Moving to the next Quilt of Valor, this one was a four patch design, alternating with printed large squares, and a red border. It had a masculine look to it, so I decided to use a pantograph called Tiger Swirl on it. The points have a flame-like feel, meant to be like a tiger’s stripes, with curved lines.
Folding it up to check the borders, there was a little bit extra but not too bad. You can see how the outer edge of the red angles just a bit downward at the edge compared to the joining seam on the inner edge of the border.
I steamed it after loading, and the top edge was looking pretty good.
First pass looking good, the pantograph seems like a good fit. You can see the curved lines ending in points here, it does kind of look like a tiger’s stripes.
I forgot to get a picture of my thread audition, but you can see I decided on a light ecru color thread. It gave the darker block areas a bit of punch as those were solid colors.
It disappears over the busy print with the ecru background.
And then I messed up again. I didn’t pay close enough attention when I advanced the quilt, and overlapped the stitching a bit on the next pass.
I noticed the little extra in the borders made some wrinkles in the fabric when quilting. This isn’t too bad and hopefully will be camouflaged after it is washed and draws up a bit. You can see the overlapped pass here too.
Ugh. I cannot believe I did that. I thought about this for quite a while, ripping it out would take me a long time, literally hours, and this was a charity quilt. I was doing the quilting for free. If someone was paying for the quilting, I would have just started in fixing it without a second thought. Ultimately, I decided to leave it.
The backing is predominately white, so the thread color did well for that print. You can see the backing print on the roller here as I got to the bottom edge.
Two of the blocks had handwritten messages with signatures. Hopefully, that is what you notice looking at the quilt, not my quilting mistake.
Overall, I hope it looks nice.
So the question of the day, would you have ripped out this mistake on a charity quilt? Or did I make a reasonable decision to leave it?
From My Carolina Home 
I’d have left it as you did!
That would take HOURS! I would’ve left it. I don’t notice it in the overall photo.
It’ going to a vet, as a thank you for his/her service. They gave their best; could I do any less?? I’d have ripped it. That being said, I can understand why you didn’t; I just would have.
I think it looked good. So much better than a hole or tear caused by taking it out. Seam ripper accidents can happen too!
I think you made a reasonable choice. I’ve done this same quilt pattern with the 4-patch and solid and liked it so much I’m thinking of doing again.
Quilts are not supposed to be perfect. If you had not highlighted the mistake, it would not even had been noticed.
I also do Quilts of Valor….my test is am I still proud to give it? I have been quilting for a long time….still haven’t made a perfect quilt.
Crystal in Cedar City
You are very generous with your time and machine for the Quilts of Valor. I doubt that someone will notice the error.
We quilters might find the mistake if we were studying the quilt, but in truth, I think that 95% of the population couldn’t find the “mistake” even if they were told to look for one. Thinking on the quilts in my life, I never looked at them for quilting mistakes, I was too busy looking at the pattern or the colors. I think your choice to leave it in was fine. It is only a mistake to those who follow the rule that overlapping is a No no!
I would not rip it out. Most people in need of a quilt would be so appreciative that they would not care if it had a little mistake,
if they even noticed. Love your quilt.
I think the quilt looks great and most people do not know that the stitching shouldn’t overlap–I didnt know this until I started quilting myself. As for me, I would have ripped it out, but that’s my problem….I have been known to restart a project that was almost finished because of one mistake. It’s a personality flaw that drives my husband crazy. Oh well.
Not being a quilter, I can tell you I would have never noticed the mistake if you hadn’t pointed it out. I really like the fun fabrics on this and the design of the quilting is neat.
Good morning,
Very pretty quilt, less is more they say and the design here is so simple till it makes a lovely design. Really like the colored thread on the backing and the white or natural on top of the design. Don’t think that
Whomever get this quilt will even be bothered that there is a slight overlap of the quilting. Ripping out is such a chore and to do a lot the fingers would start to cramp after awhile, or at least mine would.
Well, it looks like the hurricane is headed straight for us, expecting it sometime Monday. Living in Fla I know to take in anything that can become air born so will be starting that chore this afternoon. Don’t
Want the wind to tear up my birds nest fern and the cactus plants on my porch. Not looking forward to this at all. Moved here to get away from these storms, they are saying it will be just a tropical storm by the time it gets here but this storm has been so unpredictable with its wind speeds, remember us in your prayers.
Have a wonderful day,
Phyllis
I would have left it. I didn’t even notice it until you pointed it out. I would have thought of it as a design element! Overlapping parts of the design. I think it looks great.
We learn from our errors, and you will be watching your advancement of the quilt more carefully in the future. I agree the vets deserve our best, but there is NO way I would rip all that out. Live & learn, send it out with a blessing. I agree with those who say the overall effect is lovely, and anybody willing to call the quilt police over it are just crummy. 🙂
I would have left it, too. It is hardly noticeable at all. It turned out very nice and the recipient will be happy to receive it. Good job!
Only a QUILTER looking closely would notice the over lapped quilting….it strengthens the quilt!! Bless you for volunteering to quilt the Quilts of Valor.
You made the right decision, the recipient of the quilt will not even notice.
Hello Carole; God Bless You for volunteering to quilt these Quilts Of Valor Quilts! As for the mistake, What Mistake? Carole, you and the friends you have shared it with are the only ones who will ever know about it and if you notice the majority of us would not have noticed if you would not have pointed it out. Just a question, since you overlapped the quilting and felt it was a huge mistake could you not have gone ahead and every so often overlapped the quilting throughout and then everyone would have felt that this was your individual design and you felt it needed that Midas touch to make this Special Quilt that much more Special? Just a thought of mine to share and hopefully one that may help you or someone else in this situation. We all know that I do not own a long arm and do my quilting on my personal sewing machines and believe you me, I make dozens of mistakes!!!!
