I had someone look very closely at the thread painting and raw edge applique on one of my small "arty" wall quilts and remark that it was "too bad it's so messy... but I'm sure you'll get better after you've had more practice." I just laughed and said "if I wanted 'perfect', I'd have bought something made in China at WalMart" and quickly changed the subject.
Yes, we're still friends -- but I never mention anything about quilting to her.