I ran into a hidden tech snag this week. After the usual hair pulling and swearing I regrouped. It is key, I believe to moving forward, to reframe situations that are leading you down the negativity rabbit hole.
Here is what happened. I print my paper piecing foundation papers from a pattern saved as a .pdf. The first time I printed from the pattern, it measured true to size. Every unit worked out to 2″ square and the block finishes at 6″ square. Since I had confidence in the pattern I reprinted it from the very same pattern 21 times, which was the number of remaining blocks to make. It wasn’t until I pieced a block using the second batch of reprinted patterns I discovered the units were finishing at 1.875″. I realized it as soon as I went to sew the block into position on the second row.
Never before I have I had a pattern change size after the file has been saved. It seems to have something to do with how my printer is interacting with the file data. I did manage to print out a correctly sized hard copy to use. Yeah! So, good on me. However, I was struggling with how to see this not as a disaster or even a step backwards. Then it hit me. I have begun to piece the backside of my work with leftovers from the front. Now I am a block ahead on the backside.
I know I am not alone when it comes to needing to talk myself down off the ledge. How have you reassured yourself and moved forward when you face the negativity rabbit hole?
I am linking up with Nina Marie’s Off the Wall Fridays.
It could have been worse – you could have sewn all 21 of the suckers. And you have a start on the back, which is where I often put my oopsies.
Yes, I could have made 21 blocks the wrong size. I suppose the solution then would be to remake the right sized blocks to match the wrong sized ones. There is always a solution.
oh my word, that’s been happening to me too. Technology has run amok!
grrrr
LeeAnna
I’ve been cackling over the tech issues. Must be the Halloween witch in me. Do you think goblins have gotten into our computers?
It ‘s a good thing you discovered it after just one block. I did something similar once on a paper pieced quilt, but had made several blocks before I realized it. I was not a happy camper.
You got that right, Norma. Much easier for me to regroup from a one block error, which is half a day’s work, that a multiple block error that depending on the number could represent a day or week’s worth of work.So sorry, your didn’t catch your error until further along.
I apologize for not approving your post earlier. Very busy Friday, so I postponed tackling approval/replies and commenting on other’s posts until Saturday. I do appreciate your comments.
I left a comment yesterday and it is not up, so here I go again. It is fortunate that you only made one block before you discovered your error. I made a similar mistake several years ago on a big paper pieced quilt, but made several blocks before I realized what I had done. Argh!
I can relate! Usually just a bit of time, space and letting go and everything will come back around. Your progress is beautiful!
So true. Patience and past experience of things working out help.
I’m with Nancy — in these situations, the Universe is telling you to step away, take a deep breath or several, and come back to it later. Technology working against you is one of the most frustrating roadblocks/challenges, in my own experience. I just shelled out money to order a new iPad, replacing one that is less than a year old, because ever since the AT&T Store people “repaired” it under warranty in the Spring it has given me grief and wasted hours and hours of my time with Tech Support every time there is a software update. It’s infuriating and it should be fixable, but the cost of trading it in for a brand new one was about the same as the cost of shipping the old one back to Apple to be repaired, and I use my iPad heavily for finding inspiration and techniques, doodling to work out designs, and so much more. This is my 4th or 5th iPad and I’ve never had any problems with any of the others (besides wanting to upgrade to a bigger screen, a better stylus for drawing, or a lighter weight device for carrying in my purse). Here’s hoping that your printer snafu is sorted out permanently before messing up any more of your projects, and hoping that my replacement iPad will give me all of the technological goodies without any of the grief!
I feel your pain, Nancy. That’s a lot of iPads to go through. I’m limping along with my iMac. Glitches are becoming more frequent and more annoying over time. It was purchased about 7 years ago. Apple is supposed to be introducing an iMac with a different internal system that doesn’t overheat and therefore doesn’t require a fan. They hinted at just as the pandemic hit. The plan was to introduce it in the fall. So far just 5G iPhones. Fortunately, as my quilts will attest, I’m a very patient person. Things are functional enough for me to do what needs doing and what I want to do, such as writing my blog and responding to you. 🙂