The first couple of hours went well - amazingly well. I was sailing right along, the machine was making all the right sounds. Life was good. I love that machine, I love sewing, it was all good.
This is such a large quilt I had to spread the blocks out on my king-size bed. I did about 3 miles of walking, looping the long hallway between my bedroom and the sewing room. On one trip I placed some connected blocks next to the long row they would be attached to and realized - I goofed. Not a little "opps" goof, but an EPIC FAIL GOOF. A sit-down-on-the-bed-and swear goof. To make matters worse, I did some periodic reverse stitching to strengthen a few places where the seam allowance wasn't quite (ahem) 1/4 inch. As I looked even closer, I saw a single row of half square triangles on one block that was....going the wrong way. Four little half square triangles.....would anyone notice? I did, and my mother's voice in my head did, too.Long story short, I spent most of the rest of the day parked in my favorite chair with a seam ripper. I put a movie in the
VCR - ironically, The Agony and the Ecstasy. It seemed appropriate for the task and besides - I loves me some campy Charlton Heston movies. I managed to separate the scofflaws but had to sacrifice two entire blocks as the surgical separation necessitated some fabric amputation. It pained me deeply. I will push on and finish this thing but the next time I even THINK about doing a Lady of the Lake quilt I want someone out there to beat me about the head and shoulders with a blunt instrument. This quilt will never lie flat or square up well. I don't think even Charlton Heston as Moses (another fav campy flick) could pull something that biblically epic out his hat.
It's such a relief to know someone else does these stupid things. I am on my third...yes third quilt of the same pattern and gosh darn it you would think the mistakes would stop. They don't. The reinforcement of a less than 1/4 inch seam is the error that drives me nuts. How the heck did that happen and why does it keep happening? A picky quilter who never does anything wrong might find some major faults with my quilts but the recipients don't, as attested to by my family. The grandkids just hauled out all the quilts I've made for them over the last 11 years and they're still loving them.
ReplyDeleteTHIRD???? THIRD???? When I get this one finished I'm going to retire the block! That being said, it is SUCH a beautiful pattern...... glad I have some company in the challenges of this particular block. It is seemingly pretty simple to construct, but those smaller 1/2 square triangles do go marching off in the wrong direction with maddening regularity.
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful quilt -- and a pattern I've often thought about making. Having read about the trials and tribulations of those HSts, I'm wondering if I should rethink that!
ReplyDeleteYour description of the ripping out part had me laughing.