My accidental design looks a little more purposeful now and I need to let you all know, it has a name. My ugly fabric (the clouds in the background near the corners) has led to the creation of the "NY Tornado." What can I say? It looks like a tornado ripping apart a NY skyscraper to me.
My family, who's been a tremendous source of humor, encouragement and sarcasm throughout this challanged must be thanked at this time. I may have lost the desire to keep going if it weren't for the constant questions, "Is it done yet? Is it still ugly?" The answer now is, "Yes and yes." The final question, "what are you going to do with it?" led to a few ideas.
The first, my sister's dog needed a new pillow. Hmm, just didn't seem right for all the hard work.
Next, hang it above my sewing machine in my sewing room as my new "quilt of shame" to remind me how bad a buying whim for fabric really can get. No, dismissed. The NY Tornado is too small for the space and my other quilt of shame still has too many helpful reminders to take it down. Reminders like:
- BASTE when quilting.
- Binding should not have thread showing through it on the front!
- Squaring up doesn't mean quilt first then try to straighten edges later.
- SID really means stitching IN the ditch, not wavy lines around the ditch.
- Pulling the quilt through the machine results in puckers and uneven stitches.
(Yes, for those of you wondering, it really is that bad. At least color choice is okay but still, it servces me well to remember there is something to be said for following instructions.)
Back to the NY Tornado, another idea. Just leave it in someone's house. Aha! Now we are on to something! Hmm, leaving it where they can see it might just lead to their being able to hide it in my own suitcase when I go home (my family is a couple hours away from me.) If I hang it for them to find, that's a great joke but I don't yet have the heart to see my work just thrown out, no matter how ugly we all think it is.
Wait, let me back up here. We do still think it's ugly but this is a relative term. My sister, sister's friend, mother and father (the primary players in the term "we" being used throughout this post) all believe I did accomplish making something out of the ugly. It would not suit the taste of anyone we know, but that is half the fun of the final version of what I've decided to do with the NY Tornado. Amid cocktails (maybe too many?) at mom's and dad's, we decided the Tornado needed to touch down in as many homes as possible, especially in our family! Could we get it to V's dad in CA? Oh, that would be funny? And Aunt S, the look on her face when she sees this! How about J in FL? lol He might wonder what we've all been smoking and if we smuggled any in the NY Tornado for him.
Yes, the plan has been hatched and with everyone's good humor, will be a success. The NY Tornado is going on tour.
A thank you to the host of this challenge and the creator of the NY Beauty Block patterns available to us participants for use in this challenge. Challenge is the most appropriate word and despite my lackluster feelings about how the NY Tornado looks (fabric choice-wise), I'm thrilled with the final product.
Stay tuned for Part 3 to read how the NY Tornado may blow into your home next!
Oh, too funny! The name does fit it, 'specially with the explanation.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this qualifies as a Quilt of Shame (it is actually pretty cool), particularly since the one you have seems to have so many ways of reminding you what not to do (!). Maybe, though, you could carry a picture of it with you whenever you go fabric shopping, just as a reminder... ;-)
I'm sure that you'll come up with an entertaining and clever story to send on it's 'world tour'. Don't forget to enclose a little blank book so that the recipients can write their reactions in it before sending it along to it's next stop.