Finishing All the Quilt Tops
 

Is finished truly better than perfect?

My drawer of finished quilt tops is nearly full, but my UFO draw has barely done down. I was originally planning on saving most of my tops for when I can afford/have room for a long arm. But realistically, that probably won't be for another 10 to 15 years away. Maybe I should try to find a local long armer to baste them up for me and then I just quilt them all up. (I hate basting!) I want something more than overall patterns or stippling. But choosing the right pattern is challenging too! I've thought about big stitching a couple, just for fun. So, question is: is finished truly better than perfect? Should I save them for the "perfect" time in my life, or just do a simple stipple or meandering pattern and call them done? Surely I'm not the only one of us with this delimma.

Now I know you don't possibly have enough tops to work on, so I am sending you mine also. That should keep you busy.
I keep telling myself from now on to only make Quilt As You Go quilts!! so far, I haven't listened!
Just do what ever makes you happy and you have enough time and energy to do. free motion, straight lines, etc. Something different for each quilt until you run out of ideas! then start over!
I must buy some more spray 505 basting. was thinking of the basting powder but it's not for me. small items maybe but not a whole quilt.

Yes. Finished truly IS better than perfect. You can't enjoy those quilt tops while they're sitting in a drawer. Better to have them meander quilted or straight-line quilted or whatever works, and on the bed. Maybe you could save one or two to send out to a long arm quilter, and do the rest yourself. As for basting, have you considered basting with Elmer's Washable School Glue? I started doing that a couple years ago and now never use any other method. I spread out the backing, batting, and top on my dining room table, brush thinned Elmer's (the "washable" kind only!) with a basting brush, let it all dry, then quilt. The glue all easily washes out in the washing machine afterwards. I love this method.

My theory is that a top is not useful until it's finished, and it doubles in beauty by being quilted and bound. I don't have UFO's because it's my nature to finish each project before starting another. But it's also my nature to want to do all the piecing and quilting myself, and like you I hated basting (and that was before spray basting was available). So for the few years before I had a longarm I quilted in sections from Marti Michelle's book Machine Quilting in Sections. (That is definitely not the same as QAYG.) You could look into that. Or you might ask a talented longarmer to accept some of your tops as payment in return for quilting some of them. But it's also perfectly okay to decide just to make tops, if that makes you happy, and dream of finishing them someday. I think the big stitch quilting is lovely, but I suspect you would still need to baste.

I think there's several questions to answer. How big are the tops? If smaller than bed size then you might want to have basted(or glue baste yourself) and do them on your DSM and save bigger ones for sending out.

Are all the tops calling for custom quilting(other than pantographs or stippling)? I think there are two schools of thought on quilting. If you want the piecing to stand out on the finished quilt then an overall pattern with neutral thread for the quilting will do that. If you feel the quilt calls for special quilting that will stand out, again sending out(or learning to do at home) will be the way to go. And there's actually a third way to look at it. I often do ruler work on my quilts as I feel the design will look better if I stitch around a block or motif to make the design look better overall.

Another question is how much quilting do you like? I prefer the less quilting the better for most quilts. Some prefer extensive quilting. If you like heavy quilting you might want to wait to get a longarm as the more quilting, the more expensive it will be to have it done.


So, a lot has to do with your personal preference on how the finished quilt will look.

I like to completely finish a quilt as soon as pieced but have a couple of tops that have been waiting for years now to get quilted.

Yes - finished is better than perfect. Who are these tops for? They're waiting. Oh, you are just going to donate them? Still waiting.

I would start with the simplest patchwork designs and straight line walking foot wiggly line and diagonal crosshatch.designs. You can knock out at least a 3rd of them.

set up a basting station in front of the TV and put on the entire Lord of the rings. (I use my 6' folding table). Heck - how many avengers movies are there now? Rather binge watch Brigerton or all 25 seasons of This Old House? You pick!

Basting and quilting the big guys might be worth working with a longarmer for. I think you can quilt and base anything yourself up to about a twin size. After that it really does start to get challenging on DSM. But if you finish the smallest with the above 2 tips (TV basting and straight line quilting) you will truly realize the potential of the quilt.

