Poor Choices…

(This is kind of a UFO Thursday Prevention post)

Reflecting on my choices in life, I’m not disappointed. I have a wonderful husband, love my kids, enjoy my neighbors, both in Minnesota and Texas; I maybe would have made different career choices early on if I would have had the opportunity to go to college (but then I wouldn’t have met Wonderful Husband). All in all, not too bad and no regrets.

When it comes to fabric choices though, I don’t always hit a home run. In making this apron, I’m barely making it to first base. In fact, if I make it to first base, it will be on an error.

I mimicked the light/dark arrangement that was shown on the pattern cover. My light fabric has MUCH too large a print for this pattern, and it really bothers me. It would be marginally better (maybe 2nd base, but doubtful) if I had switched the light and the dark and put the bigger print on the trim and scallop pieces. I also think it would have been better if I had left off the contrasting pockets on this one — it just cuts into the big print too much. I think in my second go-around (or second at-bat), I will make one of the fabrics a nearly solid.

When I reach this stage of not loving a project, that’s when it’s so easy to pack it away somewhere and it becomes a dreaded UFO. I’m about 75% done with this apron, and the construction is going so well, I’m going to hold my nose and power sew right through to completion.

I love this pattern, and it is going together nicely. I can’t wait to try it again with much smaller scale fabrics. How are your projects going? I hope you are loving whatever you’re working on! It’s so much more fun.

–Sue

5 Responses so far »

Robin said,

February 4, 2010 @ 2:38 pm

Don’t laugh but my first thought when I saw this picture ( or at least the top part of it before I scrolled down) was that it reminded me of a bra or bathing suit top!!! And yes most of the time I don’t care for my choices ( even though others say they like them)- maybe that’s why I try to match whatever quilts, etc that I see in the magazines since the choice is already done.

pdudgeon said,

February 4, 2010 @ 3:21 pm

LOL that’s where i use my favorite two quilting tools;
1. letting the project rest a while.
2. deciding after the rest that the first choice to chuck it all was the right one.

sometimes i can get re-inspired after hitting a snag (if i wait long enough, LOL) but other times i realize that my available storage space is just as precious as my time invested, and one or the other has to win out.
So if i need to throw out a partially finished project that i don’t like, or re-purpose the fabrics for something else, then i do it. the last thing i want is to not make any progress because i can’t stand to to throw out something that i just don’t like.
Sadly i had a quiling friend who did just that. she became paralized by a stash bought years ago that just didn’t work for her now. All she could see was how much fabric $$’s she would be throwing away, and yet she didn’t want to donate it either. So sad!