They are just awful - what to do?

Why not just put them together, in whatever pattern would look the best
for the assorted colors. The quilt will keep you just as warm as if the
points and all were perfect. It will be a reminder of how far you've
come. The quilt I use the most is my very first. It is an around the
world, with cows and barns, ladybugs and a few solids. It's very far
from perfect, but it helps me to remember the first experiences of
quilting. I've learned a lot since then.

Denise

Critter quilts?

If you really want to rescue, maybe a crazy quilt would work. Here's how I
usually do a crazy when I really want to make a dent in the scrap basket:
Cut "trash" fabric (the trimmings from muslin backing, or the good bits from
a worn-out sheet or something similar) into squares, any size you like. Mine
tend to be 10-12", depending on the size of my "trash" pieces. Make a
collage of scraps to cover each square completely and hang over the edge.
The scraps should overlap slightly. You can toss in bits of ribbon,
interesting labels, any kind of textile. Sew over every exposed edge with
one of your machine embroidery stitches -the feather stitch is good. This is
a chance to use up odd remnants of thread! Press, and trim the block down to
the size you want. Assemble using a narrow sashing strip (1", so the block
edges butt together). Add backing and tie (or tack with a machine embroidery
motif, or with odd buttons). No need for batting.

I have often used odd blocks along with the scraps. Use whole if it looks
right, but you could cut the block into random sections too. Some of your
blocks could work this way, and it deals with missing points.

Another thing to try is to add a 2" (or so) sashing strip to all 4 sides of
your odd-size blocks and trim them all to the same size. Then use a
contrasting narrow sash to set them all together.
Roberta in D

"janice142" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
oups.com...
So, today I ran across stacks of quilt blocks I'd stitched when I first
started. They are AWFUL. Truly (gulp) um, well, there is no way to say
it politely: they are awful. Dreadful. Sigh.

The lines are wavy, the points don't match, the colors are combined in
a way only a beginner would, the sizes are varied (aren't supposed to
be mind you) and some of the fabrics were dreadful. And I was really so
very proud of these.

BUT, there a lot of them. And I can't bring myself to just toss them,
but well, what have you done that might work for me?

http://www.janice142.com/Temp/Blocks.jpg

There are almost 60 of them, split about 1/2 and 1/2 between the darker
ones and the washed out pastels.... They are all hand-stitched, and
mostly somewhere around 6" -- as before, the measurements were, um, not
exact.

What would you do if you wanted to rescue them?

J
janice142 on eBay
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/

that's just what I was going to suggest.
Gen
http://community.webshots.com/user/Coren920


"AliceW" wrote in message
...
Make a dog or cat quilt or several and send them to Jill for her critters.

--
Alice in NJ, Royal Cybrarian
http://www.ourcyberfamily.us/
"Just about the time a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a
grandmother." Edward H. Dreschnack



"janice142" wrote in message
oups.com...
: So, today I ran across stacks of quilt blocks I'd stitched when I first
: started. They are AWFUL. Truly (gulp) um, well, there is no way to say
: it politely: they are awful. Dreadful. Sigh.
:
: The lines are wavy, the points don't match, the colors are combined in
: a way only a beginner would, the sizes are varied (aren't supposed to
: be mind you) and some of the fabrics were dreadful. And I was really so
: very proud of these.
:
: BUT, there a lot of them. And I can't bring myself to just toss them,
: but well, what have you done that might work for me?
:
: http://www.janice142.com/Temp/Blocks.jpg
:
: There are almost 60 of them, split about 1/2 and 1/2 between the darker
: ones and the washed out pastels.... They are all hand-stitched, and
: mostly somewhere around 6" -- as before, the measurements were, um, not
: exact.
:
: What would you do if you wanted to rescue them?
:
: J
: janice142 on eBay
: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/
:

Send them to me. I'll see that they are made up and go to a good cause.
I'm in the directory if you need a snail mail addy.

--
http://community.webshots.com/user/snigdibbly
SNIGDIBBLY
~e~
"
/ \
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/snigdibbly.
http://www.ebaystores.com/snigdibbly...ox&refid=store
"janice142" wrote in message
oups.com...
So, today I ran across stacks of quilt blocks I'd stitched when I first
started. They are AWFUL. Truly (gulp) um, well, there is no way to say
it politely: they are awful. Dreadful. Sigh.

The lines are wavy, the points don't match, the colors are combined in
a way only a beginner would, the sizes are varied (aren't supposed to
be mind you) and some of the fabrics were dreadful. And I was really so
very proud of these.

