BellaBoo

I have seen many quilts that are much better then my quilts. I just praise the quiltmaker of the better quilts and keep on making mine.

burchquilts

I'm the exact same way. I see quilts here on the board & I think mine look like rags compared to the others. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others but I do. But, I do try to do my best work & that's realy all I can do, right?

wolph33

quilts are an art form.Some of us make beautiful utility quilts and make works of art and most are in the middle of those types.Be proud of what you can do and keep going-you will get better as time goes on.Nothing has to be perfect to be beautiful and loved.

Sewnoma

I try to take a page out of my grandmother's book on this one - I tend to try to make everything perfect and I fuss over every stitch and can work myself into a lather over every crooked seam and want to trash whole projects...then I remember my grandma - she would deliberately put at least one block in wrong into most of her quilts. Maybe a pinwheel that goes the other direction, or a block in the wrong shade. Not big glaring mistakes, just something sort of subtle but noticeable if you looked long enough. She said it kept her from worrying too much and kept the quilt more fun to work on. It kind of was her signature - her quilting friends would have fun trying to find the "mistake" in her finished quilts and they were always popular in shows. Personally I still have plenty of honest screw-ups in my quilts but some day when I reach her level of skill I just might copy her idea.

ube quilting

There is a very high standard of quilting that is shown in all the quilting magazines and on line. These are a large exception to what most people can achieve. The average person, who does not quilt for a living or have time to devote entirely to quilting, can not be expected to do show stopping quilting. I quilt to the standard of enjoyment, not perfection. All the truley exceptional quilters started somewhere not so good and worked hard and developed their talent over a time. Thanks to them, we average, self taught people have something to strive towards, even if we don't get there. We can always improve our talent. I remember being told by teachers I couldn't sing, play an instrument, cook, sew or draw. This one selfish act by a teacher can stifle anyones esteem and makes them powerless. How many of us had someone in our lives telling us we couldn't? I am lucky my mom never said this to me even though others did. Keep on spending time doing what you love and love doing it. You are to hard on yourself.

peace

QuiltE

I see nothing wrong with comparing to others ... it helps us see where we've come from and where we can go in this quilting journey!

We can learn from others ... why do we think that their quilt is at so much better than our own? What can we do differently? What technique do we need to master? How can we get better?

The important part is to keep it all in perspective. If we've only been quilting for a year, why do we expect to be as skilled as someone who has been quilting for a lifetime? If we've never done SITD or FMQ on a DSM, why do we expect it to be perfect, the very first time? If we've never done PPing for any length of time,why do we say, it's not for me? And so many more!!!

All Questions I've lobbed at myself ... then finally I got a grip of reality and perspective and said ... oh I can do those things, I just have to put it all in perspective, slow down, be patient, take the time to learn the skill and practice practice practice!!!!

Perspective, Patience and Practice ... can help us all work towards Perfecting our abilities to a higher level.

BellaBoo

Not many of the great quilt teachers and designers have won in a large juried quilt show. The quilts I've seen win the big ribbons could never be used as a quilt but to hang for show. They are beautiful but your grandchild can't snuggle and drag it around. I have chatted with many show winners and most are thinking about the next show quilt they will make. They have no intention of making simple quilts to be used, it has to be show quality and quilting devoted to only that. Being show perfect is not a goal for me at all.

SouthPStitches

We are probably all guilty of being too harsh on ourselves. I have been quilting for 30+ years. No matter how careful I am measuring, cutting, sewing, something is always a little off. I'll never be anything but an intermediate quilter at best. I'll never win any awards, and that's okay. Have gotten pretty good at turning that negative little voice off in my head or I would have quit quilting a long time ago. My motto is "do the very best your can" and appreciate it for what it is. When I look at other's work, I'm not critical of their workmanship, so I need to be a little kinder to what I've accomplished. Be gentle with yourself.

jlm5419

Are you talking about making quilt tops, or the actual quilting? I had a discussion with my sister just the other day on this very topic. She sends her tops to me for quilting, since I have a mid-arm quilting machine on a frame. She is thrilled with the work I do, but as I'm quilting, I see the flaws, and wish I was as good as some I've seen. She insists I'm too hard on myself. The last quilt I quilted was for myself, and I was terribly disappointed in how it was turning out, until I took it off the frame and applied the binding. Off the frame it didn't look so bad after all!

You're probably doing better than you think.

ghostrider

The missing piece for many quilters is critique. It helps immensely to have others who will look at your work in person and evaluate it honestly...what you are doing well, where you can improve, and how to get there.

Those mentors should obviously have the knowledge and experience to back up their comments and be able to explain what they are telling you. For your part, you should listen and learn from what they say...not take it as criticism, but as critique. There's a big difference. Constant praise can be numbing to growth and quilting in isolation can make improvement very difficult.

Think about how artisans and craftsmen have always learned their skills and risen to the top of their art. All along the way they are guided by those with more experience. It's not a thing of the past. Even the masters need feedback from others...face to face, personal feedback.

It doesn't matter if it's show quilts, art quilts, utility quilts, heirloom quilts, or placemats. If you can find someone whose work you admire, don't be afraid to ask them for guidance. Start a relationship with them, build on the shared love of quilting whatever type it is...you'll both gain from it.