Originally Posted by SlightlyOffQuilter

I don't think its as much about what you can believe, as it is about what you prefer. There are as many opinions on how to make a quilt as there are quilters. Pre-Wash vs No Pre-Wash, Steam vs No Steam, Starch vs No Starch ... the list is long and all sides are very firm believers in their decisions !

There really are no "rules" when it comes to making quilts. Quilting is an art form. One would not presume to tell Picasso that he was using the wrong brush or technique, yet we as quilters do it to each other all the time.

Even the " 1/4 inch seam rule " . Yes, the most basic of all quilting lessons tells us that we MUST use 1/4 inch seam allowance or we are doomed to fail. Not so true. You could use a 5/8ths seam allowance if you really wanted to. You would just need to make adjustments to what size you cut your fabric to compensate. You could always go back and trim your seams down before quilting. Is it the " standard " method ? No, but it can be done.

For me, learning to quilt was rather daunting when I first started, because there are SO MANY different ways of doing or not doing things that I never knew which one was the " right " way. Once I learned that it was less about right vs wrong and more about what works for ME and what doesn't, things got ALOT easier. I still try new ways of doing things, because it may work better for me than what I was doing before.