Don't get me wrong, I LOVE quilting, but am frustrated at the sense that everything I do has to be perfect. Reading about the latest gadget that we can buy to make SURE that we get that 1/4" (minus two threads), just makes me sigh... And how we scurry to take out a seam when our blocks are off 3 threads. All the talk about being sure that everything is "exact". Are we quilting because it's fun? We're making a loving gift? Or is perfection the goal?

None of my quilts are perfect and I'm fine with that!

I quilt for fun. I gave up perfection years ago. I like my quilts to look nice, and I do rip out my share of seams, but my quilts will never be in a show, will never be in a museum, but they will be in my house and the houses of family and friends, and I will be proud of them when I'm done. I keep telling myself that perfection is impossible so why should I drive myself crazy trying to achieve something I can never do.

In the 70s I strove for perfection and having failed at that, I gave up quilting. Now I am a lot older and wiser and have taken up quilting once again. I no longer worry about the boo boos. I just focus on the fun I have making those boo boos! :)

If perfection is the goal then I have failed in a big way. I like quilting because it is fun and I enjoy quilting.

mltquilt

I'm with Jill - I quilt for fun and my own pleasure. I do try and make them perfect, but, I'm not, and they aren't, and that's okay to me.

I strive to do as good a job as I can with the skills I have today. BTW, not one of my quilts has ever been perfect, and not one recipient has complained. My quilting skills are much better than when I first started, however, I still make misteaks, I mean, mistakes. That's just life. I'm hardly perfect anywhere else; why do I have to be a perfect quilter?

Most of that is just to sell more gadgets. Fabric is an imperfect medium. Minor imperfections are to be expected and only enhance the beauty of the final product.

If it's still ugly, you didn't cut it small enough. If it's still crooked, your galloping horse isn't going fast enough!!

I totally agree with the not being perfect thing but it seems like all the information out there is "how to make it perfect". That's what gets old.

You must realize that it's all about teaching you the correct way. How you decide to do it, is up to you. You only have to please yourself.

If I were to teach you do a seam without care, you would be unhappy as I didn't teach you correctly, once you know the in's and out's, then you do what pleases you.

We try to come as close as perfect as we can possible manage, if there is such a thing and that is our perfection, the way we want it.

Once I gave up on absolute perfection, I became a much happier and calmer person. Much to my DH's delight. He's working on the same issue for himself and me. We both have many slip ups, but we catch each other and have a good laugh. Don't get me wrong - we still always strive for the best we can do. We just agreed that pefection is no longer the goal. Quilting is too much fun to make myself stressed about it.

If I had to quilt to perfection , then I shouldn't quilt cus I haven't had a perfect one yet!!! LOL. But I have fun and that's what' important to me!

I shoot for "the best I can do" which sometimes has some corners cut off. Perfection is self-imposed. Do your best AND have fun - that's my motto.

Me again, adding to my prior post. One quilter on this board told me to lighten up on myself and I decided it was very good advice so I decided to take it. :)

I strive for perfection, but if I have to take a seam out, it is a cold day in h*ll. I always go by the galloping horse rule- if it looks OK from a galloping horse, then it is OK with me. I also strive for done!

You don't have to be perfect. also there are patterns that are way more fogiving. Maybe read books by Gwen Marston to get the fun back into quilting.

http://www.amazon.com/Liberated-Quil.../dp/0891458786

I heard she put a new book out that is very similar to the first book. I have a friend reading the book right now she had a similar complain about quilting. To me the meticulus aspect is calming and part I like but I could see it could bother also.

Indeed!

I definitely have to quilt for fun, perfection is way to stressful. When I look at the hand quilting done by borntohandquilt, I get very excited and pay very close attention to what I am doing. Then I start paying attention to what is on tv and realize that my stitches are a little less than perfect. I also only give to people who care about me....they are always appreciative and love that I made it for them...So I continue to look at the pictures here and keep everyone as an inspiration and just do the best I can....

What I love about quilting is the ability to be imperfect I learned this week that what I saw as a mistake turned out to make the quilt.

I gave up trying to make the perfect seam a long time ago. Now I quilt just for fun and no one will ever notice a little mistake here and there. If we are up tight about things being perfect it takes the joy out of quilting. Life is full of little mistakes.

