I recently finished this quilt top. It took me 3 years.
Not three years to actually sew it, but 3 years after cutting it out to get to the act of sewing it together.
And can I tell you one thing? I hated every minute of it.
It's lovely, I can see why people make these quilts, but I really, really didn't enjoy doing it. And if by "really, really didn't enjoy" you have interpreted to mean "I considered cutting it up into teeny tiny peices and/or setting it on fire because its evil was overtaking my life", then you are right on point.
I HAD to finish it though. This is where stubborness can be either a boon or a curse. A more sane person would have just given up and given it away to someone who would enjoy doing it, but not me, oh no, I will not be defeated by mere fabric!
So, there it is.
If you're wondering what was so awful about it, I'll tell you: I hated the triangles, I hated that the seams had to be ironed open instead of to one side, I hated that when I was sewing it together I had to keep checking that everything was in the right order, I hated the small cutting errors that prevent it all from being exact, I hate that it doesn't have any straight lines, I hate that it isn't symmetrical. Mostly though, it's the triangles, the ironing, and the matching things up and how timeconsuming all those things were. I currently hate that there is some odd sewing issue going on in the middle that makes one side pull in and I don't know HOW I'm going to quilt that out.
For those of you who sew, I know you'll know what I mean by all that, and those of you who don't, I'm sure you get the gist.
It's done and I'm moving on. Once it's quilted I will put it in the bottom of a drawer somewhere and hope that when I take it out in 6 months to a year I will have forgotten how angry it made me and just be able to appreciate the fact that it really is quite pretty.
Oh - does anyone want a One Block Wonder book? I will HAPPILY donate mine if anyone out there wants to give this a try. I will definitely not be making another one of these.
Bummer!! It's so absolutely lovely, but when something's that much of a pain in the tush to do, it really does take some of the pleasure out of it, doesn't it? I'm sorry... (And way to sell that book, btw ;) )
Posted by: Jocelyn | September 17, 2011 at 01:56 PM
Oh My Gosh! I mean, I know your experience making it was awful, but... Oh My Gosh! It's stunning! Absofrickinlutely stunning!!!
I wonder if the quilting will actually help that funny pulling you're having? As long as it's not too bad... and it doesn't appear to be in the photo. I wonder why the open seam insistence? I always pressed to one side... must be something to do with triangley nature of it. I probably would have ignored that rule. And my quilt would probably have sucked because of that.
And finally... Good heavens, that is flat out gorgeous!!!!
Posted by: KathleenC | September 17, 2011 at 02:37 PM
The quilt is absolutely beautiful. It sounds maddening, but the end result is fantastic. Gorgeous color palette, too.
Sounds like you'll know what NOT to choose next time you piece a quilt!
Posted by: Jodi | September 17, 2011 at 04:03 PM
It really is a pretty quilt. I find paper piecing makes me kind of crazy like that, so I try to avoid it as much as possible. Sometimes you just have to do it though.
I hope you find that you love this quilt some day.
Posted by: Connie | September 17, 2011 at 06:02 PM
Chuckle....Been there....
Posted by: Julia | September 22, 2011 at 12:29 AM