Thread: Should you tell someone if you see a mistake?

Originally Posted by alleyoop1

How do you know it's a mistake? There is a legend (true or not I don't know) that the Amish always put a mistake in every quilt because they say only God is perfect. So how are you to know if the quilter put the "mistake" there for spiritual reasons, or to be "outside the box". I would just keep it to myself unless asked by the quilter.

Interesting point - I like the philosophy.
In this case one square was off a row from left to right by a 2.5 inches.
I might not have noticed it at all but the contrast of colors was so great that it popped right out at me.
And the quilter is not likely to ask me since we do not know each other from a hole in the wall.
No criticism of the points or anything like that, I'm not perfect myself and revised a pattern recently to avoid trying to match my points. It just wasn't happening.

I think I'll let it go. Maybe as she (he) quilts it she'll discover it before she finishes...

Thanks for your input!

I wouldn't unless they were going to enter it into competition. I have always tried to use the word "courtesy" in any remarks but most quilters on this board know how to be gentle in their critique. I have always in any type of artistic endeavor asked for "fresh eyes" if something looks off kilter. My Dh is so detail oriented I ask him often.

I don't know about others; but I would really appreciate someone telling me about a mistake before the quilting. Last year, I had a very intricate quilt top quilted before I noticed the error. I had taken pictures throughout the piecing process, sent the pictures to friends, and looked at them many times; but did not catch the error until after I had applied the binding. I told the LAQ that if she ever noticed an error to please let me correct it before she did the quilting. Just last night, I was looking at a picture of a BOM block that I recently sent to a friend. When I looked at the picture again, I noticed a HST that was turned wrong. I am so glad I caught it and could make the repair. Yes, I would like to know.

Originally Posted by ClairVoyantQuilter

I think it's just flat wrong to keep it to yourself. When I send someone a picture of a top to review, I'm looking for a "proofreader" not someone who'll sugarcoat it.

When people ask for an opinion . . .please be honest . . .because it could save someone a lot of angst in the end when they realize they were lied to.

But everybody's so sensitive.

Praise feels nice but it doesn't help me much in my efforts to improve; constructive criticism does.

Pointing out a fixable error is a kindness, the way letting someone know they have toilet paper stuck to their shoe or a grin full of spinach. This calls for tact, which I've noticed is unevenly distributed among the population.

Any quilt with an error that can't be corrected with reasonable effort magically becomes a perfect quilt.

I wouldn't mention cut off points or empty binding, but if someone showed me a top before quilting that had a block turned around or something like that, I would mention it, because I would want such a mistake pointed out to me in those circumstances.

Originally Posted by joe'smom

I wouldn't mention cut off points or empty binding, but if someone showed me a top before quilting that had a block turned around or something like that, I would mention it, because I would want such a mistake pointed out to me in those circumstances.

My thinking, too. I've discovered through experience that it's sometimes very difficult to see your own errors -- as in a block or piece turned wrong -- and I'd want someone to point it out to me. But "errors" through skills that are just not quite there yet, as in cut off points, etc., are another matter entirely, and I'd never mention those. I have a few not quite matched seams and cut off points myself, in early efforts; I know they are there. They serve to make me vow to do better next time!