Originally Posted by Steve
So what polite things do you really say when you see a quilt that looks awful (yech!), but you don’t want to hurt the quilter’s feelings when asked? Yeah, yeah, I know beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
I find “Very interesting….” or “I’d never have thought in a million years to do that!” slip out quite easily when I suppose being more honest and giving constructive criticism a path harder to take, but more valuable in the long run to the quilter.
If asked for constructive criticism, I'll give it. If not, I won't. I won't offer suggestions unless they are solicited. If someone is showing me a quilt (or something else for that matter) they made and are only showing me it to show me what they have done, I can ALWAYS find something I like about it. If nothing more than, "Wow! You got that done in a hurry!" I do have one friend who is a very prolific quilter and such is her claim. She sews fast, but not well. She's gotta get something done over the weekend. Doesn't work for me, but I'm not her, and it is not my place (without her asking) to tell her she needs to take more time both picking out the fabric and sewing her quilt. Most of the time I'll choose one fabric and say, "I really like that fabric!" My opportunity came when she asked for help with applique. I told her the key was to take her time (along with a couple of other suggestions) and her product was better. Had she not asked for help, I wouldn't have offered it.
M