Another Stinker, I'm Afraid

It sounds like it might make a lovely background for some bright applique!

Carole D. - Retired and loving it in the foothills of NW Georgia

My quilts, crafts, QIs, and more -

Or, if it is blocks, can you add some sashing that will help with value.

Or make it into a kind of stack and whack with some lights and darks thrown in?

Hanne > It sounds like it might make a lovely background for some bright > applique!

I think you should finish it anyway, chalk it up to a learning experience, and give it away! A church or charity might put it into a silent auction or raffle -- raise some money, keep somebody warm, and get the quilt out of your house. About 15 years ago a friend gave me some godawful bright orange yarn, 100% acrylic worsted weight, enough for a sweater, and I made it into a "unisex" raglan pullover in average adult male size. It is Illini Orange, and we have LOTS of U of I fanatics in this area, so I gave it to a friend who was collecting things for a sale to benefit the Catholic grade school in her small town. Well, the nun in charge of the sale would not put a price on it and sold raffle tickets for the sweater, and that silly sweater made enough money to pay for a swingset for the playground! I got a lovely thank you note from the nun, who probably had no idea she was writing to a Presbyterian, and some fool got a sweater to wear to the Illini football games. I really disliked that yarn -- ghastly color to work with! -- but it turned into something good for children. Your quilt might do the same.

Use it to do some fantastic quilting - a quilting showcase. If the fabric is a bit samey, you can make a real display of the best quilting you can do - in great colours. This is an opportunity, not a disaster >gI am about halfway through a quilt, and thinking about stopping even

I agree with what Mary said... Finish it up and give it away to charity. Or you could maybe break it up and add some Fussy Cut blocks that go with the current blocks but breaks up the repitition as you say. But, what do I know I'm just a novice at quilting.

Kris

Howdy!

Get a Kaffe Fassett fix; book, online pics, pattern, and let yourself go.

Add some COLOR to those pastels, add something unexpected, got Black?, re-figure your pattern, and go a little wild. ;-P

Good luck!

R/Sandy

Sherry, I had the same problem a few months back and asked what I should do with it. It was suggested to put a "bling" border on it and finish it up. I did that, hated it right till the end but, it turned out o.k. I donated it to a charity and figured I got some sewing experience if nothing else. Good luck with yours....Donna

I like Roberta's idea best, but if it were me, I'd toss it - it's supposed to be fun and if it's just aggravating you, why bother finishing it. I did this very thing but I made sure it was garbage day - and I waved bye bye to it as the truck went down the street - what a great feeling. And yeah, I know it's wasteful but that was the solution I chose.

Sharon (N.B.)

W-a-i-t. Before you toss it (and I certainly am not against tossing a project that isn't going well), do spread it out and audition some bright or wild appliqué. Cut out some really big daisies or dancing bears and see if what you've already put together just needs some life. Think of it as mashed potatoes without salt (or butter, cheese, chives). You'll know. Polly

What everybody else said. When these things (and many others) happen to what I'm making, I immediately think to myself 'Oh, you've got an applique-able situation here.' My quilting skills aren't great enough to be creative that way, but I do like the idea of gorgeous, deeply colored thread being used to quilt beautiful designs on the pastels of your quilt. And all the other ideas here, too. And if you just can't stand to finish it, send it to me along with the rest of the fabric and I'll make it up and give it to our local Red Cross. That way they are ready for the next kiddie who is left out in the cold by a house fire or the stupidity/criminality of adults.

Sunny

Wonderful, creative suggestions. Ya'll are just the best. I'm going to finish this thing and post a pic. You'll see exactly what Polly said -- mashed potatoes with no salt, pepper or butter. I *am* going to learn this color/value thing. If I have to take a class, make an absolute pest out of myself at LQS. It just puzzles me how different the quilt looks from the picture in my head. Thank you, so much.

Sherry

Sherry, a suggestion.... Find a copy of "Color Mastery" by Maria Pegler (??) It is a workbook on color for fiber artists/quilters/etc. Easy step by step tutorials to build your color confidence. And lessons on Value, Contrast and more. Great book to learn more about color and exercises to practice as you go. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about color/value/contrast and how to help your quilts sing instead of hum along.

NAYY, but love this book. Pati, in Phx

Roberta--What a neat idea! Gray value is something I *am* familiar with -- from advertising design. Pati--Thanks so much for the recommendation. I *had* started looking for books -- but there are so many out there I was getting overwhelmed, especially since w/online shopping you can't exactly read it before you buy. :-)

Sherry