when is it good enough for you?
 

i am working on a quilt using jinny beyer fabrics.

i didn't take a whole long time staring at the paisley pattern seeing as i am making a couch throw for my aunt using one of the swoon block variations.

in the course of working with the fabric i have discovered that with patience and fussy cutting, i could have done all kinds of symmetrical flourishes and geometrical tricks with the prints.

but i didn't. and i don't especially regret it, because the person who is getting it will love it either way.

had i the time, patience and will this quilt could have been truly stellar. it's still lovely and pretty well made, though i've lost a couple of points.

i want to know how you decide it's good enough. does quilting perfection drive you? do you take out seams until everything is perfect or do you just prefer them done and move on?

quilting can always be more perfect, but done is in its own way an accomplishment.

what's your take on this balance?

aileen

Very good question. I made a scrappy quilt using two different blues as the fabric that tied it all together. Once I was finished, my DD pointed out that if I had "placed" the blues instead of just letting them be random, I would have had a second design.

So, I'm thinking to do it again, but this time, Placing the blues to make the secondary design.

In the meantime, I was quite happy with the quilt I made and my DS#1 and DDIL asked for the quilt. It was my Sunny Lanes in Blue. :)

I'm not a perfectionist. I think if I had a design wall large enough, then maybe I would 'play around' a bit more, but I don't, so I won't. (I use my dining room table or a ping pong table if something really needs to be laid out ahead of time.) I don't fret over it. I figure like you, if the person who receives it is happy with it, then why should I have high blood pressure over it. Life is too short and there are hundreds of quilts I'd like to make/try.

However, if I were going to market my designs, then, no doubt, I'd be out there trying to make every one a "wow" quilt.

I never take out seams unless it is a real mistake (like joining the wrong pieces). I'll most likely live with 99% of the mistakes I do.

I heard Leah Day say in one of her FMQ-videos:" The time you would be spending ripping is time you could have spent quilting."

I do the same with piecing. :o

I was making an Irish Chain quilt - all by hand and could not get the right green. It took me three tries until I felt could about the fabric. It was a Double Irish Chain and it was 25 squares per block - I un-sewed 3 blocks twice. But it was worth it since the other two fabrics just weren't right. Have done the same thing with GFG - I have a lot of flowers that never made it into the quilt, but are waiting to be made into a quilt of their own.

Oh life is too short to fiddle and undo patterns. If you aren't satisfied finish it. And start another.
If you don't like it give it away .
Just enjoy don't stress.

I rarely worry about an occasional imperfect point or seam unless it's really bad. I've been asked to make quilts for money several times, but I always turn that offer down. I quilt for fun so it's okay to make small mistakes. If I quilted for money, I would feel like it had to be perfect and then it wouldn't be fun.

I have a long arm and my skills are limited. I have to remind myself along the way that I do this for fun and it's okay if I make small mistakes. I have a quilt on my design wall right now that just isn't spectacular at all, but I made it to relieve stress. Sometimes you just need to sew 4 patches for days so you can think through a problem, so that's what I did. It will be a utilitarian quilt. I have to finish it and load it on the long arm before I do another top that's finished though because that top is truly lovely and it will be a gift for someone else so I want to practice on the not so beautiful one, then immediately load the pretty one while my skills are fresh.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist and used to agonise over any mistakes, mismatches etc. It really slowed me down and took a lot of the joy out of quilting.

Now what I do is leave the mistake until I've finished what I'm doing. If it still bothers me, I sort it.

If I can live with it (probably because it's now paled into insignificance with all the other mistakes, lol) I leave it, finish the item and move on to the next.

Although I'm still a bit fussy, I'm much happier and relaxed now.

I'm not a perfectionist and I only fix mistakes that will keep 'jumping' at me every time I look at it. But sometimes I only notice a mistake after I've completed a top and then I think: 'I never saw it before, and I like the top , so no need to get the seemripper out'
Works for me LOL.

In piecing I will try and fix a mistake up to three times if it still is off then I will toss that piece out or live with the point not matching. I don't do perfect quilts, but I strive to do my best work.

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. :)

I find that my standards start out high, but somewhere along the way they start to slip until I reach the point where I just want it done. It is a good thing that I can do a decent binding, so at least that part is ok.

i will never display my quilts in a judged contest. i just do the very best that i can and that satisfies me. most non quilters never see your errors anyway.

I am not perfect quilter by any means but I do think we are all too hard on ourselves. I really don't believe there is a quilt that has no mistakes at all either in the pieceing or quilting. We are human

I play with mine before it is sewn, arranging and rearranging but once it is sewn I leave it unless I feel it really looks bad.

Me too! I hope my kids will use the quilts I make. They tend to put them in the closet to "save" if I put too much time in them.

If I am making a quilt for someone I try to envision what they would like and go from there. If I am making it for charity or for myself I get to decide what I want to do. If the colors please me and the pattern comes out as good or better than I thought it would, that's good enough!