No need to be frustrated with perfection - I figure if I'm close to 1/4 inch seam I'm doing real good. I can fudge a thread or two or three when I join. And I would never want anyone to look at my corners too close. I'm not doing works of art, I'm doing works of life.

I try to do my best but know the quilt police would probably have a hay day with my quilts since I know they're not perfect. I guess I figure if someone doesn't like them they don't have to look or they can fix them.

Liberating quilting, is...well, liberating! If you need a break from precise piecing, give it a try. You'll love it and your creativity will shine. I've always considered quilters artists. There's room for all kinds of quilting styles. Just have fun whether it be getting everything to match up or purposely making something wonky. Anything goes. And if you hate it, give it to a pet. They love anything warm!

Becky ,I agree with you, I like my quilts tobe as perfect as I
can make them,but it hurts my feeling(ego) for others to start pointing out all my off points. I have parkinson tremors, am
lucky to keep two pieces of fabric togeather. Can't use straight pens I stick me more than the fabric, so a crooked seam or miss match seam just has todo. My family and real friends, love the gifts I make them. Some day the sewing may have to go by the way side,yet in the mean time I'm going to keep quilting. So join me and enjoy ,let the other scramble for what they want..

Good for you ,Willa, I feel the same way.

When I get in my perfectionist quilting mode, I just look at some old quilts made by my husband's grandmother.
They are a real treasure but they are anything but perfect.
Still pretty.

Then I think about how the pioneer women made their quilts--from discarded clothing and by the light of a candle or lantern. No place for perfection there.
Then I pretend I can make mine look as good as theirs.

Works everytime. If they suit me then that's ok.

Chris


A Beautiful, to the eyes of the beholder, quilt warms the heart, enriches the soul, and keeps you warm!!
:D

"works of life".... I love that!

How about making a crazy quilt? That ought to knock some of the 'perfectionitis' off.

Chris, when I was small child I watched my mother and neighbor women spend hours making quilts, they used out grown dresses/etc. tredle sewing machine, hand carded cotten batting , we picked out of the fields and every hand quilting stich ment that we would have warm covers in the cold winter. oil lamps and wood heat..
I count my self very lucky to have the things I have. The quilts I have of my Mother's are cherished and on display for other to see.

Some times I think all of my quilts are crazy quilts.. :roll:

Ditto.......

Those who need to be perfect with there quilting really don't injoy what quilting is about. Why go thru the stress of perfection. Quilting is a leasure craft that is sapose to be relaxing and enjoyed. I do my best and always proud of what I have created. No one is perfect other then God.

Yep, i threw out a project today because it just wasnt coming out how I wanted, it sits there in the trash, I'm not picking out of there, I'm tired of picking out stiches on the darn thing.

I quilt for the enjoyment, creativity, it's for Me, some are great, some are okay, and some sit in my studio unfinished! I consider them as learning, so is life! :-P

Don't strive for perfection - strive for making it a happy experience. I quilt because it makes me happy. When something frustrates me, it isn't worth it. Life is just too short to feel that way - that's why I have a UFO box lol.

Go with the flow, do projects that don't require that total precision and have fun with it :)

In the process of pressing a quilt top before sending it to the long arm quilter I discovered a number of seams that are twisted - one seam sewn up and the other sewn down. Guess who's not taking them out to re-do. I considered it briefly. Then turned the quilt over and realized nobody would know if I did or not so I'm OK with it the way it is.

I pretty much live by these two rules.

Rule #1 - Don't sweat the small stuff
Rule #2 - It's all small stuff

I think quilting is fun, but I don't want to fight when I'm piecing so if cutting accurately (sp?) and maintaining a 1/4 seam make my overall piecing go quicker, then I think this small amount of accuracy is reasonable. Having said that, I never take out a seam either!

I have always been a perfectionist and it has propelled me to where I am today. It has made me expect only the best of myself, but it has also caused me some great negatives in my life. I still consider myself a perfectionist, but not as EXTREME as before. I wish I were able to let "things" go like imperfectly lined up seams etc. but I just can't....

Ditto my thought's also :D