I made a quilt for my great aunt who has been a quilter her entire life. It had wavy borders, pleats, bad FMQing, mismatched/unmatched points and I had to had extra fabric here and there on the borders and backing fabric. She literally cried when I gave it to her because no one had ever given her anything made specifically for her. I was touched by her reaction and it made the sleepless nights so very worthwhile. A quilting friend of hers saw it after I gifted it and proceeded to point out some of the more obvious flaws. She said she didn't care because it had been made with love and that made it perfect in her eyes. I can only hope my mother will be so gracious with her quilt. I am not a beginner but everything I make has an issue or two but finished is much better than perfect.
Forgot to mention that I used thread to quilt with that *gasp* showed instead of blending in with the fabrics on both the front and back of the quilt. Her friend also pointed that out. Blending the thread would have been impossible given the variety of fabrics and colors used on the front. She still loves the quilt and shows it to all her visitors.
I agree with others. Thank your mentor, make some more friends in the guild, keep your Brother until you're ready to upgrade (if ever) and get going on the borders. It'll be fine and if it's not then the galloping horse test rule comes into play. Can't be seen from back of galloping horse from 200 yards away then it is fine.
Last edited by chris_quilts; 02-13-2015 at 06:24 PM.