I Used to Think That Quilting Was All About Perfection...
 

But now I think of it more in terms of tolerance. It's changed my whole point of view...for the better, I think.

~ C

Tropit!! Long time no see. :)

I thought quilts were about perfection too, then started making my own and I couldn't believe how impossible it was to be perfect and how amazing my grandmothers must have been since all of their quilts were perfect.

Then I went and looked at my grandmothers quilts with a critical eye, and suddenly I could tell they weren't perfect after all! Lo and behold, they were made by humans and all of them contain human errors.

Fortunately, most people look at quilts with their hearts, not with their eyes. :)

I started out the same way. Nowadays my mantra is Done is Good!

Hey Sewnoma! Keeping dry down there? It finally stopped raining today, technically, but the mist is so thick, it might as well be raining. If anyone still thinks that N. CA is still in a drought, I can tell them...WRONG! I'm getting a lot of quilting done though. :D

Anyway...I think a lot about "tolerance" these days...not just in everyday life, but in the sewing term sense. How far can I fudge on this seam? 1/8"? 1/16"? If all four corners of the blocks are the same color and they don't line up, is that OK? You get my gist.

~ Cindy

...and, checking in from the Bay Area, it's partly cloudy and sunny...I like the way both of you think (re: perfection). I, too, have some quilts from my husband's grandmothers. There are some "imperfections", but that's just fine. Now, perhaps, I can get back to that triple Irish chain quilt which is less than perfect, that was giving me fits. It's currently a UFO that I intended to give to my son and DIL as a wedding gift (they've been married awhile). Thanks for the encouragement.

I had the same perception when I began quilting. Then I realized those imperfections give my quilts personality. Even those quilts at the big shoes have errors. Mine just have a few more. This is why I quilt for family and friends. They love me and my work for what we are

Yeah...I just knocked out 3 quilts for gifts recently and I'm working on a 4th. I keep thinking...geez...I hope they don't have a quilting friend look this thing over. But then I thought...well, so what if they do. They know that I made it with a good heart.

~ C

The hardest thing to do is NOT to point out your mistakes to others as if we feel we must confess!

When I started quilting I never thought about doing it perfect, just wanted to do it right. I can see mistakes in the winning quilts at the national shows. Perfect quilts are over rated.

This thread is just what I needed. I have been quilting for about 12 years. Every time I start a new quilt, I tell myself this is the perfect one. Somewhere in the process of the quilt, I decide, despite my effort, this will not be the perfect quilt. I have a quilt in the process of hand quilting at the moment. This too was going to be the perfect one. This morning I conceded that despite my best efforts, not all my stitches are consistently even. What will people think? I appreciate the comment that winning quilts in national shows are not perfect. I think from now on I am going with doing it right and my best and enjoy the process and the final result. Who says we have to be perfect? Sigh. That feels good to have that load lifted. Thanks.