I don't really have many UFOs. I'm chronically organized and I don't have many projects that I start, but don't finish. If I have too many projects going on at once it actually makes me uneasy. This is my list, and I'm determined not to start another thing until these projects are finished.
One project that I've been avoiding is my half-square triangle wall hanging. A co-worker gave me a bunch of fat quarters and I planned to make them into a wall hanging. I wasn't really feeling the design, but I soldiered on anyway. I cut them up, but when I started to piece the HSTs I found out that I was piecing them with an eighth-inch seam allowance instead of a quarter-inch (I was just following the edge of my foot and not really paying attention). After that I just kind of let the project grind to a halt.
You can see some finished HSTs, and then a bunch of fabric cut into squares and sorted...although, after all these months, I can't quite remember how they were sorted or why certain pieces were paired together.
I felt some guilt over dumping the project, but this is supposed to be my fun hobby. There's no point in doing it if I hate everything about a project, and will end up with a product that I'll eventually dump in a closet.
I didn't really throw the fabric away, I just added it to my almost-bursting scrap bag. But I kept some pieces out to try improvisational piecing. I've always been afraid of doing that, but I figured that I'd be using fabric that would have been trash anyway, so I couldn't really ruin them. I followed this tutorial and produced this little improvisationally (that's not really a word, is it?) pieced block.
I'm happy that I tried it - happier than I would have been with my lame HST wall hanging!
Let's see your UFOs!
If your not happy with the HST project, then it's ok to want to scrap it. Me personally, I'd rather scrap it and start from scratch if it takes to much effort to fix a mistake. Do what makes you happy. Things don't always work out and that's ok:)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danielle - life is too short to work on projects you're totally not in love with. It sounds like that HST project wasn't really yours anyway, wasn't something you personally picked out, and that's a big deal. Have fun using them for your improv blocks!
ReplyDeleteLeah
And remember those quilt shops/groups who are desperate for fabric, half finished blocks and quilts for charity quilts. You are right, this is supposed to be a hobby we love and I think too many of us struggle with finishing quilts we aren't excited about.
ReplyDeleteI love what you came up with! :-) Improv piecing is so fun - especially when you just want to sit and sew.
ReplyDelete