I thought I had answered this because it sounds so much like me. I have always said good enough, I quilt for the relaxation, that is how I got into it. I was a care giver at the time. Now am hooked like everyone else. I do beat myself up because I am not better than I think I should be, but my brain and my hands do not agree with each other and of course fight like a couple of two yr olds. When when the dust clears you had better settle for good enough cause thats all I have lol...

I have tried for perfection, it makes me uptight because I can't achieve it. There went my fun. So you are among a lot of good company.

Rita

I struggled with trying to be perfect and like most others on this string I calmed down and started enjoying quilting instead. One of the things that most helped me was a book by Lisa Boyer named "That Dorky Homemade Look", not only is it extremely funny I think it should be a must read for all quilters.

I have friend who teaches quilting and her motto(now mine as well) is finished is better than perfect. If I waited until it was perfect, I surely wouldn't get much done.

Ditto, as one friend said to me, "only you know where the mistake is and others don't care."

We will always be our own worse critic. Made with love is always perfect.

I live in Amish country and was told, after freaking our about being perfect, that they intentionally leave an error as they believe only God is perfect. That bit of info help me not to be so critical of my work and to enjoy it more.

Okay and good enough is good for me as well. I quilt to relax and share my quilts with those I love. They are not seamtresses and most of time don't even see my mistakes. The love them because I cared to share.

bearisgray! I love your philosophy. Perfectly Said! or, well, at least Good Enough. lol...

Good enough is good enough for me. However, when I know I'm making a "special" quilt I do try to be extra careful but do not really stress over it. I want my quilts to be used, washed and enjoyed. And I tell the receiver when that one wears out I'll be glad to make another one.

I am with you Mattee

Enjoy yourself with what you do. Only you can see the imperfections. I had a neighbor who used to say, "A blind man running for his life would never notice."

You are not competing at a show, you are creating memories.
Stop worrying about what others think and get on with your life.
Carol J.

I don't think you are alone. Good enough is okay for some projects and others I feel I need to do my best. I only work on the latter when I DON'T need a stress reducer!! :lol:

I go with 'Good enough' and I have found that over the years my good enough has got better and better. Since I found this site - I have learned lots of new tricks and methods that all help add to my skills and I am very happy to be prgressing forward...

BTW - I have been quilting 34 years!!!

The only perfect person was Jesus Christ he is the only one never made a mistake. If you look closely at some on the quilts in magazines. some of those points are off just a tad, some the borders are a little crooked. I am my most worse critic, however I love to sew. I used to make clothes for people some you couldn't satisfy no matter what you did. So I decided to quilt I don't make them to please them I make them because it is something I love to do. I have learned from each one I make the mistakes I made helps me make the next one better. I don't strive to be perfect just to do the best I can. Only if it is a huge mistake I will fix it but if it is small I don't worry about it anymore. I make my quilts with love. that is the best I can do.

If you are quilting to enter a show and win the top prize, you should not settle for "good enough." However, if it's just for fun, do what works for you.

I once heard that the "rule" about mistakes on quilts is that, if they can't be seen from 3 ft. away or by someone going by on a galloping horse, they are just fine!

I just do my best, & if I catch a mistake & can easily fix it, fine. Sometimes, fixing causes more problems. Besides, point them out later, to a non-quilter & they usually say, I didn't even notice. We are all our own worst critics, so remember, that's not what most others will see when they look at your lovely work later, & if they do, chances are they will still love it....

Oh, I forgot to mention that one time I entered what I thought was a nearly perfect quilt in a quilt show. It was one point away from 3rd place. Years later, while sleeping under it, I noticed a huge mistake in the very center (one block turned 90 degrees), but the judges never seemed to notice either. Or at least they were too polite to say!

it's all in the eye of the beholder, my good enough is sometimes better than someone else's perfect and visa versa

Eleanor Burns uses the 20 mile rule. If you hang the quilt on the front door & drive by at 20MPH and it looks good, it IS good.
Mattee, perfection is an unattainable goal. There's only been one perfect person who ever lived and we are not Him. He wasn't a quilter, but he lived a perfect life. Quilts are, by nature, made to keep someone or something warm. Keep as many people warm as you can and forget about perfection. Enjoy your quilts & making them.
Another point: I make quilts for babies and nursing home patients - they don't care if the quilt is perfect!
Well, SO WHAT if Paducah is never going to call me up and the quilt police have marked my house off the map. I'm going to make as many quilts as I can before I die!

