Mistakes Happen

Mistakes Happen

My favorite movie of all time is “Young Frankenstein”. I am often reminded of the scene in which the good Doctor initially fails to bring the creature to life. He has a solemn moment where he ponders the situation and then concludes it is best to “accept our failures, as well as our successes, with quiet dignity and grace”. He then proceeds to completely loose his composure. He starts beating on the creature, flailing and screaming “What did you do to me?!” This is how I feel when a quilt project goes horribly wrong. Rather than submit it to be burned by angry townspeople, what should we do when a quilt project goes off the rails?

  • Send it to the “Time-Out Closet” – The best thing to do when a quilt goes horribly wrong, for the sake of your sanity as well as the preservation of the fabric, is to just put it away for a while. Out of sight, out of mind. It will only get worse if you continue to work on it while upset.
  • Work on something else – Following the above, its best to wok something else for a while, preferably something laughably easy. You need a little taste of success to get the bitter taste of failure out of your mouth. How about some cute potholders? You can use up some scraps and give them as Christmas gifts later. Double win.
  • No one is going to see it but you – Be honest, is the alleged offense really that bad? Is anyone going to notice the mistake but you? I am one of the worst perpetrators in this regard. IN all seriousness, if it is not that noticeable to someone other than you, just leave the mistake and move on. I have seen quilts with an entire block upside down and I never would have noticed had the creator not pointed it out in disgust. Don’t do this to yourself.
  • Do what must be done – If this mistake really cannot be lived with, such as you sewed the backing on wrong-side out (yes, I have done this), then have a nice cup of tea, find a quiet time when no one else is bugging you and do what must be done. Instead of beating yourself up over the mistake, take a moment to acknowledge how much good you have done so far, and then pick, pick, pick! You will be straightened out in no time.
    • …

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