Every quilt I have made I see where I could have done better. One day I'll make one and not think I should have done this or that to make it better.

A lot depends on the reason I am making the quilt. If it is for a gift, I am careful but don't sweat too much because usually the recipient won't notice the mistakes anyway. As long as it presents itself well and is put together well, a few minor boo-boos don't bother me. If I'm making something to sell, I'm pickier, but again, the end buyer probably won't even recognize most of what I call mistakes. Now if I'm trying to learn a new technique, then I'm really picky because the whole point is to master what I'm learning.

I tend to be the hardest on myself when I'm making a quilt for ME because I know will see all of my mistakes every time I look at it. I know what will bother me, so I fix it. And there's something about finally getting it right that just really makes me happy. But I do it for me, not for anyone else, including the quilt police! And sometimes I never do get it quite exactly right. Then I just move on, maybe come back another day and try again, or maybe not. I don't let it get my knickers in a twist.

I have always thought that experience comes from mistakes not triumphs. When I am working on a quilt, I almost always think of something I could have done to make it better. But if I wasn't making it the way I am making it, the thought wouldn't have occured to me to make it better. Does that make sense? (Only quilters would understand.) So I go with it and think, maybe next time.

Well I would not say I am a perfectionist, but others probably would. If my seams are not exact or off by just a hair, ok I can live with that, but my points have got to be points, if I am off an 1/8 in. in one block, it could make the next block in a row another 1/8 in. off and on and on. So......but, I love what I do, and do what I love. Guess Im just anal!!

I've never been accused of being a perfectionist. I will let a point that's not quite right go, however, if there is something within my block that I know will give me trouble when I'm putting them together, I will do what I can to fix it. I really like my top to go together without a big struggle if I can.

I try not to keep obvious mistakes, but if the mistake couldn't be seen on a galloping giraffe, it stays. I try to be reasonable and not perfectionistic. The folks who get my quilts know nothing about the process, so they are happy just to get a nicely made quilt. My quilts are not intended for competitions, but for daily use. :o

I agree with Tartan - If I make a mistake I know can fix without hurting the quilt, I fix it. But overall quality is dependent on my quilting ability and that is not something I can fix with a seam ripper. I keep trying to improve, one quilt at a time, learning from each one.

That said, of course I have made extra pieced blocks and rejected the wonkier ones, pitched half finished paper-piecing assemblies because I could do better, and just undid my first bit of needle-turn applique - a curved stem - because I didn't like the thread and didn't like the wobbly bits.

It's all where you are on the learning curve.

And here's to a Happy New Year of learning new quilting techniques and improving skills of all sorts - from fabric selection to FMQ!

I am not any where near a perfectionist when it comes to quilting but there is a degree of accomplishment when it it done well. Every quilt has degrees. I never worry about piecing if it is a baby throw around quilt or a quilt for myself.
When doing things for others I strive to work at the top of my abilities.

I work where everything is done by hand to create a finished product for sale. I can "get it done" and have open seams and glue showing or not enough glue and it falls apart but as long as it gets past my table, I am not responsible for it. Or I can do my best and the product doesn't have to be rejected at quality control and given back to someone else to repair. I much prefer the later way to accomplish my goal. In quilting it is a personal goal to do my best. I also have many Oh well moments but then it is what it is and I still enjoy it with no regrets.
peace

I think that it is human nature to second guess your choices/decisions. "Woulda-Coulda-shoulda" should not be in your vocabulary very often. I try really hard not to quess myself and learn from my mistakes. Most times it is best to "pick one" and go with it.

I tend to think of mistakes in a quilt as a "lesson for NEXT time", unless it's a real deal-breaker. If it's going to cause construction problems I'll fix things, but sometimes that "fix" is to just cheat and shave a bit off of the next block or to widen a seam elsewhere. I've been known to just go ahead and take up slack in a row by putting a pleat under a seam and stitching it down and calling it good...nobody has ever noticed! I like to quilt "by the seat of my pants" and just sort of wing it for a lot of my quilts. It's more fun for me that way and that's why I do this - because I enjoy it. And even with my slap-dash attitude, I do take care in my quilting and each quilt is that much better than the last.

Quilts I intend to show or enter into the fair are a little different - on those I go slower and try to follow at least most of the rules. But that's a small percentage of the quilts I'm making....most are just for fun. :)