I just do my best and that is good enough for me.

I try to do my best especially on gifts because I feel I am sending the message that the gift recipient deserves the best. It gives me momentum to try harder.

Good enough is just fine as far as I'm concerned. Someone recently said to me "if you can't see it from 10 feet away driving 10 miles an hour don't worry about it"

I know perfection is impossible. Yet I cannot let imperfection go. I can accept anyone else's good enough. I won a table runner in a quilt shop drawing. It is on my table now with its many imperfections and I can accept that, yet had I made it, it would not have been donated as a prize. I am learning to say, "Thank you," rather than point out my mistakes and am getting better at it, yet recognize that being so hard on myself is just my own imperfection.

I find that with more and more quilts you become better and better without stressing about it. I think when you are happy with the quilt and the look of it thats the issue not that it is perfect... My mother in law says the Indians say if it is perfect it lets the devil in so, a little imperfect makes it yours.... I am not perfect and will never be and the people who receive them love them just the same.... Enjoy quilting and in time your little imperfections will be come less and less ---- Sometimes I am amazed that my blocks match.... Enjoy and that is all that matters...

I think she hit on the head great is in the beholder I found people love the thought of someone making something for them.

[quote=Mattee]I spend a lot of time admiring everyone's beautiful work on this board. I am amazed at the stunning artistry of so many of this community's quilts. I have to admit, however, that I'm not sure I fit in.

When I am making a quilt, I often settle for "good enough." I quilt to relax, and because I love wrapping up in a cozy quilt. If I'm trying to make it perfect, it becomes stressful. I don't stress over mismatched seems, points that don't match, blocks that are a bit crooked or slightly different sizes, or any of the other issues that I know many of you go to great lengths to make perfect. The only thing that annoys me is bunched backing, but that's because I don't have any space to baste properly, so the lack of space annoys me more than anything.

Of course you belong on this board! Personally, whenever i offer suggestions for quilters looking for advice, it's not because i feel it has to be perfect, but because the quilter has asked how to do something, or asked how to get a good result. The sharing of info on the message board is very helpful to those looking to "improve" their skills. It does not mean everyone reading the info has to use it.
I have many antique quilts, and they have loved many people over the last 100 years. They are far from technically perfect and they are beautiful.
Imperfections obvious to the quilt maker are not obvious to the recipient.
As my grandma always said "it will never be noticed on a galloping horse". Just make sure everyone keeps galloping and you're good to go!
Happy stitching...

Good enough works for me!!

I think the most important point is the 'why' - you quilt to relax, so to be neurotic about perfection would be counter-productive!

But everybody's different! I have some OCD tendencies - I have a child with severe autism and I recognize some of those characteristics in myself as well. So I pour my need to be picky and exact and ultra-focused into my quilts - instead of my messy, imperfect family members! It's much better to obsess over a seam until it lines up just right than it is to nag a loved one about something minor.

Quilting satisfies our souls in so many ways, and yet none of us are the same. Room for everybody, right?

It depends on what good enough means. Most of us sew to relax and make something we can be proud of. If good enough means many areas that are very obvious, then I could not live with that. I have been quilting for only 5 yrs. I had more mismatched blocks. today I have to rip it out, it does not take that much time and the results are worth the effort. There are some ways to cover up small errors with appliques that fit in with the overall theme of the quilt. I am not a perfectionist, but want to feel good about my finished product.

