bucky383

Me too. And I like to see where points intersect on the top so I'm sewing exactly across the intersections. But I have had a few slightly wavy borders. Will try border on top for my next straight block quilt. learn something new to try everytime I visit here.

fktsewing

This happened to a friend of mine--she wanted a blue and white quilt made out of sampler blocks and the teacher told her it would be too boring, helped her pick other fabrics and then wondered why she wasn't so enthusiastic anymore. A couple of years later, blue and white quilts were all the rage and my friend finally made hers and it was gorgeous.

anicra

I understand completely. My very first (and one of the few) classes I took was for making a quillow. The instructor was so busy chumming it up with her friends in the class, she ignored several of us that she didn't know. I came home and tore apart what she told us todo and used good old common sense to put it back together and it came out great (imho).

Minding My Ps and Qs

The worst instruction I received came in a pattern which ignored strip piecing and told me to cut the fabric into 1" squares. YUCK! I feel like I've wasted that whole piece of fabric, which I liked a lot. It was red and green and gold Christmas trees and ribbons on a black background.
Sally

Ceil

My worst was a pattern for a table runner that said to cut the batting and backing the same size as the pieced front and then quilt. I knew better... had to get a new backing fabric and new batting and redo it.

Peggyinno

I was just starting out. I was so excited to take my very first hand piecing class. The teacher insisted on meeting us at the store to "help" us pick out our fabrics. We needed 4 fabrics, and she had "talked" everyone else into blues, mauves, greens and then along came ME!! I met her at the store with my fabrics that I had already purchased--RED, BLACK, WHITE and a BLK/WH print. She tried to talk me out of it, but I was insistant, as I was making this for my DD and that was what she wanted. We all made our sampler blocks and I was the first one to finish quilting mine (the complete twin quilt took me ONE month, start to finish, and all done by hand!!) and when I showed it to the teacher, she asked me if I would be willing to bring it to "show and tell" for her next class!!! I found out later that I was the ONLY one in the class that ever finished their quilt. Hopefully she let her later students pick out their own fabrics that will get THEM excited with the whole process.

Ritacarl

I definetly agree. I see something and will go for it and will not be persuaded to go someone elses way. I have to work on it, live with it, etc... Of course, there have been times when I have been unsure and usually then will just walk away and wait for another day. I will consider someone elses suggestions when I am not sure. I sound really cold and callous but I'm not REALLY!!
Rita

Ritacarl

Also, my last pattern in the book said to cut squares 3-7/8" and then face them, mark from corner to corner and sew on either side of the mark and that will make my 3-1/2" square. Well, it didn't. Of course it didn't if I had thought which I did this AM that it has to be 3-3/4" squares. I had to recut all 800+ pieces after sewing them together. Good thing I like the colors.
Rita

Scissor Queen

3 7/8ths is the correct measurement for 3 1/2 inch half square triangles.

Ritacarl

Then why did I have to recut every one?