PS. Also fabric degrades over time- even if put away out of direct sunlight. Critters can get in and make nests also. Best move all those quilt tops along.

I always wondered why so many people say "finished is better than perfect". No, nothing is better than perfect! That saying, to me, is a cop out for doing your best work on every quilt. Sure I could slap together some mess and leave all the wrinkles in the quilting, but is that supposed to be better than perfect? Of course not!

Take your time and get it right. Rip and sew over, whatever it takes. Then the person who is "waiting" will get something worth giving, rather than just anything you could quickly throw together.

NZ, I do recommend you try QAYG on your next quilt. Make big blocks (or join smaller ones into a big block) and quilt them individually on your DSM. Then join the quilted blocks. There are several tutorials for this method in our Tutorials section of the board. It's a fun method.

P.S. I pin baste with safety pins.

I don't have any quilt tops that haven't been quilted. I have sent a few large quilts to my LAQ but if also use my walking foot to do pretty designs on my quilts. Check out Melissa Marginet by MelissaMarginet on Etsy

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It done better than perfect? For me it actually depends on the quilt....Oh, and I always do my best although it never, ever is perfect. My quilting making has improved over the years. Most of my quilts are meant to be used....I have a longarm...before I had a longarm, I used my walking foot and did mainly straight line quilting in the ditch on my DSM. My piecing is the star of the show on those....my quilting was to simply hold the quilt together and make it useful without distracting from the piecing. When I got my longarm...I still make quilts that are intended to be used....not to show. and I have found that I can meander plus throw in some motifs like hearts, leaves, bubbles, waving lines fairly well. Again this get done mostly edge to edge meandering. I can't do fancy custom and feathers....I have tried...it is a no go for me....so on special quilts....like a Judy Niemeyer one I did...I sent it out for longarming...cost me $600 but it turned out beautifully. I gifted that one to my nephew for his wall. I have a few others that I sent out....but those were edge to edge for special occasions. One of those I would send out now...the other one, I probably would do myself. OH, and if I did not have my long arm.....I would definitely send out the bigger ones to get basted and maybe even to get quilted.

Lots of food for thought for you as to what to do, NZQuilter!
The important thing is to be sure to do what YOU want to do.
What is "right" for you, us not necessarily what is "right" for others!

Another thought, if you are not wanting to keep all the quilts once finished ... many guilds will receive quilt tops, which members will quilt and then pass along as a charitable donation.

Sometimes too, I see people selling quilt tops on Etsy and such.

Of course, if you are like me, once you have put your ♥ and soul into a quilt, you may want to keep it, whether for yourself or as a giveaway. So back to the beginning and do what is "right" for you!

SPAM in here, but can't see how to let anyone know......

In the box with the poster's name, at the bottom, you will see a white triangle with an exclamation mark on it. Click on that, in order to report.

It's already been reported a couple of times (or more!), but the more reports, the more notice hopefully taken by the powers that be ... so go ahead and report it again!

Totally agree. I never make a perfect quilt but I never do less than my best just to get one finished. I made one once when still a novice quilter that was a nightmare of a gazillion hsts. I could not get all the points pointy no matter how I tried for some of them. I finished it and called it “pointless”. It was far from perfect but at that stage in my quilting it was my best.

For me finished is better than perfect. I can give a finished quilt away but not a flimsy. I just meander and get it done.

Totally agree ... we can only do our best, according to our abilities at the time.
Too often, we compare our work with others who have been quilting for years longer, and abilities way beyond our realm.

I've often heard references made of quilters keeping that first nightmare'ish quilt as a treasure of sorts, to help them see from year to year how much they have progressed! Good idea!! ... and why sometimes finished is better than waiting til we can be perfect.

After all? can we ever be perfect? And if we don't make a start, we can never continue on and get better ... and better!

I have one such not so good one right now, almost finished. Yes, I have been piecing for years and also doing some of my own quilting. However, for this Halloween quilt, I gave myself permission to branch out and try some different FMQ things and not fuss so much that it does not compare to my much better FMQing efforts. Even with that permission, I still did some frog stitching, but still left the lots of the less than perfect! I've made a start with those new-to-me techniques, and every year when that Halloween quilt comes out, I can check and ask myself, have I improved any?

