Quilting Mistakes

I've only been quilting about a year and a half.  And I dove right in - didn't take a class, read just a bit online when there was something I needed to know.  So needless to say I've made my share of mistakes and done a few things the hard way out of ignorance of an easier way.  I had a teacher once who told me, "You will learn more from your wrong answers than your right answers."  I've found that to be SO true.  You remember the mistakes, and the solutions longer than the answers that you didn't struggle with.  So, in that spirit I like to embrace those mistakes as warmly as my successes, even when they require me to rip out stiches or cut the binding (one of my nemesis) yet again.

Today's mistake was minor, but amusing.  I'm trying to create a butterfly pillow to match the owl pillow that I made recently.  This is a "commissioned piece" from my great niece the recipient of the owl pillow.  She feels that her new bedroom needs a pair of coordinating pillows and butterflies and owls are her current favs.  This has been a very slow going project because I'm working in short sessions between multiple other duties.  Apparently when I traced the fusible bond I used my favorite erasable pen.  Then I went to iron on the bond....and the markings disappeared totally!   I had forgotten that what makes these pens erasable is friction - or heat.  So the iron just erased the markings totally.  Fortunately I had started on a small piece and will be able to retrace it through the fabric and bond.  I was sure to trace over the large piece with another pen before ironing it on and next time I reach for that pen for an applique, I'll lay it right back down.