I think that in the grand spectrum of things, it is better for a designer, or even a particular kind of developer, to have things in his body of work that he’d rather not associate himself anymore. It shows people that you’ve grown and improved over time, and moreover, that you’ve done enough in your life to have the luxury of picking and choosing what work you want to represent your name.
I frequently look back, perhaps more often than not, on things I’ve done in the past with a certain disbelief that I could have created it, knowing that if I did it today I’d be so much better at it. In my brief career I’ve probably made over 60 sites from start to finish, and perhaps only 4 to 8 of them are really trophies. The rest are muddled in compromise and budget restrictions. This has caused me anxiety when trying to build any type of portfolio, but it’s only then do I realize that 8 strong pieces are better than 50 questionable ones.
I’m trying my hand at web design today. I’ve only personally designed one website ever that I’ve been truly satisfied with, and that dates back to even high school. I’ve got the tools, I’ve had them. I just need to figure out how to articulate my will into results.