So much good advice! I like the idea of the quilting in sections by Marti Michelle, and also the basting and binge watching TV. I tried QAYG once and it was a bit of a flop, but I should try it again. Thanks, ladies! I agree, I always try my best on quilts and maybe am too much of a perfectionist, and that's why the tops just sit. I have all these ideas for fancy feather quilting and custom style designs. I think I'll make 2022 my finishing quit top year, but start now.

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I don’t think any quilt will be truly “perfect”. I do my best and they are all really nice. Perfect? No. I agree with Elmers Washable school glue for basting. I don’t dilute or brush on. I drizzle it thinly in a line about where a pin would go. Or practice meandering. It always works for me. No wrinkles and when dry does not gum up a needle. There is a difference between perfect, slapdash, sloppy, and doing a good job.

NZ, I totally hear ya! I detest basting!! I wish I could find someone who could baste all my tops. I love every other part of quilting except that. Also my machine quilting isn't the best. I need to practice more. I keep saying that but then I make another top!!https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png
I realize I much prefer piecing and also love to hand quilt but rarely do it these days. That's what I started doing quite a few years ago, before machine quilting became popular.
Sorry I don't have much advice but at least I feel your pain lol :)

For me, it depends on the quilt. For one that will be used or draped over a couch, I prefer "done." For art quilts I do my best to make it "right." I can't say perfect because there's usually something I wish I could have done better. Still, after some time has gone by, I'm able to admire and enjoy the whole quilt.

SusieQOH ... Many longarmers will baste your quilts together, then all you have to do is the quilting!

I love the expression 'finished is better than perfect.' To me, it doesn't mean 'don't bother doing your best'; I agree that we should always do our best. But the fact is, my piecing is way better than my quilting. I would have exactly no finished quilts to my name if I weren't open to quilting my quilts imperfectly. In addition, the only way to develop quilting skills is to quilt real quilt tops (you can only go so far practicing on small pieces). This leads to an unavoidable truth -- you are going to do some ugly quilting when you start out learning to quilt (I assume this applies to longarms as well). I finally began quilting my tops when I gave myself permission to ruin them. (In the end, of course, they weren't really ruined -- they looked fine after washing.) To me, a functional quilt imperfectly quilted is much more beautiful than a perfectly pieced top that has no practical use. So, for me, yes, finished is definitely better than perfect!

NZquilter, it sounds as though your main obstacle is the basting. I wouldn't have finished a single quilt had I not discovered the Sharon Schamber board method of basting (but not everyone has the space and size table needed for this method). It sounds like an excellent idea to look into longarmers in your area who do basting. If you get past the basting issue, I would definitely encourage you to get busy quilting those quilts at your skill level. Put the less precious, simpler ones first and you can develop your skills on those, while saving the more heirloom-y ones for when you are able to custom quilt them. We just don't know what tomorrow will bring, much less the next 15 years, and in 15 years, you are bound to have more tops that will need quilting. It would be sad if you held all your tops for the 'perfect' time and it never came. Just my two cents!

I don’t think finished-is-better-than-perfect is an excuse for shoddy work.
I think it’s the antidote to the idea that ‘one day’ my skills will be good enough to work on this quilt. Humans are not perfect, and we will always be able to improve on our skills.
Have at it.
Do most of the quilt in a design you’re good at, and find some areas to practise designs that could use more work.
Every completed quilt will be a little better than the one before.
And they’ll never be perfect.
So, yes, an imperfect finished quilt is better than a perfect quilt top sitting in a drawer.

I figure that I am not perfect, so why would my quilts be? I do try and make the tops and quilting desirable, pleasing, and optimal to the design. In my mind's eye and to my limited abiltiy, I think they are wonderful. But, I don't make quilts for "Show", I make quilts for real life use. I don't listen to my inner quilt police. Besides, quilting is as fun as the rest of the process, why gum that up?

Also if I remember correctly you have a very young family.....many of us are either retired or empty nesters with many hours to "spare". Enjoy your time while your little ones are growing and if piecing is what gives you " peace" at the moment...so be it.

I'd have to say finished is best as I've never made a perfect quilt (or anything else, for that matter!) I have a few quilts that, once pieced, I really didn't like them, but I finished them and used them as "every day quilts." Those are actually my favorites now, because, after all the use and washings, they're as soft as silk!

