(or, Why I'm a stitcher and NOT a quilter!)
When I was shopping with Mom on Sunday, I picked up a "Cuddly Quilt Kit" at Jo-Ann's. It is all dog-themed coordinating fabrics, with a yummy blue plush for the border and a flannel back. All you are SUPPOSED to do is cut the squares to the appropriate size, piece them together in rows, then put the rows together, add the border fabric, and sew the backing on. (Probably sounds ridiculously simple to those of you who quilt, eh?) So I get everything cut and start sewing. well, first of all the pattern calls for 1/4" seam allowances. Ack! I canNOT get these right. And I know this...when I sewing my stitching up, I typically plan for 1/2" seam allowances. It is easier for me to control and see - heck, sometimes I even splurge and use an entire 1", and just trim it down afterwards. But I muddle through. My rows of blocks don't line up *quite* right, but it isn't completely terrible. I lay out the border strips......and discover that they are TOO SHORT!! I rant and rave, thinking I screwed up. But after measuring, thinking, measuring again, and asking DH if I'm doing the math right, I determine that the piece of plush in the kit was 4 inches shorter than it was supposed to be. Ugh. I used some bits of plush scrap to piece it together, but it isn't as nice. Grrrrr.
I sent a nasty email to the company, and told them I do not plan on buying any more of their kits. Quarter-inch seam allowances on a so-called "fun and easy beginner" project....pshaw.
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Craft Sale!
So my mother and I set up our little table at the craft fair this past weekend. And we didn't do terribly! I sold $125 worth of needle...
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Is that possible? Yes. Yes it is. "It's Hot!" poem by Shel Silverstein Especially this past weekend...100+ degrees Fah... -
I haven't been terribly motivated to stitch lately - I blame the horrible heat. We've finally caved and are seriously investig... -
So my mother and I set up our little table at the craft fair this past weekend. And we didn't do terribly! I sold $125 worth of needle...
4 comments:
Sorry to hear that the quilting project was such a pain. I get along extremely well with my sewing machine, and I keep promising myself that I'm going to try quilting someday soon. But after hearing this, I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll just avoid kits. ;)
Congrats on updating your bathroom. You should be excited about it-- getting those little things just the way you want them make a *big* difference between "house" and "home".
And... LOVED your cube finish! Nice work. :)
Oh my that sounds like a hair pulling project for sure! So sorry for you my dear!
I'm sorry your first foray into quilting was so hard. After my first 2 quilts, I bought a 1/4 inch foot so that I could get the seams right. They were murder before that.
OH man, that is not fun :( I don't buy quilt kits for this reason, you never know if it's wrong, and what if you need more?
I saw you were working on Mermaids of the Deep Blue, so am I :D Yours looks great so far. I added you to my list of links, you have a great blog!
~Heather
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