QUANDRY .... help on a REALLY UGLY QUILT

[littleflower]

What do you say when someone asks you to help on a REALLY UGLY quilt.

MY G-F belongs to a quilt guild and she was asked to work on their group's raffle quilt. Well I am going up there to visit this weekend. She wants me to help her work on the quilt... sewing the blocks together. She sent me pictures as the blocks were coming in... I hate them. I want to see my friend but I DO NOT WANT TO WORK ON THIS QUILT.

WHAT tack do you think I should take???

[GloriaH]

Have someone put a cast on your arm? Grin and bear it? It sounds like your friend needs help so maybe you can just enjoy her company and ignore the UGLIES. Good luck, Gloria

[Lorchen]

Cringe and do it. Sounds like you are only asked to help sewing these wonderful blocks together, and not to make more blocks. I presume this is going to be a bed quilt. Well, if it really turns out to be unattractive, encourage your friend to use a really nice backing fabric so the eventual owner can use the quilt upside-down on a bed during cold winter nights.

Alternative: Put on tinted glasses and moan about the dreadful headache you have had all day, and that keeps you from doing any needlework.

How does your friend feel about these blocks? She may dislike them just as much as you do, and will be in need of some chocolate, cakes, and sympathy from you.

Lorchen

[Lorchen]

LadyRags, I have spent the past month making a quilt for our spare bedroom. I am using reproduction fabrics in grays, blacks, browns, blues and golds. I cannot STAND these colors or prints! I am using them because DH likes them and he has made gorgeous Shaker furniture for that room. Yesterday some members of my guild saw part of the quilt and they love it. Those colors are just not for me. Every once in awhile I have to make a little something with purple or red for a break. As my mother always said, "This, too, shall pass".

You can do it, it will only be for that short time and you will be helping your friend. Think of just how much she will appreciate your help and she won't even know exactly what it "cost" you!

Best wishes!
JoAnne

[Lorchen]

I've never met a quilt that I didn't like. I might not particularly care for the color or fabrics, OR maybe I might not care for the pattern, OR maybe the stitching is poor and the seams don't match. To me, quilts are somewhat like people, you look for the good. Maybe a lot of love went into making the quilt and, no matter how ugly, it will certainly keep someone warm.

Check out http://www.uglyquilts.org/

[Lorchen]

Hey JoAnne! Can I borrow your DH for a few months, please?! :wink:

[Lorchen]

Well I called Tara today and we are getting together tomorrow to work on this quilt. I am going to iron and press the blocks. She also decided to use my idea for a patchwork/ brick type (off set) sashing. I showed her pictures of several quilts using that type of sashing and she liked it. I will probably sew some of the sashing blocks using the same colors and fabrics from the blocks. I think I can handle that.

She says the blocks were all kinds of different sizes that we have to find a way to cobble together but she is pretty sure she has the placements figured out.

This might be interesting, but I am looking forward to dinner out that night... her hubby owns one of the best restaurants around and he already promised me his great prime rib dinner.... That and a bottle of wine should help this quilt.

I just feel that I have been working on everyone else's projects and not getting any of my projects done. Maybe I should start making my friends work on my stuff....

[Lorchen]

Hey JoAnne! Can I borrow your DH for a few months, please?! :wink:

Hannelore, hmm, DH does not have time to travel and we do not have passports because we don't travel. I came home from quilt class this afternoon to find him almost completely covered in orange sawdust. Are you sure? The wood (called padouk) he's using for his latest project is quite orange when it's raw but will turn a deep purple brown after the finish is applied. So pretty!

He's a good guy. If I could just get him to make something I want. He said he would make me a sewing table/cabinet. I waited and waited, then I bought one.
JoAnne

[tkwritr]

I'm currently working on a quilt that is less than beautiful and far less than perfectly sewn. It's a Turkey Tracks scrappy quilt with plain muslin (and some other unknown fabrics) between the pieced blocks. The Turkey Tracks points are cut off, none of the blocks (even the setting blocks) are exactly the same size or square for that matter. They were sewn together by hand eons ago by my friend's aunt and the top was found a few months ago. Because of the condition, she washed it before giving it to me, without my knowledge. Some of the fabric is now frayed, and preshrunk, but the seams are holding - mostly.

