about it in one of the digests on the Yahoo Group!

Frankly, my DH likes my Mom's OC better than mine (which is good because mine's a gift) Mom put hers together as two smaller tops. (One on point and the other straight.) So I'm in the midst of taking it all apart and putting it back together the way Bonnie intended so we can give it to DH. Seems worth the effort in this case, but for you it depends on how much it bothers you. :-)

Anonymous said...

いまだに何処が何が悪いのか分かんないんですけど。。。
まぁ、タニヤさんくらいにしか気がつきのしない間違えって事だね。。
まぁ、そこまでできて、おめでとう!

meggie said...

It is just beautiful. Don't change a thing! Besides, I cannot see the mistake!LOL!

Scraphappy said...

That's very pretty as is - I've taken "mistakes" apart when they just bugged me too much, but I had to really study the pic. to see what was wrong - I think people will focus on the orange and red blocks. I'd leave it.

The Calico Quilter said...

Please don't bury this lovely thing in the never-to-be-finished box. Quilt it, use it and love it. The colors are so bright and cheerful and no one would notice unless they were told to look for the problem. Would I pick out a whole flimsy and resew the rows? Oh, heavens NO!

Millie said...

Tanya,

Leave it. It's a gorgeous quilt. Nobody but you will ever notice there might be something amiss. I can't see where it might be wrong.

Actually, I like yours better than a lot of the others I have seen. It's very very cheerful and fun.

Leave it! Relax, enjoy it!

Lynne

Patti said...

Not me! And I'm really picky! I never would have noticed if you'd not pointed it out. Call it creative license - the quilt is SUPPOSED to be this way. Who says it can't be a serendipitous quilt. It's beautiful exactly the way it is. Quilt it and love it!