It never ceases to amaze me how many people think that because they take A class, suddenly they are experts. We have a person much like that in our family,BUT, that is a whole other story!
You might mention to your "Quilt Police" person that most all quilting classes are taught BY OTHER QUILTERS! Yep, people just like all of us! Only difference, they are getting paid for their knowledge from the school of hard knocks. Do they still make mistakes? YOU BETCHA! Only difference is they tell everyone about their mistake and show a road much easier.
I have taught several classes and the very first thing I tell the class is I AM BY NO MEANS OF THE WORD PERFECT. If you have a thought of how something can be done easier PLEASE say something. Then I say "Basically I'm here to show you what NOT to do and why."
Now, for just a bit of a giggle. WARNING: I AM ABOUT TO TELL YOU A TRUE STORY. TAKE ALL FLUIDS AND SOLIDS OUT OF YOUR MOUTH.
My sister and I went to a quilt retreat. Several of our friends were there but one of our friends brought her daughter. This was her first time to piece a quilt. Just like all new babies, all mother hens were taking her under our protective wings. Our baby finished her top and decided she wanted to go ahead and quilt it herself. My my my how fast they want to flee the nest. We all got her started and she was having so much fun every now and then she would giggle and say, "I thought it was illegal to have this much fun without alcohol!"
Having her in a good way, mother hens went back to our own projects. Suddenly, some old CROW came up to her and was literally staring over our chick's shoulder. "MY GOD! You should be SHOT for quilting this so poorly!" said the old crow in a tone for EVERYONE to hear. Our new quilter immediately went to tears and sobbing. Since I was at the same table with our new quilter, needless to say I really felt like I needed to chime in on this. My not possessing the best of manners or etiquette decided to yell at the old crow, "YEAH, WELL WHO DIED AND PUT YOU IN CHARGE BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET THAT MEMO!" What folks weren't setting with their mouths gaped open were really having a pretty good laugh at the expense of "THE OLD CROW". Well, crow quickly turned on her heel to seek out the host of the retreat. Me, being the person I am, followed her. Now, this next thing was better than any Mastercard moment you could ever imagine. Crow goes up to the host, in a fit of rage starts telling him how rudely she had been accosted. I was proud to hear that she could repeat my statement word for word. Not missing a beat, our host said "Okay, so.....who died?" I nearly fainted from laughing so hard.
Yes, you may go to the bathroom now.