Sunday 10 July 2011

I'm a bit short.....

and I don't mean I'm vertically challenged!

I'm certainly short on brains.... I know that for a fact and you will know it too when I tell you what I've done.

You know the saying measure twice cut once.... you do.... well whatever else you do in your quilting life heed that warning.   I didn't and now I'm up Vignette Creek without a paddle!

I was getting on so well too.....


I trimmed my yard of daisies to the correct width and alignment.  Went blue in the face coz I held my breath the whole time.   So far so good.   Then I trimmed the ends 1/4" away from the end of the stitching line for the grass... perfect.... or so I thought!

It wasn't until I started to arrange the shoo fly blocks ready to join to the daisies that the disaster became apparent.  My daisy chain is 3/4" short!!!!!     OH NO!!    I've measured it a hundred times hoping the tape was wrong but it ain't getting any longer. 

I know for a fact it was the right length when I started out..... all four sections of the stitchery were perfectly matched.   Everything was hunky dory.  So what went wrong? 

Tilly said my stitching might be responsible.... I could be a little 'tight'.     TIGHT.... me!  Anal and Tight!    To say I was not amused is an understatement!   You'd be surprised how fast she can run.

There seems to be only one solution.  I'll have to piece blocks 2...3 and 4 as one unit.  That way I'll be able to add the missing 3/4" to the daisy chain for block 4...... slip in a couple of extra filler flowers and hope no one notices!

If only I'd checked the measurement before I trimmed and not relied on the traced line I could have added a little flower to each end and saved a few brain cells.  They are bound to be dropping like flies once I start working 3 blocks as one!

If Tilly sprinted so far she can't be found do you think I could lay claim to this......


Somehow I think she'll risk coming back for it...... I would if I was her.

It's more gorgeous in real life that in the photo.    Leannes Stitchers Keeper has been slightly Tillyfied.... but the end result is just as lovely as the original.    Tilly is always mucking about with designs... she's much braver than I am... except when being chased by a very cross quilter brandishing  a rotary cutter that is!

I'm off to think about starting Vignette Block 4 before I forget what I'm supposed to be doing with it.  Wish me luck.....

Till next time....

Josie X 



11 comments:

Nicky said...

Oh dear, please remind me nearer the time to refer back to this post before I take to mine with a sharp blade.

Hope it all works out for you, I really hate it when that happens.

Your stitching looks amazing anyway!

Kaye R said...

Thanks for the heads up. I am probably a little tight/anal with my stitching. But on the flip side you will have a quilt every so slightly different to the rest of us, how cool. What a story to write in your journal. Your work is beautiful.

Kristen King said...

I think that is why I have been dragging my feet so on starting the stitchery for this project (fear of finishing all that stitching and then it not fitting!) I do have all my shoo flys done and want to piece all my blocks together before starting the stitching...I'm sure doing it the way you are will be just right,and you will have made the pattern your own! :)

Raewyn said...

oh dear but it sounds like you can selvage it.... I always hold my breathe too when I am cutting pieces like that- pleased I'm not the only one!!

Wendy said...

Oh no, that sounds like something I would do! I have great confidence that your blocks/quilt will still look gorgeous once finished!!

Sharon - Lilabelle Lane said...

Oh no .... I have every confidence in you that you will get it all sorted and looking amazing. Maybe this is the warning that I need to give this quilt a miss for a little bit ?!?!?!?

Your quilt will look great and I am sure that no one will notice.

rosie said...

Poor Miss Josie.... what a horrible thing to happen... what were you both drinking??? That is like a waking nightmare!!xxxxx

Q said...

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkk!! Hope you saving option will work wonderfully, I would be crying if I had st... er I may just skim over that.

I have started working on Vignette again myself, so right here with you *hugs*

Kathy said...

Blast and botheration - I live in fear of errors like this and despite my obessive compulsion to check and recheck some tasks, they still sometimes slip through:) Sounds like you have it in hand though.

Cheers, Kathy
PS: My language is much less ladylike than the above when I realise I have stuffed up!!

Rose Marie said...

That is a hard lesson to swallow. Your stitching would effect the difference but also if your fabric was cut on the width of fabric or straight of grain. Whenever I do applique borders, I always cut on the straight of grain so that there will hardly be any shrinkage on the length (there will be a slight shrinkage on the width) and I applique with my borders already sewn on.

Why not just add a piece of fabric to each end and stitch on an extra flower? When your quilt is all done, no one will see what you had to do because the embroidery and quilting will hide those seams.

Lovely stitching and I would come back for that bag, for sure!

Sabine said...

Dear Josie,
thanks for your comment, so I could find you...
You´re making such beautiful things!!!
I´ve gotten the pattern for the Stitchers Keeper last week and you`rs is so beautiful... I think I´ll have to make it...
Greetings from Germany
Sabine