How precise/accurate do you try to be in your own work?
 

I quite often see the phrase - and if this is truly the "best" that a person can do - or it's "good enough" for the project at hand - so be it.

"If it looks good to a blind man passing by on a galloping horse, it's good enough"


But that really doesn't work for me at all. And I NEVER heard my Mom say that.

I was raised by a Mom who looked at the BACK side of most needlework and the INSIDE of most garments - if she could see it! Neatness and accuracy counted with her!

Some things that I learned from her:

Grain lines matter - ever try to fold a pair of jeans that were cut wonky? Or fold a tablecloth that had off-grain ends?

The pattern and/or directions is/are not always correct.

She allowed for a learning curve - she did not demand perfection because she felt perfection was not possible - but to strive for "as well as one could"

To leave as much material uncut as one could. One DID NOT cut a little piece out of the middle of a big piece!!!! (Well, except- maybe - for a tree skirt.)

I don't think she did the wash before cutting thing - but I do remember her washing new blue jeans or overalls for an hour or so to soften them up and get SOME of the excess dye out. And one bought them a bit large to allow for shrinkage. "Doing the Wash" was a production back then.

I have a lap quilt that she did with unwashed fabric for the backing. The backing shrank - a lot. I picked it apart because it was tied and the backing must have shrunk a couple of inches in both directions. She made this when she was in her 80s and did not have convenient washing facilities.

Patching her husband's bib overalls was something she took pride in - she matched the stripes of the patches to the base fabric - so they did not look "PATCHED" from a distance. Black carpet thread holding down a patch would not have worked for this lady! Mending/Patching were respectable things to do. But she did have a fit (as do I) about buying pre-torn and bleach streak lightened jeans. (One should EARN the fade marks!)

Mom made hundreds of lap quilts - she always tried to have the tops and backs coordinate - and lay flat!

Miss you, Mom!

I always try my best but I fall short of perfect.:(

I would try my best to make it like I would want to buy it from someone else.

My mother was a beautiful seamstress and taught me well. She was patient and not critical but to her a job worth doing was a job doing well. I treasure what she taught me and strive to have my backs, insides etc look good and finished, garments and quilts hanging straight and patterns matching. There are times that I get a little OCD when it comes to points and seams matching and I'm redoing them for the umpteenth time but in the end I am proud of what I do. Good enough is good enough for some people but not for me. I wish I could still share sewing with my mother. I miss her.

I always try to be perfect but seldom meet the mark. But with that said if I have an obvious error, I go back and correct it because it would always bother me!!!!!

How well I remember the careful cutting--no wasting fabric. The first time I fussy cut something for a quilt block I had chest pains (just kidding) and heard my mother's voice tsk tsking!

Don't we all fall short of perfect? I certainly strive to make sure my seams line up, I don't lose my points and that my finished product is square. BUT. . . If I am off the mark on some things I do not worry and fret about it. I won't keep ripping out stitches or start over. So a seam doesn't match or I lose a point here and there, who cares? My quilts are still beautiful, functional and loved by me and whomever receives it. Life is too short to worry about every little detail!!! And this is my philosophy in my every day life, not just quilting. You have to live in the moment and not let little things weigh you down.

I try to be as close as I can, I know I am not perfect. One of my things I am very strict about is the grain line. It was mentioned in the original post. I make sure it is straight before cutting anything. I do not accept the cut made in the store. The machines that wind the fabric onto the bolts distort the grain. Rinsing, drying and straightening is well worth the extra time.

I try to be as accurate as I can but don't stress over it