I love the horse rule, thats really funny. I have noticed that when I have a mistake that to me is quite noticeable, no one else sees it unless I point it out. So if I'm the only one that sees it, let it go. If we wanted perfection, we would get mass produced machine quilts from China

Life's too short to waste it on "perfection". I made a quilt for a friend for Christmas and it was by no means perfect, but she loved it anyway. I really enjoyed making it for her. The look on her face when she opened it was just priceless. She was staying with me over Christmas break and I made it right under her nose. She had no idea it was for her. I never could have finished it if it had to be "perfect". My husband always says "nobody sees the imperfections, but you". He's so right. I still rip out stitches, but I try not to be so obsessive about perfectly matched seams and sharp points. Quilting is a hobby for me and I want to enjoy it. I also want my family to be able to live with me while I'm quilting. After all, a quilt with flaws is just as warm as a "perfect" quilt and a finished quilt is a whole lot warmer than a UFO.

My first attempts at quilting were laughable. My blocks didn't anywhere near come close to having corners...much less matching. I saw a pattern for an X-mas tree skirt and I wanted to make it for an elderly friend. I did. I am mostly self taught from books, magazines, now from the Internet and you guys.

After 10 years, I'm still taking classes, including my first beginning quilting class, because I wanted to *see* it done in front of me and be able to ask questions. A big one was how to avoid "v" rotary cuts. And I learned. We're making a baby quilt and my corners may be the best I've ever made. That said, the teacher pins all her block intersections and I won't, for me it's a matter of time versus perfection. I get real pleasure out of having my corners be really close to each other <G>, almost all matching!

My take on it is that I will continue to quilt, continue to learn, to do as well as I can, but not to get overly picky. Not that I'm an overly picky person anyway. But I love quilting, in all it's messy imperfection. I can't paint, draw, sing (tone deaf), play music, etc, so quilting is my art...

Mine are faaaaarrrr from perfect, but they are ok to me. I do the best that I can and I improve on every quilt and learn as I go. That makes things much more enjoyable.

I like to call myself an imperfect perfectionalist. It works for me. Pickle

You can decide how much perfection you can stand. I've found that the more complex a block is, the more exact I have to be, because just a hair off in 16 pieces magnifies to quite a bit by the time the block is finished. But if the block is pieced and trimmed to size, there's a lot more "wiggle room" for seam width. If having to be so accurate frustrates you (as it does me), pick simpler patterns and have fun!

You know, when I was little and the ladies gathered around to do their quilting, they were quilting for a need and also just happy to be around each other talking and remembering. They did not worry about perfection, they did it out of the love of putting some fabric together and making something pretty.

In slavery times, they put it together for a need, and they were beautiful, not perfect but beautiful. Not once have I read about quilts that were created in history that they had perfection anywhere in the document.

I want to quilt for the love of putting some fabric together to make something pretty that I can share with someone else. I want it to be pretty but perfection is something that man can not acquire.

I want to quilt for the passion of sewing, creating and communication with others about their experiences when they quilt. I want to learn more and more but not to be perfect, that task carrys too heavy a burden.

I love reading everyone's comments. This is just a wonderful site.

I was just thinking about this yesterday. How quilting has become almost mechanical. I have sewed for many years of my life--making clothes for myself and my children, curtains, etc. as I was overseas. I sewed out of necessity. Then I learned how to quilt--and I am sewing FOR FUN. I do the best I can to make sure my seams meet, and my points are right--but after that, it is what it is! Life has enough pressure. QUILTING SHOULD BE FUN AND RELAXING!

When perfection was my goal, I became discouraged and gave up quilting. Then I found a sign for my quilting room that says "Remember only God is perfect our quiilts don't need to be". Now when I start to stress about perfection I look at that sign and lighten up. Quilting has become more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I try to do my best but my best isn't always perfect.

I used to be perfectionist, then I got older - and hopefully wiser. I don't expect perfection in anything I do. I do it because I enjoy it and hope someone else will, too.