As I’ve mentioned before, I am going through my oeuvre to decide what to keep and what to toss. Yes, I throw out quilts, especially small ones that have brought me no joy. Others I look at with an eye to fixing them up.
Here are some examples of tops that I had to decide whether to finish.
I kluged the above together from many surface design experiments, and found it just didn’t work. I was ready to toss it, but then I looked at the back side.
What painterly effects, and the raw seam edges add so much texture. So, it went into the repurposing pile. Maybe I’ll stencil over parts.
The center is a leftover from a modern quilting class. I added some borders. I might quilt it and add a hot pink binding. It’s in the maybe I’ll quilt it pile.
“Flag Day” was made from fabrics created during my month of lines. It hung quilted but not bound in my closet for close to a year. Then I realized that once you name a work you can’t throw it out, so I sewed on binding.
As yet unnamed, this work is the offspring of two earlier works. I had sewed together the leftovers from my staircase top. I decided to expand it with leftover fabric I created from a photo. The triangles are appliqued on. I’m not masochistic enough to piece them into an already created design. I plan to quilt this one, eventually.
Finally, I had thrown out the piece below, when I realized I could mess it up with gesso and paint, guilt free.
I made this at the height of my improv big stitch phase. I tried to give it focus with the circles, but there’s just too much going on. I just started painting over sections with gesso tinted with acrylic paint.
Initial paint over
Final. I could do more to it, but the gesso and paint are getting thick and I melded the sections together better than they were. Still don’t know if it’s a keeper.
I realize that when looking at my work, as Jamie Wyeth said in a 2014 interview, “All the inadequacies jump out at me. … I don’t really finish a picture but it gets to the point of diminishing returns, and I just say, enough.” However, sometimes saying enough means saying goodbye cruel world.
Now I have heard of using the wrong side of a piece of fabric but not the wrong side of a quilt before. Clever idea. And I really like the stages of the one you ended up painting.
I love what you have done with the gesso and paint on the last piece. And flipping the first image piece over to look at the back was genius. I look forward to what you may do with that and the others that don’t go in the “forget it” pile. It seems a lot of learning has gone into and come out of these pieces.
Thank you. Now I find myself spending all my time reworking old/unfinished pieces rather than starting all new ones. If I were any good at hand work I’d embroider circles all over the reversed one. However, already have two unfinished hand embroidery pieces and don’t need another.
I think they are all keepers! The second one really catches my eye because I like the color combo. The last one is definitely worth keeping. But seriously, I like all of them!
The Snarky Quilter 
Now I have heard of using the wrong side of a piece of fabric but not the wrong side of a quilt before. Clever idea. And I really like the stages of the one you ended up painting.
At the risk of boring my readers, I try to show the stages of development as they illustrate my thought processes.
It’s good to just say bye-bye to some pieces. My time is worth way more than the materials invested thus far.
Yet I still persist in believing I can make some pig’s ears into silk purses. If another go doesn’t solve the problem, then out they go.
I’m with Wendy, I really love the cerise and acid green one, and the painted one at the bottom of the post.
The lines top is now in the to be quilted pile (only 5 deep), and the painted one is back in a chest.
Taking an improv piece to a very modern look with the gesso and paint was genius! All the pieces are keepers.
The gesso/paint gave me a second chance to develop a composition. Maybe I should view most of my improv work as a first draft.
I love what you have done with the gesso and paint on the last piece. And flipping the first image piece over to look at the back was genius. I look forward to what you may do with that and the others that don’t go in the “forget it” pile. It seems a lot of learning has gone into and come out of these pieces.
Thank you. Now I find myself spending all my time reworking old/unfinished pieces rather than starting all new ones. If I were any good at hand work I’d embroider circles all over the reversed one. However, already have two unfinished hand embroidery pieces and don’t need another.
I think they are all keepers! The second one really catches my eye because I like the color combo. The last one is definitely worth keeping. But seriously, I like all of them!
Do you especially like the one with pink, gray, acid green, and cerise? You’re not helping me decide what to deaccession from my collection.
Yes! That one in particular energizes me 🙂 Sorry I’m not helping!!
Yes, that one has a lot of bounce. Oh well, what’s one more under the bed chest.
Right?! Maybe you’ll thank me one day – or not!
Oh, yes, that last one is definitely a keeper! I love it!
Thanks. It’s so interesting to see another way to go on a piece. I’ll have to be careful I don’t start overpainting all my quilts.