Comparing
 

I have decided that the only person i am going to compare my work to is me.

Have my results gotten better over the years?

Have i learned anything new?

Yes to both questions.

I was very pleased with myself when i figured out how to bind a denim rag quilt and still have the rag effect on the top. I have not seen that finish anywhere else.

I now understand the "why" of adding 7/8 inch to a square for hst's. And also why it is better to add one inch. And why it is better to NOT press a fold in the binding before sewing it on.

Any breakthroughs for you?

My thinking is along the lines of - i probably will never run a mile in four minutes - but if i can make it around the block now when i could only go 50 feet before - i am progressing!

My breakthrough was when my husband came into my sewing room and told me that he had really noticed how much straighter and more square my quilts had become. It made me realize that all the little tips that I was incorporating into my cutting/sewing/piecing were paying off. (Most of which I learned here!)
And, you're right...I only compare myself to what I've done in the past, not to what others do. I admire what others do and I will try to emulate it if I like a technique, but I don't kick myself if I'm not as good as someone else. I just try again.

Watson

Progress, not perfection has always worked well for me.

I went to IQF in Rosemont over the weekend. I am so jealous of all the gorgeous quilting I saw, but came to the realization that I'd rather make more and simpler quilts than having an award winner. There are so many on my want-to-do list that I'll never finish them all, but at least I'm trying!

I am my own critic. If I like what i have done I am happy if not I have to do it over until I am happy with it or get so tired of it that it goes into the ufo or garbage. I have changed a lot of the ways I first started with have learned a lot of new ways from you here on the board. I have been doing this a long time but I am still learning.

I simply try to do a better job on my current project than I did on my last. I have had to rely more on technology and precuts, but I am learning to be creative within the restrictions my sore hands impose on me. I strive to make something that looks nice and satisfying.

Make a sample block first and see if I really know what I think I know! ha ha

Breakthroughs, for me, have been more about conquering fear than mastering techniques. I have to tell myself things such as:


It's just fabric and just thread. It's not life or death.
Anything can be taken out and redone.
So what? Can I live with it? (If not, I redo it till I'm satisfied with my best.)
My best is better than it was last year, but not as good as what I'll be doing next year. (Helps me be happy that I'm growing, learning, improving, rather than beating myself up that I'm not up to {fill-in-the-blank} level yet.)

Specifically, overcoming the fear of FMQ was huge. It no longer stifles my creativity. The fear of it used to keep me in my "safe zone" of SITD--until I realized I wasn't fun with that one kind of quilting.

I just try to do better each time. Progress is slow sometimes, but I read each and every reply on QB and try to improve as I go along. I am the only person who criticizes my work and I am my worst critic.

This is a great attitude, not just for quilting, but for life in general.