The quilter wasn't careful to make the Turkey Tracks blocks lay flat, so the centers of most are like little mountains. Quilting is being done by hand with outline stitching on the pieced blocks and a motif that fits the general size of the plain blocks. I'm having to ease in the fullness of the pieced blocks, but the plain blocks are a breeze. To "cover up" the imperfections and make the quilting "match", I'm using 80/20 cotton batting and larger stitches than I normally do.

I was discouraged when I first saw the quilt top, but have accepted the challenge and the twenty-two blocks (of 99) that I've completed are looking pretty good in spite of the imperfections. What was once what one might consider an ugly quilt is transforming into one that I trust she will cherish for years to come.

Quilting really does make the quilt. I'll post a picture (later this year, haha) when it's finished.

[tkwritr]

Oh my, I really feel guilty now. My neighbor who is in her 90's asked me if our quilters at church would be interested in quilting a quilt that she had done. when she got it out, she said she thought her sister had pieced it instead of her, (thank goodness) years ago. It is sooo bad. It is just pieces of different fabrics sewn together willy nilly. No color or type of fabric or size or anything looked at. No pattern. I tried to tell her as nicely as I could that maybe she should put it in the (rummage) sale that her church was having and someone would want to buy it and finish it. That we were already working on one for our Bazzar and really didn't have time for another one. She said well it it is really pretty bad. But I now feel pretty bad that maybe since it was her sisters that she really would like it quilted. Do y'all think I should go back and offer to try and see if I can find someway to machine quilt this thing? I have no idea what kind of pattern to use or if to just scribble. Ideas? She's such a sweet lady and I wouldn't hurt her for the world. She made a lovely yoyo quilt herself which I think I think she is just almost giving it away in her church sale. She only wants $70 for it with pillow covers an under cover and pillow covers . should I just leave well enough alone? It was before Christmas that I talked to her about it. Maybe she forgot. Am I terrible?

[tkwritr]

I don't think you're terrible, and if you decide not to return, don't beat yourself up. If you decide to return, explain that the resulting quilt will be functional, but not "show-worthy". She probably would be happy anyway.

If machine quilting is suggested, it should be noted that there might be tucks in the process. The entire quilt top should be reviewed for seams that might not withstand the tension applied by the quilter and repairs made as needed.

Most likely an all-over meander would be most effective. A custom quilting design would probably be lost in the myriad of fabrics and might be impossible to do well if there are tucks or puckers in the pieces. The machine quilter might be able to do something with it by quilting with the backing up rather than the top with less likelihood of snagging on an unruly seam, but not a guarantee against tucks/puckers.

As an alternative, if there are useful sections, suggest cutting the top into pieces for pillows or other small project.

[tkwritr]

JoAnne, you should be doing a trade with your DH, if you're making a quilt to his specifications then he owes you a sewing cabinet

[Lorchen]

Yohoooooo Anna! How did the weekend go????

Lorchen

[Lorchen]

The weekend was pretty good... the quilt was UGLY very earth tones with various shades of brown, beige, cream, tan.... Just not my colors I guess... The blocks were well made blocks ... So, we did not have a terrible time putting it together... I PRESSED the blocks and T-T ( nickname from childhood ) sewed them together... it went really well..... especially the old home movies... and the bottle of wine.

Her hubby had taken off for a business trip the week before ( the reason we got together in the first place) so we had a real old fashion sleep over for the entire weekend with just us girls. I guess the old addage is true.... ' Loads are lighten when the tasks are shared. '

My DD and grand-baby stopped in on Friday night, spent the night then went to her cousins for the rest of the weekend. T-T's son and grand- daughter stopped in on Sunday morning and took us out to brunch.. really good food.

We finished assembling the quilt and drove it over to the long-armer's home. She plans to pick it up at her next guild meeting. While I was there I did see the quilt on the long armer's frame and it was tooooo die for... rich colors all blended ... true deep reds, golds, black and blues and greens.... It was very hard to explain but the colors sparkled and looked so rich. I have been trying to find the name of the pattern but I think it was designed by the quilter. I had never seen a quilt like it.... It reminded me of an oriental rug or a Rhapsody quilt. The workmanship was exquisite. I am thinking it will be entered at some of the big shows next year. ... it was that beautiful... That quilt alone made the weekend worth while... T-T's company was also worth the torture of the ugly quilt.... T-T confessed the reason she had me come to help her was because she though the quilt ugly too and the though of working on it alone depressed her.

Thanks ladies for guilting me in to going to her rescue.

Anna

[Lorchen]

I'm glad you had such a super weekend, Anna!

Lorchen