I am definitely my hardest critic! I know that the objective is to make a lovely quilt for enjoyment but I really can't prevent the pefectionist in me when she comes to haunt me! I am sorry but if I'm going to make something I have high expectations of myself and my skills.
I am never critical of another's work because I realize the effort and time that goes into any project, however, I have to admit that I became the quilt police with a recent project of mine.
I was making a quilt for my Aunt who is a sewer/quilter and is 90 yrs old. A friend popped over unexpectedly to 'help'. The pattern is an older one with lots of smaller pieces and a white on white bckgrd.
My friend is an excellent sewer and expresses her creativity making lots of oriental type quilts with large pieces and she has a very strong psonality. I was very good and appreciative while she was helping and didn't let her know that I was upset with her technique but ....
It all started when she quickly grabbed the pieces and chained sewed them all together not counting or looking at the pattern - I tried to intervene, mentioned use of a scant 1/4" seam and tried to direct her but she was determined that I was going to have all the pieces for the 40 blocks sewn in the next hour! I reminded her that half of the pieces were to be sewn to go to the right and half to go to the left - well they were all sewn to the right and she cut and trimmed then before I could even blink (I was sewing another section) I had reminded her cotinuously that there was a right and left but she had the pedal to the metal and got them done faster than I could breathe!
Ok I took a few breaths and then spent the next hour and a half recutting all the pieces - I had extra fabric and since she had already cut them for the next step, half were not usable - she commented that maybe I can make another quilt for someone.
Continuing on, I then noticed that she did not press to the darker fabric so all of the white pieces had dark lines behind them pulling your eye away from the center of the design. She continued sewing and I was cutting and trying to press away from the white but it was a losing battle.
As she was leaving after our sewing session, I thanked her very graciously, closed the door and I just about cried!
Many of the blocks did not have a consistent seam allowance, some seam edges were caught in the seam making them bumpy and twisted and all I could see was the drak lines inside the white.
I next spent the following week riping out the blocks, resewing and repressing - she will never know the stress that I went through and she will remain a true friend. The next time she shows up at my door to "help" I will tell her that my creativity is on a vacation for the day and that I would rather go out for lunch with her. - This experience definitely taught me a lot about myself and that I do love my friend dearly but I will not be able to sew with her again.