I'm fortunate in that my local Linus Project takes donated tops and finishes them. I take both finished and just the tops to them. I also usually donate a roll of batting.

Realistically, if you have to wait 10 - 15 years for a long arm, you won't have space for it because of all the finished tops you have waiting to be quilted!. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/eek.png I have a very silly picture in my head of a room full of quilt tops and only a pathway from door to sewing machine. There are children and pets lost behind stacks of tops calling for help to find their way out from the mountains of quilt tops.https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png

We each have an area of the process that entrances us. I like the process of piecing far more than than basting or quilting. Pre-pandemic, I would merrily make quilt tops and then like many of us when we were locked inside our homes, I stopped to look at what was on hand and what needed my attention. I found so many UFOs! Some, barely started some just needed finishing and like you, finished tops that I just couldn't face basting and quilting. I don't remember the number but I pulled back and stopped, making and began finishing. For me, the hardest part was/is basting. Yes, I have read all of the methods suggested here but most require space or a large counter or a large table. In reality, I did manage to get a significant number basted and quilted.

To your question, If the quilt tops were in my space, I would sort them by the kind of quilting that I could accept and finish one or two before allowing myself to start a new quilt. Consider straight line, channeling, crosshatch or a meander or stipple methods. Those simple methods can enhance your quilt without custom quilting. I would choose one or two a year to send out to a long arm quilter. It took me time to admit it, but I could not enjoy my quilts if the tops were hiding in my closet or in your case in the drawer. Perfect or done? Just go for the best work you can do, today. That is all you can expect of yourself. NZ Quilter, I encourage you topick one out and get 'er done and enjoy the finish. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png

I started several responses to this. I do believe in "finished is better than perfect" but that I am increasing my skills each time. I'm not doing shoddy work, I am working to the best of my abilities. They aren't going to get better without practice/use. My goals for my quilting are also not to win best at show, but to make a quilt usable and lasting and important for my projects, machine washable.

I'm not naturally talented in the selection of quilting designs. At first, I thought too much old school, block by block, no continuous lines. Then when I had the opportunity to be spoiled having access to a friend's long arm, well I got spoiled!

This past year I decided I really had to do something about getting my pieced tops together. My main problem is small space and for the last couple of years with Covid shut downs, I did not have access to any large tables or spaces. So, eventually I found a local free ping pong table which has no room inside the house but is outside in the backyard, carefully positioned and tarped against the rain. A ping pong table is 108" long -- my standard length for backings. It is 60" wide, same as my queen bed (but without the 4 posters), has divisions along both middles to help position. The height is better for me. I am able to quickly and easily sandwich my tops together (now that I bought some clamps and such) and then I spray basted.

I also got an actual sewing table where my machine can be dropped to table top height. The added space of the table to help support the top and the lowering of height has improved both my physical endurance and the quality of my technical skills.

So far I've completed quilting two queen tops. I chose bold designs that I felt did not need quilting to enhance them, only hold them together and so I got used to working with the large tops again by simple serpentine stitched along the grid lines. I have a third in progress where I "stabilized" it using serpentine stitching along the block design, I've been working at some tests and will be filling in the large portions with a free motion meander. The next quilt after that will feature a stronger free motion design.

Each quilt will be finished. Perfection is unlikely for me, but a well constructed sturdy, attractive product with good workmanship is not :)

If you can get your hands on a quilt frame, perhaps you have some tops that would look good hand tied. A hand tying party with family or friends is fun. Anyone can learn to hand tie quickly. Some fun refreshments and everyone will have a good time and get some tops finished quickly.

Iceblossom, no wonder I enjoy your posts!

I love all the suggestions and inspiration! You are all the best! I just bought some quilting thread and batting online last night, so hopefully that will be here in a week. I'm going to start with some scrappy quilt tops.

My quilting story. I've always enjoyed piecing more than quilting. And when I started had enough money to quilt by check. Then, as I developed my own style, there was no longarmer who could quilt my style. So I dug in to quilt twin and less sizes. My piecing skills were great. My quilting skills didn't do the piecing justice, but I persevered. Donation quilts are now LA. Art quilts are on the domestic machine where I have more control.