I think quilting is an evolutionary process. When I first started I was happy with "pretty good for a rank beginner". Then, as I picked up new tools and techniques and ideas I got to be a real perfectionist. All that did was build up a pile of UFOs because some little thing wasn't just right so why bother to continue. Now, in my dotage, I'm inclined to be a little more relaxed. Bottom line though, there is a difference between "good enough" and "just plain sloppy". MHO

I quilt for fun. I don't need stress. "Good enough" is often better than most. Even at quilt shows there are quilts that are winning that are not quite perfect. It is all in the eye of the beholder or quilt police.

I will say that when I see 'not quite perfect' winning at a quilt show it makes me happy....because I know my work is just as good or better.

I'm still a beginner. My items will not fall apart and give pleasure. I feel creative and creativity does not demand perfection.

Alas, I have always been a perfectionist. :( I come by it honestly though I get it from my father. :? As kids we were made to do things over and over until they were perfect at home and in school. I wish I could just say it's good enough and go on but I seem to have that childhood tape playing in my head all the time, "You are not going to leave it like that are you?" I actually tremble whenever I take a quilt top into a LQS and they turn it over to look at the stitching. I am looking at every stitch, every point. UGH! I have learned when it starts to stress me out it's no longer fun and I need to walk away for a bit. Maybe that is some kind of progress. :roll:

Do what you enjoy. If good enough makes you happy then that is what you should do.
Life is to short to stress.
I have a very dear friend that loves to quilt. She starts lots of projects but never finishes anything. The reason is she is never happy with what she does. It is never good enough so she quits. Quilting to her has become so very stressful she doesn't do it very often anymore.
So be happy quilt to your hearts content and enjoy.

Mattee, I am so with you on your philosophy, I try but I am still learning and am trying to be a bit easier on myself. My pet peeve too was the not tight backing. I don't have a lot of space either, I recommend you to watch this video, I saw it posted on this board and it makes such good sense to achieve a nice tight sandwiched unit. It allows you to work with a manageble amount of your quilt at a time . here is the link.(http://www.sharonschambernetwork.com...our-Quilt.aspx)
I hope this helps you too.
Rita

I am with you. I do try to do good work, not perfect but if it doesn't match or it is not straight, I cut or add-Main thing is I don't stress about it. A quilt is still comfort whether seams match or not.

When I started using the over 8000 quilt squares and rectangles of poly knit I got from an estate sale, I wanted perfect. However, after spending 4-1/2 hours re-cutting not-so-perfect squares cut by an 87 year old lady with failing eyesight, I decided that was DUMB--I could have stitched up at least four tops in that same amount of time--and those kids getting quilts through Project Linus are NOT the quilt police. they are just happy to have a quilt to snuggle up to! If I am making something for a wedding gift, etc. then I do the best I can, but since I do not enter contests or exhibit, perfect is not needed. By the way, once when I was quilting with an Amish friend, I noticed a mistake. When I pointed it out, she said "Yes, I did on purpose--only God makes perfect!" So If someone notices a goof, I just say--oh , that's my humility block!the funny thing is that when I made a BIG goof, no one noticed--and it was at a quilt club meeting--it was pretty funny that no one saw it till I told them!

The link given above said not available--was anyone else able to see it?

Many years ago my SIL who was a novice quilter told me the goal was completion not perfection. I have held that view for about 20 years. If you find "errors", I would be happly to let you correct them, but no one I have ever given a quilt to has offered to make any corrections therefore I think what I do is perfect. I envy those who can make the perfect miter corner or the perfect point or the perfect quarter inch seam...most of the time it's not me, but the joy and stress relief I receive from my quilting is what I need to complete my life. I have just had my 3 major surgery in the past year, and I finished hand quilting two baby quilts for my stash. I have finished 11 of the 14 quilts I need for the next generation of grandchildren. Hopefully I will get the last of them one this next year.

You are definitely not alone. I have always been a "good-enough" quilter. As I do more, however, I get better at it and I no longer have to work as hard just to achieve "good enough." Quilting is a hobby and each person needs to do it in a way that pleases them individually. The fact that you ask the question would indicate that you are comparing your quilts to the quilts of others and finding them "less than." To be truly free to enjoy your hobby in your own way, you must set your own standard and not measure it against the standards others set for themselves.

Matte I think we are twins. J J