BUT, there a lot of them. And I can't bring myself to just toss them,
but well, what have you done that might work for me?

http://www.janice142.com/Temp/Blocks.jpg

There are almost 60 of them, split about 1/2 and 1/2 between the darker
ones and the washed out pastels.... They are all hand-stitched, and
mostly somewhere around 6" -- as before, the measurements were, um, not
exact.

What would you do if you wanted to rescue them?

J
janice142 on eBay
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/

They really don't look "bad".

Everyone's suggestions sound good, but when we get enough "learning" blocks
here we make tiny Quilts of Love from them (for the NICU at the local
hospital), or pieced backs. Had you considered just sashing them together
and making a quilt back from them?

Joined and made up some seemingly ugly blocks have made lovely items, but if
you just can't bear them anymore then there are many (human and animal) who
would be grateful for any warm item no matter what it is made of.

--

Cheryl in Oz
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
cawaitesATnetconnectDOTcomDOTau


"janice142" wrote in message
oups.com...
So, today I ran across stacks of quilt blocks I'd stitched when I first
started. They are AWFUL. Truly (gulp) um, well, there is no way to say
it politely: they are awful. Dreadful. Sigh.

The lines are wavy, the points don't match, the colors are combined in
a way only a beginner would, the sizes are varied (aren't supposed to
be mind you) and some of the fabrics were dreadful. And I was really so
very proud of these.

BUT, there a lot of them. And I can't bring myself to just toss them,
but well, what have you done that might work for me?

http://www.janice142.com/Temp/Blocks.jpg

There are almost 60 of them, split about 1/2 and 1/2 between the darker
ones and the washed out pastels.... They are all hand-stitched, and
mostly somewhere around 6" -- as before, the measurements were, um, not
exact.

What would you do if you wanted to rescue them?

J
janice142 on eBay
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/

I agree with Denise. I don't see anything there that I could hate. I'd
square them up to the same size (or add to some to make them the same
size)and make a quilt for yourself; something you can show great
grandchildren some day so they can see how much you've progressed. I
think you should make the quilt for yourself and enjoy it.

janice142 wrote:
So, today I ran across stacks of quilt blocks I'd stitched when I first
started. They are AWFUL. Truly (gulp) um, well, there is no way to say
it politely: they are awful. Dreadful. Sigh.

The lines are wavy, the points don't match, the colors are combined in
a way only a beginner would, the sizes are varied (aren't supposed to
be mind you) and some of the fabrics were dreadful. And I was really so
very proud of these.

BUT, there a lot of them. And I can't bring myself to just toss them,
but well, what have you done that might work for me?

http://www.janice142.com/Temp/Blocks.jpg

There are almost 60 of them, split about 1/2 and 1/2 between the darker
ones and the washed out pastels.... They are all hand-stitched, and
mostly somewhere around 6" -- as before, the measurements were, um, not
exact.

What would you do if you wanted to rescue them?

J
janice142 on eBay
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/

Ladies, I'm taking your advice regarding how to bring them all
together. I'll be finding border fabrics so I can even them all up
(found another 20 or so blocks last night so it looks like a pair of
quilts (or a reversible single) is in my future. These are our history
-- proof positive that I started "here" and sometimes looking back is a
very good thing.

I recognize my skirt, Son's shorts, Kidlet's dress -- mother used to
sew for them, so bits of their early years are in those blocks. I don't
know if I had even bought my first piece of fabric back then. Money was
extremely tight and I'd have used what we had on hand. The first quilt
I completed used some of these blocks from this stack. It was
twin-sized and I sent it to my guy.

What initially "hit" me was that I remembered the book ("Timeless
Treasures by Nancy Johnson-Srebro) and how much fun I'd had learning
how to sew bits of scrap fabric together. We didn't own a sewing
machine until I found my Feather in 2001 -- all these were done by
hand. Anyway, I remembered how proud I was of them, how encouraging my
Kidlets were -- and then, when these actually resurfaced, I wondered
"how on earth I could have remembered them so differently" -- I
honestly thought they were WONDERFUL.
It's either that or someone came in and switched blocks on me.

So, I'm searching for border fabrics for Cattywampus. And Kidlet has
already laid claim to the results, so that's a good sign.

Once again, thank you so very much for your wonderful support, and the
nifty instructions too on how to rescue the past. I appreciate that.

