You are so right. We should start a chapter of Nitpickers Anonymous. No pointing out errors or apologies about our our own needlework allowed. Life is too short to tear ourselves up for not being perfect. Really, anybody ever met a perfect person?? Me, either.

So now it's time for me to stop being chicken, quit practicing, and actually MAKE something!! :lol:

See. We're our own worse critics.

Well said.

Good for you. I've never taken part in a swap but would think that at least ironing them was just good manners.

Everytime I have participated in a block exchange it is shocking to me that they are so poorly constructed and aren't squared and supposedely are done by expert quilters. So I am no longer ashamed of my work. I think I do very nice work, I am very pickey especially if it is going to someone else.

When life gives you scraps, make a Quilt.

Good for you! Just enjoy your craft and your talent!

In MHO, people pursue hobbies or artistic endeavors for 2 reasons: for the love of the opportuity to express your creative/artistic self, or to prove to yourself/others that you are proficient/perfect in execution of some favorite
endeavor.
I don't want to disparage the 2nd group -if they are happy, then I am happy for them. However I belong to the 2nd group - the "I do many responsible things well, but this is my chance to throw caution to the winds & see what I can do without (much) concern for criticism. The art work of quilting/cooking/knitting/gardening/painting/etc. is the acknowledgement of your own preferences/point-of-view/ and the sense of fulfillment when you can say "This is ME!"
No craft or art can move forward without brave souls taking a chance & making a small or bold change in the status quo.Bring passion to your art, execute it as well as you can, & ignore the negative!!! :thumbup:

Congratulations on getting to this point in your quilt journey. I admire you for it. I, too, had a perfectionist mother, and inherited her penchant. So I am getting over that. Still.

Three cheers for you!!

Good for you. Quilting is supposed to be fun, not work, and we make it work when we are too hard on ourselves and too critical. I'm one of those as I am a Virgo and basically a perfectionist (in certain areas of my life - let's be clear here, it's not in everything), but I try to do my level best on whatever I'm working on.

quilting should be fun.

Good for you. Keep chugging. You are a great quilter and the ones that are "so far above you" are just stupid !!Seems to me that they need to fluff your own sails.

I hear you! Be true to yourself and don't listen to those other voices! They either can't do it, won't do it, or are envious of your talents. Keep on designing.

After I had been quilting for about 6 months a friend asked me to attend a small local quilt show with her. I was told that this was put on by women who had been quilting for over 30 yrs and all were considered to be experts. Well, it didn't take me long to discover that their workmanship was no better than mine. That was a tremendous help to me because I then learned to relax, which in turn improved my workmanship even more. I too think it is rude to turn in a block for a block exchange that is not even pressed. We all have off moments, but there is a difference between doing sloppy work and just having a hard time assembling a certain block.

i understand where you're coming from! music teachers seek perfection from their students - i worked on one simple song for an entire school year. Name of the song? Nobody knows de trouble I've seen! And i still don't like it!

Anyway, when i started quilting, I was a perfectionist, then had the opportunity to be a quilt angel one year at the Houston Show. I never seen so many thread tails on quilts in my life! Now i relax and enjoy myself! It's a whole lot more fun now!!!!

So, my suggestion? Take a deep breath, relax and don't worry about those other quilters!! Have yourself some fun, girlfriend
!!

clsurz, this was a very good post and lots of great replies. Being the curious person I am, I would love to see some of your creations. I am sure others would too. :-)

I find fault with my own work. I then get discouraged and want to pitch it. I do set it aside and go back later to only deal with the issues and make a better project out of it. I read this saying one time and I laugh when I think of it. Perfection is a fault and I have none. I think no one is perfect and neither is the World so be yourself. Gain confidence in your work and you will be please. So who says you have to please everyone.

I'm never very hard on myself about my quilting. I either like the way it is or not too pleased with it. Then I forget it and go on to the next project. Practice makes perfect.

Look under pictures. I have posted some scrappy tops I made couple months ago. They are titled

Scrappy Sunbonnet Sue and Bill Tops

No Pain No Gain Crazy Quilt


I have other projects I'm working on. I can't stick to just one project at a time. I get ideas and have to start on it while it's in my mind and than leave it and come back to it when something else pops up to add to it.

Right now I'm almost done having done as my husband called it "an abstract" which will become a wall hanging. He says it reminds him of Africa... have no idea why but that is what he sees. I will try and take a picture of what I've done so far in next couple days and post it and than again when it is complete. In this project I used all scraps of fabric I had in a bag.

About time ......

Swaps can be great eye-openers.

Yes, you will, because you take pride in your work and won't compare yourself to lesser quilters' lesser standards. Fess up!

If you never criticized your own work you would never improve. I have read a few of your posts and I sense it! To prove me wrong you'd have to do a sloppy job and I don't think you have it in you.

Sometimes we are our own worse critics. I don't really have time, the older I get, to worry about what someone else is criticizing me about.

Good for you!
I don't participate in swaps because I fear that my blocks won't be good enough but it would be so fun to get an assortment back. ;)

See you were beating yourself up over nothing. Yours were probably the best of the bunch.

WOW thank you! I feel like I felt a load slide off off my back too!

I am by a long shot, not the best nor most precise block piecer in the world, but I will let you know this, if my block is going to be shared with someone else, it will be squared and ironed and the size requested.
Some time ago, our group was to make a quilt for a friend who was getting married. All were to submit 8 blocks. The quilt was huge. I am sad to say that many of the blocks were so poorly constructed that we did not use them. We ended up making lots of blocks. A few of the women whose blocks we did not use, came up to the quilt and actually claimed to have recognized a few of the blocks they had made. NOT!
It certainly gave me another view of some of the members of the group.
And, although I will not be hard on myself if I make mistakes I will certainly try to do a good job. So, don't take your imperfections to heart, just try the best you can.

Ditto

:thumbup: :thumbup:

We'll only be perfect when we get to heaven!

I think I love you!

I have found that sometimes when you are involved in a swap, not everyone does their best work. They want to participate but end up waiting too long to make their blocks due to different reasons, some ligament and some not, and end up rushing the work. And sometimes of course there are people who just don't care what they are giving someone else. There is always that 1 or 2 percent of people who don't do what they should no matter what you are talking about. So, I guess the point is to focus on those that honor the idea of the swap and make a block that they would be proud to own. And if you decide to participate in something like this, just know that there will be some blocks that you won't be too enthused about using due to workmanship, color, or whatever but the majority of the people will put forth their best work.

Here! Here!

Good onya

Well, there you go:::I agree - Only ONE that is perfect:

You get a big hug from a not so confident quilter that worries too much of what others think. I'm hard on myself with my charity quilts but somehow I get them done and the kids don't notice what I see. Thanks for sharing.