Jinny Beyer's designs are unique to her. She has the edge on designing border fabrics in all sorts of widths. If you look at her fabric carefully you will see that she plans spacing between each stripe so that you can use the full stripes and not have to cut (and waste) some of them because you have to have seam allowances. She designs the content to maximize 'fussy cutting' techniques. However, as you have discovered you don't have to use the fabric her way. You achieve great results by ignoring some of these characteristics. If you are happy with the way you use the fabric design in your quilt you have achieved success. Another designer who has taken fabric design to new heights is Bethany Reynolds and her stack and whack method. Do what you like and love what you do. It is good to want to do the best you can but keep the joy.

Very well said. I've come to realize I'm an artist, not a technician. If the technique gets in the way of enjoying what I'm quilting, the purpose of quilting is lost. I fix it if it affects the art. A friend agonizes over all quilt decisions and mistakes. Most of her show quilts win ribbons. However, she's realized she's tired of doing quilts to win ribbons. She wants to be more artistic. The current saying is "NO AGONIZING!"

I also leave pet hair on the floor until company is coming. It's just not high on my priority list.

Unless a pieced block is glaring at me, close enough is good enough. After all, I'm looking at the block while it is being constructed, so I'm up close and personal, however, I seriously doubt that anyone receiving one of my quilts will notice. I am a perfectionist in a lot of areas in my life, but I have slowly learned to let some of that go and I still make beautiful quilts.

Funny that you posted this. I have just recently taken an entire quilt top apart because I didn't like the 1 shade of blue that i had picked.
I put all the pieces away & yesterday decided to give it another shot. I decided to use a soft ivory with a tiny pattern in it for the replacement & like it so much better. I just decided that I was not going to waste any more time & my limited talent on a piece that I didn't like. Maybe that' s being "anal" but I am so much happier with the quilt top, now. I ended up having to resize the blocks that didn't have the blue in them but it went much faster than I thought & nothing got distorted from all that extra "ripping" & handling. For me, it was well worth all the extra work.

I just do the very best I can. My seam lines must line up exactly and points touch where they should and not ever chopped off; to accomplish this, I have to be extra careful and completely focused because I (a) have no sense of direction and (b) detest seam ripping and (c) never give up or discard any pieces. Seam allowances are what tend to give me problems; sometimes I press to one side and sometimes I press open to reduce bulk, but I usually end up with some seam allowance confusion, areas where a lot of seams meet and they don't want to cooperate.

'Perfection' has nothing at all to do with it for me; I don't set impossible goals like that for myself. I do, however, strive for excellence in every quilt I create.

Each and every quilt has to be the very best I can do at that particular point in time (I've been quilting for decades so my 'best' has changed considerably over the years). If not, it never leaves the studio. I absolutely refuse to settle for 'good enough' when I know I can do better and I have certainly never regretted 'getting it right' instead.

We each work in the manner, and to the standards, that give us the most pleasure and comfort with the process and the results. And isn't that what it's all about in the end? :)

If it works for me, I'm happy. If it bothers me, I do something about it.

I have exactly the same philosophy. If it bothers me, I fix it. I tend to be a pretty careful and accurate piecer so I don't lose many points, etc. But I do lose some and seldom go back unless I REALLY missed the mark, or if it is part of a larger design where it will be noticeable. I want to enjoy the process, not create one where I feel like I am never measuring up.

I do enough of that to myself in my professional life. :thumbdown:

If it bothers you, fix it. If it doesn't bother you, it's good enough. I always try, like you did in your thought process, to remember who and what it's for. I would be more concerned about points on a quilt that might be displayed ( or potentially in a show) than one that is going to my 4 year old great niece.

we all quilt to the best of our abilities, but I can see getting lax on seams matching, points cut off, etc could make some get sloppy. My seams Must match, my points cannot be cut off and I will rip until they do. If it doesn't bother you, don't undo it, if it does, definetely do. I figure this work will speak of me when I'm gone. I want people to think I really cared enough to do my best, for everything. I can't defend my work when I'm gone so it must speak for me. I have improved over the years and I believe it's because I was hard on myself and made myself do it right. If I allowed too many mistakes, those mistakes just continue.

If she'll like that's great. But for yourself, use it as a practice piece, take plenty of pictures to remind you where you want changes and then the next time you use the Jenny Beyer prints, incorporate what you learned into that quilt.

I am kind of half and half on this. When I am making it for myself I kind of let it go if it is not just right. When it is for someone who means a lot to me, I try very hard to make it come out right. It's important to me to have it be well done.

This is my policy also. I always strive to do my best, with the knowledge and skill I have at the time. I feel as if I improve with each quilting adventure, which is reflected in each new quilt I finish.

I fully agree with you, I've been ask why don't you sell your quilts??? I don't make them to please /sell to others they are my gifts to some one that likes them as is, going commercial would spoil the process of fun for me.. HAPPY 2014