I have some complaining to do this week. First, here is the next block for the Kaleidoscope quilt:
It's a lovely block, isn't it? It better be, because it was a bear to make. (Especially because there are 4 of them in the quilt.) All kinds of weird measurements to make a block on a 5 by 5 grid come out to 12 inches square. When was the last time you made half-square triangles that have to finish at 2 3/8? Yeah, me too. It was weird and frustrating.
Then there are these blocks:
Double 4-patches, right? Easy peasy, except that the directions wanted them to be 16-patches, which makes no sense at all. Why sew together 4 squares of the same fabric? Sadly, some of the directions for other parts are also weird. One month's directions call for a specialty ruler (which I don't own and won't buy) and say "follow the directions that came with the ruler to make 8-inch square blocks." Arrgh!
There are a few other odd things about this quilt kit. See this wad of fabric?
For years, I thought this was quilt batting, not fabric. (Hey, if it was all wrapped up in plastic in a quilt kit, you might think so too!) That's why I thought it was a kit for a large wallhanging and not one for a bed quilt. It came with this note:
So, there should have been 9.5 yards of this fabric, right? There were more than 11. And, the envelopes for each month are a mess. Some of them have way too little fabric, and some have way too much. A bunch of them don't have the same colors as in the pattern. I feel really lucky that I got so much fabric so cheap, but the mess is annoying. Thankfully, a lot of the fabric in the kit is still available, so I ordered a few pieces just in case. If there's some that I need but can't exactly replicate I'll have to make do.
Okay, well, that's probably enough complaining. Good to get it off my chest, though! As my grandmother would have said, "quit your bellyachin' and get to work!" I guess I'd better do that if I ever want to finish this quilt. The colors really are pretty and I bet I can figure out the blocks with no directions. I'm sure I'll be glad I muddled through when I'm done.
It's entirely possible that the weather is affecting my attitude (is that why they call it "bitter" cold?), but have you ever bought something that didn't quite turn out to be what you expected? Or encountered really (really) awful instructions? What did you do about it? Did it affect how you felt about the finished quilt?
Happy sewing everyone, and here's to a break in the weather very, very soon!
Linking to Linky Tuesday, Fabric Tuesday, and Let's Bee Social. Be sure to stop by!
7 comments:
I encountered some bad directions trying to make a french braid quilt. They really made you use the whole book. "Here's your pattern. Please refer to pg 13 for cutting, 75 for piecing a single braid, pg 30 for assembly, pg 45 for borders... etc." Goodness gracious. This isn't a pattern, it's a scavenger hunt! :O
I'm sorry you're having such trouble, but I'm sure it will be beautiful when it all comes together. Then you can put it away to use when you forget all the heartburn it took to make. ;)
I did have a major issue with one of the very first patterns I ever used. . . and I ended up scrapping the pattern and just doing my own thing. . . and until my current top in which I tested a pattern - I have not used one since! LOL
At least there is ore fabric than needed
Your complaints are why I never use kits . . . even when I start with a pattern, i rarely manage to finish out using the directions.
Sorry your lot is such a mess - I'd be tempted to chunk it and make something that is pleasant instead of frustrating!
I haven't had any trouble with quilt kits so far or quilt patterns, thank goodness. But I did make a Bionic Gear bag recently (similar to the Sew Together bag) and it's a good thing there are lots of tutorials and tips on-line for making them because even though there were well over 25 pages to the pattern, there were still parts that were impossible to figure out. Hang in there with your quilt. The colors are lovely and I'm sure the finished quilt will be too.
Well, i tried to leave this yesterday and it didnt seem to "take" so i'll try again. Ive had bad luck with one kit that came with a totally different set of fabrics than the picture. It was my first kit ever and the instructions were terrible. Needless to say i dont buy kits there anymore. The only other problem i had was a quilt shop mystery that was very expensive and ugly as could be. And terrible instructions again. I stopped picking up steps about half through and didnt shop there for over a year i was so mad. But, i got over it. Enjoy your kit. The blocks are lovely!
Wow, that kit is a puzzle. I'm glad they gave you too much background fabric instead of shorting you, though. I am sure you'll do just fine, but I can certainly understand your frustration. I'm finding the cold weather has been very handy for blaming all sorts of things on. Our poor schools in this area had two more days off due to the windchill this week. At this rate they'll have to make up some days. We are supposed to have a one-day heat wave tomorrow. It might get all the way in the 20s (only 10 degrees below normal), but then it's going to go right back to cold again. Arrgh!
Post a Comment