Years later, I found a UFO (you know how they can hide), one of my first quilts. It was done by an amateur. I forced myself to be an amateur to quilt it.

So finished is better than perfect. Skills of piecing and quilting grow together as both are done at the same time, not years later.

I did not know that! I’ll have to ask my LA’er when ai have a really big quilt.

NZ…I’m a perfectionist but I am also a bit anal…I don’t like UFO’s and don’t have any. A quilt top may hang for a couple of weeks while I think about quilting options but, typically, I get it quilted fairly soon after finishing. I spray baste if I’m using my domestic but most of the time I take to LA’er. Just take one project at a time and do small, fun inspirational projects in between to keep you motivated. Good luck..

Yes, it can be done. Of course, some may not be willing to!
Check your pricing to see if the cost is worth it to you.
They mount the quilt the same as they normally would.
Then a long/basting stitch, to hold the sandwich together.

One LA'er did regularly spaced lines across the quilt. I'm guessing about 4"-5" apart.
Another does a full on grid, but I have never worked with that.

What has worked best for me has been a large meander design. I found the long lines left channels with nothing holding the layers, that IMHO did not give the stability while I did my FMQing that the meander did because of its randomness. But that is just my experience.

Another tip ... Most will, but be sure to ask them to use a contrasting thread to make it easier for you when you go to pull out the basting later. Otherwise you will go buggy trying to pull out those threads later! The stitching can be quite colourful, as it's a way for them to use up unwanted thread.

Good Luck!

I keep on trying to clear the UFO's I am getting better at it. Now I need to put bindings on many of them. I decided to send out 4-5 quilts recently for LAing. and it was great! I will do it again. That or hopefully get my mid-arm up and going again soon. Then I will begin with some ruler work. Now that excites me even though I am scared to death to try it. I plan to get past my intimidation of those rulers. I have 9 rulers here to work with and haven't touched them yet. The day is coming soon! If I get a handle on things then look out world I will run out of things to do and be making all new quilt tops to fill that drawer again.

I just want to share my two cents' worth on the "finished is better than perfect" idea.

A couple of days ago I unearthed a houses and trees "quilt" I made in my very early quilting days. The blocks had all been "designed" by friends - I'd cut out the pieces then invited them to come and put a house together. I still think it's really pretty and fun but it's chock full of technical issues, from crooked sashing to uneven blocks to a couple of places where there are actual gaps where I didn't manage to stitch the blocks together properly. A couple of the blocks have unsightly bulges (similar to some of the pandemic side-effects I've noticed on myself!) and because back then I didn't actually know how to quilt I pillowcased it and had started tying it, but the tight weave on the backing (it was a sheet, if I recall correctly) made that frustrating as well. I'm reasonably confident that the deep pink sashing/backing will run when it's washed (although I'm not sure). It has been sitting, incomplete, in a storage box or linen closet since the mid-1990s.

I laid it out on the dining room table and looked and looked at it, seeing all of the flaws, understanding why I hadn't gone back to it, but still feeling it would be better to give it one more chance. I unpicked the pillowcase and snipped out the few ties that there were, ironed it (which is what makes me think the pink will run), layered it up again and have used it to have my first go at FMQ on a large quilt. This has also been imperfect. The backing sheet seems to have slipped at some point and there are uneven stitches and skips and jerks and more unsightly bulges, but all in all, I'm pretty excited about my first FMQ experience. The fact that the top was imperfect made me willing to just go ahead and see what would happen, and while there was a bit of unpicking of some hideous lashing on the back, things went pretty well. The simple meander should hold things together and I found a piece of maroon broadcloth left over from a poodle skirt costume from the same era and am in the process of binding the quilt with that. I intend to use it as a quilt for my aging dog - in the car, on the floor, on the bed - it doesn't matter where. What does matter is that this perfectly imperfect quilt will have a life, will be used, will be seen, will be cherished for the process and memories as well as its functionality.

Every quilt has a story, has a purpose. I wouldn't gift this quilt in a million years. But I think I love it. :-)

Thanks for the encouragement.
 

I am going to pull out some UFO s after reading this for sure!