Back to the question, No, I would not have ripped the quilting out. I am not a perfectionist, my quilting is all for fun. If I can not have fun and make mistakes what is the use in doing it. Yet, I respect what every other quilter does and feels about their quilting adventures/projects! I really like this quilt. For some reason, I have really been going back into the simple easy patterns in quilting. It probably has to do with the activity in life right now. LOL. Which by the way, we got some rain last night and we can see our Mountain across the road! Yeah…… the smoke is moving back in rather quickly this morning though. But, it helped and more will come. At last count their were over 1,360 fires burning in Oregon.
Tears come to my eyes every time I see that number. Well, I best be off and get busy today sewing until who knows what will take place! Have a great day!
Brenda I am glad to know you are getting some rain, and I hope that brings some relief in your area. Stay safe.
Yes, I would have ripped it out. It is going to a vet so to honor him for his service I would have to do my best.
It is absolutely beautiful, Carole! I wouldn’t have ripped it out! I wouldn’t have noticed it if you hadn’t told me that it was wrong and I’m a quilter. I’m sure the recipient is just grateful for the quilt, I’m sure they will not critique it at all. I made a quilt for my Vietnam Veteran brother, Bill, and he just received it on his 73rd birthday, August 30. He loves it, and there is a noticeable mistake on it, but hey! quilts are not meant to be perfect and that is coming from a perfectionist!!! I think I have some of that red/white/blue fabric in my stash, now I have to look!!
I didn’t think it was really noticeable. A person who knew what to look for would have to look to find it, so I think it was fine, for exactly the reasons you thought it was okay.
I think it turned out very well. I would not have ripped it out. No one on the receiving end knows what the pattern is supposed to look like.
I have heard that years ago they would make a mistake in a quilt on purpose. They said only God is perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfect-it only has to be finished! I would not have ripped it out.
Beautiful, and like they say, only another quilter MIGHT have noticed it. We are our own worst critics, I found myself pointing out an error on the last quilt I gifted! I agree, if paid for I’d pick it out, but if for myself I wouldn’t!
I know the time it takes to rip out quilting…much longer than the actual quilting being done!! I would have left it too. It is a beautiful quilt.
Hi Carole,
It is a beautiful quilt, and I wouldn’t have ripped out the quilting either. No one but you would ever notice there is a mistake. Whoever receives it will just love it and feel all the love and thoughtfulness you quilted into it. ~smile~ Roseanne
No way should you have ripped out that overlap! The quilt looks lovely just as it is – thank you so much for all the hard work you have put into getting this batch of quilts flat and square!
I tell quilters all the time to STOP pointing out their mistakes, only expert judges could spot most of the oops we all make. If we do not do this for love, enjoyment and creative expression, what is the purpose? Good, careful work is important, but stressing over the quest for perfection, not so much, imho!
@susansquiltstudio
We all do that “pointing out our mistakes”. I belong to a guild of over 200 women, and none of them, the experts included, would ever point out YOUR mistake to YOUR face. (Now, they may see it and shake their head and whisper “Bless her heart, she did her best”……..) We need to train ourselves (and our daughters) to be proud of our work, and the improvements made in every project. I have friends who WON’T share their work at the guild show & tell because they think it is “not good enough”. My rule is always “did I do my best? Then I am proud of my work”. 🙂 Thanks for making such a great point. So Carole, I know you showed us the mistake as a learning tool, please don’t ever take to heart a negative /contrary opinion, as you did “ask the question”.
Yes, I did ask, and that is primarily so I can learn too. No, I don’t get my feelings hurt, if I didn’t sincerely want to know, I wouldn’t ask the question. If the majority had said it should have come out, then I would know for the next one. But as it was, 90% of the responses were like yours, thank you so much for the support.
Carole
Amen 🙂
You do beautiful work! I am not a quilter and I can’t tell where the mistake is, so I am sure it was a good decision not to re-do it.
I have done this exact thing on a customer’s quilt and was able to rip out the row that was quilted wrong. There is no need to rip out all the quilting on the whole quilt. If it were me quilting this I would have ripped out that final pass and figured out how to work it out. A question here, if this is a Quilt of Valor don’t they have specific rules concerning quilting? Just wondering as I do not know. I am in no way judging you for your decision, just merely answering your question. That being said I applaud all you are doing volunteering your time and talent for quilting these quilts for the guild. A great big thank you from me to you!!
I am the mother of three sons.
One is a VET.
That VET ( and I know him very well 🙂 would never in a million years notice some little mistake in a quilt, lol…and neither would any of them for the most part…
WHY can I PROMISE you this ?
Because I have many a quilt down at his house and every one of them has mistakes / I don’t DO perfect here 🙂
Quilts cover people with love..that is all that is important in the end 🙂
My son is an Iraq war vet and my grandson is named after a dear friend that served with him nad died there.
Because I quilt, my son has quilts at his house. Not ONE of them is perfect. And neither my son, DIL, or 5 grandkids have ever noticed the little mistakes or uneven quilting or what-have-you that I am aware of.
Should someone take the time and care to bestow a quilt on a war vet whether it was perfect or had a slight mistake , the only thing that would matter to that vet was the caring and love and honor that went into that quilt.
If someone like my son or his many vet friends received such a quilt as this they would be deeply touched and grateful.
I would not have ripped it out 🙂