Finishing UUFO. Or maybe not.

Hi Sherry,

What about a picture so that someone can give you advice on what to do with it. :>}

Finish and donate. Someone will love and appreciate it!

Hi Sherry,

I'm new to this group, but your post struck a chord. I had a couple of yards of striped Aztec-y looking fabric in shades of gold, terracotta and blue and wanted to experiment with it in a kaleidoscope pattern. Deciding that I didn't like it straight on, I cut the original strips on a diagonal to give the pattern some "twist". By the time I got the thing, can't really call it a top - way too ugly - together, I had such an aversion to it that something inside me seized up every time I saw it laying on my table. (I kept hoping that it would grow on me as it lay there) Yes indeed, Lenore is right in saying that someone, somewhere will love it, and I generally have found that to be true and do my best to make it so, but once in a while something comes along that is just bad and life is to precious to be wasted on something that revolts me. We all quilt for personal satisfaction and if a project can't give you a modicum of that, then it's not filling your personal needs. I found a lovely lady that does pet blankies for homeless pets.I came across her when I was clearing out mega yards of unsuitable fabric from my sewing youth. She accepts any kind of fabric, thread, filler etc.and UFO's. The pets really do not care, she uses every scrap and it makes me feel that my work has a life after disaster, which is where my Aztec ruin is headed in my next care box to her.

Her name is Jill Pochik and her website is

Good Luck, Diana in PA

Thanks Diana. Your line about seizing up every time you look about choked me up. You GET it! That's exactly how I feel. I'll post a pic. Pollyused a phrase once that I'd never heard before and I chuckle every time I think about it. It was "hard down ugly." I think about that looking at it too.

Sherry

I will. Don't get me wrong, the fabric was beautiful. I loved the pattern.

Ever seen the "Watermelon Medley" fat quarter group from Keepsake? That's what I had. If I hadn't used the black, and added more than six fabrics, it woulda looked better. In fact, now I know what I did wrong. It's good experience I guess.

Sherry

Sherry

You just never know. Back in December, my sister's best friend became a grandmother. Sister asked if she could have a crib quilt for the new little guy. There were at least 3 dozen here waiting to be sent to the shelter. Which one did my sister choose? You've got it. The very one that I had thought was too ugly to finish. It was fire trucks, Dalmatian spots and other blacks and reds. Dazzling is an inadequate word for it but everybody else loves that wild thing. On the other hand, I have been known to abandon one to the 'Jill' box. It's a tough call. Polly

When I read your post from 12:42a, I was going to tell you to draw a deep breath, go to the supermarket, and throw it in the big dumpster they have in the back. That's better than your own garbage which is too easy to fish something out of. From the moment the top is gone, you feel better and can move on to something else.

I was going to tell you that yes, I have abandoned projects that got off to great starts but then weren't worth it in the end. It's not easy, but you feel better. I've agonized over getting out of bad relationships and bad employment situations too, but once the decision was made, I felt so much better.

Now I read your post of 8:06a, and I see you've made up your mind. That's O.K. too.

--Lia

Sherry, I'd love to see a photo of your "horrid" quilt. Just a thought ...... how about using it for picnic duty? I think a watermelon quilt would be perfect to sit on in the great outdoors. Or use it as a table cloth when eating at a park. Or....maybe it's due to become a wonderful QI comfort quilt. At any rate, I still would love to see it.

Sunny who loves watermelon

Hi Sherry,

You know what they say, someone's junk is someone else's treasure. Back when I used to hang out the World Wide Quilting page there were often pleas for quilt tops and blocks to be donated to those working to make quilts for women's shelters. I've donated orphaned blocks to these organizations before, knowing that even I had no use for them, or even viewed them as "ugly" a quilt is such a comfort in dire circumstances.

Yes, I have made things that I thought would look great, then when I got it together, I couldn't stand it. That has happened with the last 2 things I made for my grandkids. I finished them, and gave them to a shelter here. Almost everyone that I showed them to loved them, and couldn't understand why I didn't like them. Anyway, I know the shelter can certainly use them.

Sherry Starr

I would've chucked it too. I made what I thought was a cute quilt top a while back - had the chicken fabric, chicken wire fabric, all beautiful colours, but I just knew I hated this thing. I couldn't just throw it out right then, so I laid it across some bins that I had to walk by every day and I'd look at that thing - time did not make the heart grow stronger - I hated it more every day and knew I wasn't going to waste any more time on it, certainly wasn't going to quilt it. I gathered it up in a ball and tossed it right in the garbage ... the fact that it was garbage day really helped. When I saw the guys pick up the bag with the quilt in it, I said a great big *YES* ...it was gone. Then I went on to do something I really wanted to work on. What a great feeling. I know some people just could never do this, but I sure can. Life's too short.

Sharon (N.B.)

I figure that I make quilts because the act doing it makes me happy. If the idea of finishing a top is making me unhappy, there's something wrong with the picture.

But that's me. Some people make quilts because giving them away makes them happy. There must be a hundred other reasons people make quilts, and some of those reasons are compatible with completing ugly tops.

--Lia

Sherry: Reading your last line, I can't help but think that garish watermelon quilt could be a great conversation starter, and could lead to special friendships! Yes, I've stopped, said "I do NOT like this!" and given the project away while partially done. This was a recent event, and the project was one block WH of Hawaiian Applique. It was liberating to be free of it!

That;'s good to hear! I'm glad I'm not the only one. I wasn't sure

*what* the quilt police might do in a case like that :-) And Sunny, I *will* post a photo. Not only just for hee-haws, but this fabric was so pretty, I"d like to hear what *could* have been done to make it less... awful.

Sherry

>