I certainly hope not. I'd be in big trouble.

If I had to be a perfectionist to be a quilter, then I don't qualify. I strive for quality, but not perfect.
Sharon in Texas

Thank you for all your feedback. I've made several quilts and then saw quilts made by others, that don' t look like mine. I thought that maybe I picked the wrong hobby if being perfect was necessary.

No you don't have to be a perfectionist. I'm still learning too and they tell you as you practice and practice, it gets better - which is so true.

My Grandma B made a lot of quilts - they were very utiliarian - many were made from rummage sale clothing - her sewing was in the category of " it won't fall apart" - they were made to "not get stolen or sold because of how pretty they were".

Oh they DO exist. I'm not talking about judges. I'm talking about the woman who told me that my quilt wasn't a quilt because it was quilted by machine and not by hand. I'm talking about the woman who told my friend that her sense of color was off and she'd be better off doing crosswords instead of making quilts.

Perfectionism is to be desired, IMO, in many contexts. There are certain instances where "good enough" doesn't seem to apply: auto repair, surgery, and jet pilots come to mind.

That said, going for your "reasonable best" result makes sense in quilting. There's nothing wrong with that. No one will die if you are careless or less than skillful.

One just has to figure out where that line of division is.

hugs,
Charlotte

I have a quilting friend who is also a quilt judge and she has a lot of knowledge about quilting (all variations). When I ask her specific questions she will give me very direct and frank answers. She can explain why my [fill in issue] is happening and what I need to do to fix the issue. But she is an absolute sweetheart and she would NEVER be critical of anyone's work if the quilter does not ask for feedback. She is one classy lady.

There is quite a difference between being a mentor and a tormentor.

There is a very large difference in being a "perfectionist" and being "perfect." I enjoy more precise quilting and would consider myself a perfectionist. I've never come close to being perfect.

I have a friend who is wildly creative and quite happy not to strive for perfection. She makes many more quilts than I do, and some of them are so delightful that I want to copy them. If I did make one of her designs, our results would look very different, but that would only matter to me and no one else. I would never criticize her work, but it does give me a nervous tick when I see wildly mismatched intersections and cutoff points. Guess which one of us is more content?