The Quilting Confessions #3: In the spirit of Charlie Brown

Today is the 3rd installment in what I hope to become a regular feature: The Quilting Confessions.  I want stories from you about really bad mess ups you've made when quilting or things you'd be embarrassed to admit at a guild meeting.  The idea is that everyone makes mistakes and hopefully we can learn from each other and be less self conscious about our quilting mistakes.  I remember once I saw a major screw up in a quilt at a quilt shop and it make me feel so relieved that awesome quilters had screw ups, too....it definitely inspired me to keep trying.  If you're new, Part 1 is here and Part 2 (my first quilt) is here.  If you'd like to be featured, just email me your story (if you don't  have a blog, that's ok, too!) and I would be happy to feature you for us all to laugh at with.

So a long time ago, I made my first twin size quilt.  Wal-mart fabric, poly batting.  I had a dream.  A dream to make a Charlie Brown quilt.  Here is said quilt.  I've made the photo Xtra Large so you can see it better. 

I was sooo proud of myself.  I ignored the fact that aesthetically, the zigzag was too tiny.  I ignored the loops on the underside of the quilting.  I miscalculated backing and had to piece some UGLY fabric  with my character fabric.  I had HUGE puckers from sewing the long seams to the zigzag.  The walmart fabric faded within a few washes. 

As my skills grew, my pride turned to shame.  I could sew better now.  I bought better materials now.  I hated looking at this quilt.  I knew I must remake the CB quilt at some point so I did.  I even did a quilt along of this quilt (the pattern is still there in my sidebar if you're interested...I mean a whopping 2 people finished...and I think one was me!)

And as well crafted as this was, I put the directional backing on upside down.  DOH!

And then I made this:

 

I made a big ol' vintage checkerboard quilt for my oldest son's bed to replace the CB quilt.  Tons of vintage fabrics.  Awesomely awesome.  I loved it.  I admired it.  I was so glad to be rid of that old ratty Charlie Brown quilt.  I hid it in my closet and hoped my son would enjoy his new quilt...and he did.  The other night, I heard "mom, what do I have to do to earn back my Charlie Brown Quilt???"  

Just like the real Charlie Brown, my first CB quilt might have been a born loser, but he was easy to love and he made my son happy.  So you know, I dragged out the old quilt and put on his bed with the new quilt.  I won't be ashamed of it any more (even when he gets his American Jane Fairy Tale Friends quilt that I'm working on).

It's easy to think of those first quilts you made when you first fell in love with quilting and be embarrassed at how they look now.  I cringe to think of a few baby quilts I made in my early days.  But you know, the people who get those quilts love them and are kept warm by them just the same.  If you've made 100 quilts, don't be embarrassed about the ones you could do better now and just shove them into the closet.  If you've never made your first, don't be worried that someone will think it looks amateurish...it probably will...but it will still keep them warm and show them you love them, and that's the whole point, right?

To enter your own quilting confession, email me at marylane_brown at yahoo dot com.  If you've previously blogged it, send me a link.  If not, send me a regular old email.