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.

I agree and if the sample pleases me, it will go into the quilt!

Revelation: Done is better than perfect because perfect never gets done.

I don't compare myself to anyone else either. I just do the best I can & always strive to do better. I have a lot of fun & that is what it is all about.

bearisgray I love your random thoughts and questions...real interesting ruminations.

zozee, yes, I get the fear factor too.

On the upside, when I discovered chain piecing (don't laugh) it was a wonderful moment. When self-taught one lucks out when they discover even simple techniques. Of course, I am self-taught no longer - just wonderfully instructed by the members of this board. Another benefit of 'sewing through fear' is discovering how to manipulate various stitches, and conquering the fear itself. It IS just thread and fabric...and I now frame things as more puzzles than problems.

I use mechanical old-style machines, and feel terrific that I'm learning to care for them.

I agree 100% in that the only person I need to make happy with my quilting is myself. I am very protective of what I make and the happiness it brings. When my Guild puts on a quilt show, I participate not to win. I'd drive myself crazy trying to be perfect. But I participate to show others what I can do. I love it when people say, I didn't know you could do that.

My breakthrough moments have been many,lol. The major one was when I realized that I would never be able to do custom quiltwork on the longarm and be good at it. I practiced and practiced to the point of no loner enjoying what was supposed to be enjoyable, not to mention all the stress that came with a "perfect" quilt plan and then quilting it. If I were younger then it might be something to pursue with a passion but I don't have time for that. Now I am good at edge to edge quilting and pantograms so that is what I do. I also have no desire to have quilts judged, I am my own judge. I quilt for me and do not need accolades or praise to do what I enjoy doing. (No bragging here at all, just making a point.... but I do quilting well.)

I think my biggest success in quilting is recognizing what I like to piece. Last year I picked out the album block to make for a niece. When I was making it, I counted the pieces in just one block and there were 19 pieces. I didn't enjoy making this quilt at all. I now know to read a pattern first and look out for certain key points that I don't want to do. I am more of a simple type quilt maker, but my quilts turn our really pretty, mainly because I have very good color sense. I have learned a great deal in quilting and when I teach someone, I give myself a pat on the back.

Buying a new machine is worth every penny, and I'm worth it!

Yes Jenn, you are worth it.

I discovered chain piecing when I got my serger. Then I used it to make clothing. I sewed one shoulder seam and went right onto the other one, then put in the sleeves and then did the side seams. It was years later that I started quilting, so chain piecing was old hat to me.

Bravo for you on walking around the block! Today, the block. Tomorrow (or next month,) a mile!

Good luck.