What do you do with an ugly quilt in progress?

First off, you need to post a picture so we can determine if it truly is "ugly". :-)

Best regards, Michelle in Nevada

Give it to a charity (like Project Linus!) for a kid who will probably love the quilt. Kids and adults don't always agree on what's ugly.

Story:

Several years ago one of our Project Linus chapters was given a purple, white, and brown afghan that the coordinator thought was really ugly. When she made a blanket delivery to the local hospital (back when we could personally give blankets to the kids, now with privacy laws we don't get to do that much anymore) the purple, white, and brown afghan was the first one chosen. The little boy that chose it said it looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Donna in SW Idaho Project Linus coordinator Boise/SW Idaho/ E Oregon

Give it to a charity (like Project Linus!) for a kid who will probably love the quilt. Kids and adults don't always agree on what's ugly.

Story:

Several years ago one of our Project Linus chapters was given a purple, white, and brown afghan that the coordinator thought was really ugly. When she made a blanket delivery to the local hospital (back when we could personally give blankets to the kids, now with privacy laws we don't get to do that much anymore) the purple, white, and brown afghan was the first one chosen. The little boy that chose it said it looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Donna in SW Idaho Project Linus coordinator Boise/SW Idaho/ E Oregon

I simply plod on. Always, always, when I think a quilt is a dud, somebody falls in love with it and carries it away. I made a red/black/white crib quilt a few years back. Sounded good to begin with but got uglier with every stitch. When my sister-in-law welcomed her first grandbaby son, I gave her the choice of any of a dozen or so. You guessed it. She picked the one I thought was ugly. Keep going. Somebody will think it's wonderful. Polly

I'm with Michelle...post a picture, one quilter's ugly is another's beautiful.

amy in CNy

Just started reading the group I know what you mean. I picked some lovely blues and now it is known as that blue quilt, which is partially pieced but looks like nothing. i have thought of making it into several baby quilts to donate, as it looks better in smaller bits. I did a stack and wack fan quilt, once I got the fans pieced they looked totally out of place with what I had chosen for background so got new background fabric. I find it very hard to picture fabric on the bolt in quilt form. It looks so different when cut , then again when pieced. sometimes machine pattern quilting can dress it up. Good luck. Ruby

Welcome to the group, Ruby. Hope we'll meet often from now on. Do tell us what you like making and a little bit about yourself, so we can get to feel we know you. . In message , Ruby writes

O.K. here are a few photos. I can't seem to capture the true color of the middle stripe that is a light salmon pink. I was trying to match a color in the berries on the print fabric. (I made the stripes the same width) The red is a cherry red and the green is very dark. I had planned on putting a light olive green narrow border around the whole thing and then a wider border of the salmon pink, followed by binding in the print fabric. All I can see is an off color Italian flag! lol

Donna

I like it. However, I think a dark green border would be much better than a pink one. Quilting will also change the look some. If you still hate it, I'd be more than happy to give it a home. Gen

I really expected something truly ugly, but it's not....I rather like it! I'm working on a warm wishes right now for a baby gift. Recently, I received blocks from an internet group that I belong to. I didn't specify a color, just the pattern. Well, when those blocks were sewn together, it was TRULY ugly! I ended up taking it all apart, cutting the blocks into smaller pieces, adding sashing, and reassembling. I still think it's ugly, but it did tun out to be a wonderful place to practice my free motion quilting! I think it may find a home in the back end of my car!

Finish that quilt! I was sure once when midway on a quilt it was the most hideous fabric choices ever made. Other people loved the quilt. Go figure. If the colors looked good on the bolts, I bet it looks better than you think it does.

Not my taste either, but looking at it I can think of half a dozen people I know who'd think it's lovely.

As others have said, you can't tell until the quilting's done anyroad.....I've had a number of quilts I thought I'd detest, but once they were quilted, they were somehow transformed.

--pig

Thanks gals, I'll keep plugging away at it then. If I've got enough dark green, I'll try a border with that. I'll post a photo at completion but it'll be awhile. It's harder working on ugly than it is on super duper cute! Donna

I think it's quite lovely. Would like to see a smallish (about 2")pink border and finished with a heavier green border 3-4"

I always thought quilting was very difficult so never thought of even trying it.

2 years ago I saw a crazy quilt class advertised at my local fabric shop. It has been all down hill since then> lol. I have taken several quilt courses since and am addicted. Recently finished piecing and layering a stack and wack fan quilt. Also finished a tie down quilt which I am quite happy with. Took a free motion machine quilting course on Monday so am planning on quilting the fan quilt using stripling. I have pieced 4 quilts, but paid to have the first 3 quilted. Decided if I was going to continue I had better learn the quilting part.

I wish I had started younger as I am 62. A grand mother of 2 and soon, any day, 3rd. They live in Hawaii and I am in Nova Scotia Canada. Ruby

This quilt is lovely. If you can't think of what to do with it, bundle it up and send it to me. A few strips of that dark green would work fine and I've got just the thing for an inner border. I know any number of people who would love to open a box and find that quilt inside. If you want to see ugly, I can scan in some fabrics I've "acquired" over the past few years and then we will have the baseline for true ugly and all things will have to be rated in comparison to that ugly in the future. Your quilt doesn't even come near the scale. I like it.

sunny

Ruby, it's nice to meet you. It seems the path to true love is so similar for most of us. First, a class on a whim, then a turn through the fabric shop, buy a little fabric, see a little more fabric, the books, oh my the books! And before you know it, we're hooked. I would love to see photos of any of your quilts. And, of course, we will have to see pics of your stack and whack fan quilt. Welcome to the group!

Welcoming hug, Sunny