Screw up, errors, and starting over!

Hi friends,

Are you keeping up with the blog tour?  Two more stops to go!!!  It's gone by so fast, it's been amazing.  I was nervous, you know, that kind of nervous feeling you have, when you think no one will come to your party that you worked so hard to prepare?  Well, I was a little worried no one would come to my traveling party, but you did, and you have, and everyone is still hanging in there together.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!  I'm so excited for the peeps (thank you Lizzy) that win the fabric, and the books!  Are those fat quarters gorgeous or what?

Okay, during the whole interview (x13) process, I had lots of thinking/reflecting time, and one of the things I thought about was my process for making quilts.  Where I make them, how I work, shoes/no shoes...shout out to the no shoe sewers!  Things that are part of the process to all quilters & makers of stuff.  I got to thinking about mistakes - mistakes in judgment, mistakes in work, mistakes in colors; you know mistakes - we all make them. 

So, I wanted to share an experience I had, in making one of the quilts for the book (City Circle I believe) since you have said in your tour comments that you want to know more about the process of it all.  First, you all know that planning anything on paper, can have relatively little to do with the outcome (quilts, marriage, children...you know).  So I planned the quilt, made the blocks, started constructing the quilt, and one of the blocks was wrong...just wrong.  It was a green block, and it stuck out like a sore thumb; unfortunately I didn't realize that it didn't work until I had sewn it to all the other blocks...what to do, what to do?  Of course, I didn't have time to rip it out, make a new block, and sew it all back together...I just didn't have that kind of time.  So, I sat miserably looking at the puke green block, trying to figure out if it was worth it to rip it out, and start over.  I must have wasted 30 freaking minutes trying to make a decision.  The one thing that went through my mind over and over again was, "how bad will I hate myself, and this quilt if I don't change it?"  That was it, that was the deciding factor...I had worked too hard on the whole quilt, to hate it, over one stupid block.  This, of course was not the first time I had this kind of incident; and I knew it wouldn't be the last.  I decided that I was going to time myself, I was going to time how long it took to remove the block, make a new block, replace the block, and sew everything back.  I looked at the clock, and 18 minutes later I was done.  18 minutes - that was all it took to save the quilt, save my sanity, and fix a problem that would have bugged me forever.  It was worth it...it was so worth it...best 18 minutes ever!  I wasted more time debating, then I did fixing...silly, right? 

Moral of the story - if you can't live with it, fix it...just rip it out, get it right, and be happy with the end product. 

My 2 cents on that!

Here's a pic of City Lights - strangely it hasn't been in any (many???) of the tour photos - funny since it is the cover of City Quilts.

 xoxo,

Cherri

Comments

[Upstatelisa]

It's the ripping and re-ripping that can take time and cause anguish! But I will remember just 18 (!) minutes next time I need to fix a quilt. :-)

[Dana]

Funny, I've been there and done the exact same thought process. The good news is next time it happened it only took me half the time to decide to do the right thing. Learning every day even the hard way. Love the tour and the quilts.

[Belinda Gelhausen]

My motto - if you are not willing to unsew and resew, you have no business sewing :-)
Doesn't mean I like to unsew and resew though!

[Jean Etheridge]

My favorite of your answers...even though there wasn't really a question. Thanks for sharing.

[Jackie]

I bet we all have similar stories to yours. Sometimes it is as simple as a quick fix. Personally, I have set aside quilts for years because I was unhappy and then come back to it only to have fixed the problem with it in very little time. So you are not along and we quilters need to stick together and can totally empathize with you. All your quilts are beauties and it shows that you put great thought into them.

[Shayla Sharp]

Been there, done that--and probably will many more times! Isn't it funny how we will spend more time trying to decide to do something than just doing it--must be a human trait! :)

[nicolette]

That’s funny indeed, I’ve not seen a picture of City Lights during the blog tour and I love it!

I’ve been travelling the unpicking path a lot and I’m sure I will be there more often. I sometimes only see mistakes I made when I take a photo of the finished item and look at it on the computer...

[Rafael's mum]

I have this quilt with non matching seam lying in a corner... (since last January...) maybe I should rip those two long seams that are the offenders?... I bet it will take me more than 18 mins to rip and sew back... but your story sure is inspiring!

[Rachaeldaisy]

What a fantastic post!!!I bought myself two extra unpickers at the sewing shop the other day ( now I have 4) because I figure it's good to have them within reach at all times. I put off finishing a quilt for a year just because I had to change a small thing. Next time i'll remember it only takes 18 minutes.

[Debbie - Esch House Quilts]

You are so right! We usually feel so much better when we take the time to do something right, even if we don't think we have the time.

[Mary Ann]

Great post Cherri. Sometimes my friends tease me about being obsessive but I just can't leave a mistake in a quilt and enjoy it! (And I always end up telling everyone as they admire it, oh but look where I blew it..geez) Thanks for making me feel better...18 minutes, sounds like a good name for a blog!

[Paula]

Me too!! Done it. Sat there and stared at the quilt for sometimes days before I finally ripped it out and replaced it. As a matter of fact it happened on City Park!! I had a block put together incorrectly. I finally took it apart and fixed it and I love my City Park!

[Louise]

I'm definitely and unpicker and fixerupperer from way back! I know that I just can't live with things being wrong. That quilt is absolutely stunning!!

[Diane]

Cherri,

I went to True Up but there is no blog tour on her website? What's up?

[Mary Ellen Honan]

Enjoyed your tour and 'meeting' everyone.
I did learn your 18" job from Flylady. Her idea is just take 15" chunks to accomplish what you have been dreading. It's amazing what you can complete in 15" (or 18").
Cherri, I wasn't able to get on until late in the day. Sun. 7/25

[amandajean]

i had a similar experience with an orange square recently. you are right, it doesn't take long to change it out and that nagging feeling can finally be put to rest!

[Karen]

I totally agree. The quilt I'm working on now, I'm up to 79 pieces that I've ripped out and replaced (they're 1 1/2"). There may be more, but at this point I like it sooo much better it's all worth it. Thanks for sharing.

[Deborah Domin]

I was taking a course with Karen Mctavish & someone pulled out a city quilt to get the classes input on how to quilt it. Karen scooped it up and said this is a city quilt and it's the closest thing you will create that is like an amish quilt. The designer showes you how to quilt it in her book and really that's the best way to quilt it. After class I rushed out to buy your book. And my husband picked out fabric at My Sewing room in Calgary so that we could create City Bank. This is the next class that we will be teaching and I can hardly wait to introduce my students to your work. And I will be Longarming it just as you did in your book. Love it.