J
janice142 on eBay
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/

Janice: Welcome to RCTQ. The advice for your quilt blocks was
interesting, especially setting the blocks atilt. With the
history in the fabric, and in the making of the blocks, the quilt
will probably become a family treasure. Enjoy it. Now, got
chocolate?? What kind?? You can get it vetted by sending a pound
or two to my Palace here in Virginia. I will taste test for you,
at NO charge, then report via this NG. That is my job ... I am

PAT, Official Chocolate Taster of RCTQ

janice142 wrote:

Ladies, I'm taking your advice regarding how to bring them all
together.
I recognize my skirt, Son's shorts, Kidlet's dress -- mother used to
sew for them, so bits of their early years are in those blocks. ...The first quilt
I completed used some of these blocks from this stack. It was
twin-sized and I sent it to my guy.

What initially "hit" me was that I remembered the book ("Timeless
Treasures by Nancy Johnson-Srebro) and how much fun I'd had learning
how to sew bits of scrap fabric together. We didn't own a sewing
machine until I found my Feather in 2001 --...cut...

Oooo! Can't wait for pictures of the result. Promise you will show us?
Promise??


Anne in CA
annerudolph AT comcast DOT net
"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got." -- Sheryl
Crow
http://community.webshots.com/user/annerudolph3
http://www.frappr.com/rctq



janice142 wrote:
Ladies, I'm taking your advice regarding how to bring them all
together. I'll be finding border fabrics so I can even them all up
(found another 20 or so blocks last night so it looks like a pair of
quilts (or a reversible single) is in my future. These are our history
-- proof positive that I started "here" and sometimes looking back is a
very good thing.

I recognize my skirt, Son's shorts, Kidlet's dress -- mother used to
sew for them, so bits of their early years are in those blocks. I don't
know if I had even bought my first piece of fabric back then. Money was
extremely tight and I'd have used what we had on hand. The first quilt
I completed used some of these blocks from this stack. It was
twin-sized and I sent it to my guy.

What initially "hit" me was that I remembered the book ("Timeless
Treasures by Nancy Johnson-Srebro) and how much fun I'd had learning
how to sew bits of scrap fabric together. We didn't own a sewing
machine until I found my Feather in 2001 -- all these were done by
hand. Anyway, I remembered how proud I was of them, how encouraging my
Kidlets were -- and then, when these actually resurfaced, I wondered
"how on earth I could have remembered them so differently" -- I
honestly thought they were WONDERFUL.
It's either that or someone came in and switched blocks on me.

So, I'm searching for border fabrics for Cattywampus. And Kidlet has
already laid claim to the results, so that's a good sign.

Once again, thank you so very much for your wonderful support, and the
nifty instructions too on how to rescue the past. I appreciate that.

J
janice142 on eBay
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/

Piggy backing here (my ISP seems to be dropping messages very quickly,
and I keep getting "Message not available" for messages that are 3-4
days old and older. sigh)
Press the blocks well. Trim to same size and assemble them. Use the
resulting quilt. You will treasure it.
Use it as a picnic/car quilt.
Donate to Jill for her animals.
Make several small quilts for babies at the hospitals.
Or for homeless shelters. (Many prefer "ugly" or unmatched quilts,
that are warm but won't get "borrowed".)
Make potholders from single blocks with a border to make a good size.
Lots of uses. And they will always let you remember when you started,
so keep at least a few for yourself.

Pati, in Phx

Don/Gen wrote:

that's just what I was going to suggest.
Gen
http://community.webshots.com/user/Coren920


"AliceW" wrote in message
...

Make a dog or cat quilt or several and send them to Jill for her critters.

--
Alice in NJ, Royal Cybrarian
http://www.ourcyberfamily.us/
"Just about the time a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a
grandmother." Edward H. Dreschnack



"janice142" wrote in message
groups.com...
: So, today I ran across stacks of quilt blocks I'd stitched when I first
: started. They are AWFUL. Truly (gulp) um, well, there is no way to say
: it politely: they are awful. Dreadful. Sigh.
:
: The lines are wavy, the points don't match, the colors are combined in
: a way only a beginner would, the sizes are varied (aren't supposed to
: be mind you) and some of the fabrics were dreadful. And I was really so
: very proud of these.
:
: BUT, there a lot of them. And I can't bring myself to just toss them,
: but well, what have you done that might work for me?
:
: http://www.janice142.com/Temp/Blocks.jpg
:
: There are almost 60 of them, split about 1/2 and 1/2 between the darker
: ones and the washed out pastels.... They are all hand-stitched, and
: mostly somewhere around 6" -- as before, the measurements were, um, not
: exact.
:
: What would you do if you wanted to rescue them?
:
: J
: janice142 on eBay
: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/janice142/
: