When Indifferent Quilts Go Bad

 Not all quilts work and this is a case in point.  I started it YEARS ago, yes that's right, years.

I had painted the sea and sky fabrics and knew that I wanted a coastal scene.  The composition was based very loosely on a picture, that I have long since lost.  I think I started it with no clear idea of where I was going with it, and quickly became unfocused.  I ploughed on, thinking that I would regain focus.

Things went from bad to worse when I thread painted the palm trees.  They look great, but I should not have done this directly onto the quilt top, as it caused puckering around the trees.  Instead of just stopping there and giving up, I thought I could make it all come right when I quilted it.  Of course it didn't come right.  So I put the quilt into a corner and left it there, for years.


I recently pulled the quilt out and started trying to rescue it.  I just hated to give up on the work I had already put into it.  Hum, I should have left well alone, especially as by this point, I was befuddled as to what direction this quilt had been heading (and bin was definately the direction it should have taken!).  I spent a few house each day sewing away, trying to disguise the puckers, but all to no avail, the sky just looked like one big pucker.  Actually I can think of a word that rhymes with that, and would more aptly describe it!

I folded the quilt top to mimic cutting part of the sky off, where the puckering was just too obvious to ignore, to see if that helped, which it didn't.  It also took me squarely into the 'rule of thirds' territory, as my horizon line would be in the middle of the quilt, yikes!  For those who don't know, in art your composition is divided into thirds, you don't half it.

I had a chat with Alan whose sage advice was..."bin it".  Yes, I knew he was right and he was no doubt supported by those of you who have heard me wittier on about this quilt all last week!  I just couldn't bring myself to put all that work in the bin.

An afternoon away from it and I came home and thought 'to hell with it', took my rotary cutter and slashed through it, thereby freeing me up to bin it!  However, I then realised that I might as well just cut a section out of it and try out that pillowcase technique I have been dying to try.

So this is how that quilt has ended up, just a small section from the middle, no binding and a fake back. Straight away I learned that this is not a technique for a bulky quilt like this, as it is really difficult to crease the stiff parts of the quilt (i.e. the grass section) to the same degree as the rest.

The main lesson I have taken away is, if it doesn't work BIN IT!


Er, does anyone want a mini quilt?!!