why I try for precision and accuracy with my piefing projects
 

Because I am easily frustrated -

Things go together

why I try for precision and accuracy with my piecing projects
 

Because I am easily frustrated when things do not line up properly.

Things go together so much better when:

The fabric is properly prepared before cutting it - for me, it has been washed and ironed.
Grain lines matter to me.

I have done the test strips so I know that my current cutting line up ( ruler and where/ how I line it up) and needle setting will yield the expected result.

The blocks are all approximately (within 1/8 inch) the expected size.

It just goes together so much more easily if it is " right" from the start.

The reason for the carefulness now is because of some pathetic results in the past.

I can "fudge" with the best of them. I just prefer not to.

By the way - there have been times when " good enough" was left the way it was. It did bother me. - but not quite enough to do it over.

I do not put in any deliberate mistskes - God knows there are always a few unintended ones in anything I make - no matter how much care I put into a project.

I agree. I think being as precise as one can at each step of the piecing process leads to much less frustration AND work at the end of the project. This is why I square each element of the blocks/rows/quilt as I go.

I try for that also, figure the more I try the better I will get and eventually it will be ingrained in my tine little brain. Practice, Practice, Practice - might not make perfection but you keep getting better and better

I try but don't beat myself up over it. I am perfectly imperfect.

I also agree. I like patterns with lots of pieces so just being consistent isn't going to work. I usually check my needle position when I start a new project. It only takes 2 minutes, but it saves hours of frustration. I would rather use the correct seam allowance and have pieces fit than easing/stretching stuff. Struggling to get things to match takes all the fun out of it for me.

bearisgray, AMEN TO THAT!
Accurate piecing means you aren't trimming up blocks only to find that points are cut off or other mismatches occur and then puzzling out what to do about it.

When I was just starting out, a Board member here, MTS, recommended I read Sally Collins' book on machine piecing and I did. It is not just a technique book, it is a philosophy and it totally changed how I was piecing - new attitude, perspective about precision. Neither patience nor precision were particular virtues of mine, but I have learned them through quilting :)

Here's a link to the other posting with similar comment but further discussion. http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...s-t262788.html

I try to be precise but it seems I never am. I rarely square up my blocks before putting them together either. Just made 4 lap quilts using the exact same pattern and technique. They all came out a different size by maybe 1.4-1/2 inch. Go Figure!!!! But each one seem to come out better than the one before so I guess repetition is a good thing.

I'm with you. I have learned that if there is a mistake I have to fix it or I won't be happy with the quilt. I have had a quilt completed and noticed I had a block turned. I took out all the quilting, then took out the block, turned it the right way, appliqued it back in and re-quilted. I am a lot more careful now in checking a quilt top before I begin quilting.

...my own philosophy is to do the best job I can....in whatever I am doing.....quilting, cooking, cleaning( gag me with a spoon)........ It's a reflection on me...and use of my time.....now, don't get me wrong, I am not anal about any of it, just follow the steps and make sure all is right.....then the results are good!.....well... There have been a few " what the....?"

I agree with you bear. Trying to get it right the first time saves me added frustration later on. :)

For me, it takes way less time to slow down and get it right than to have to adjust and compensate when the blocks are sewn together. Far more enjoyable, too. Not that I always manage this . . .

hugs,
Charlotte

I do my best but I don't care if my piecing is not perfect. It' not a priority for me. Since I use the Go for most all my cutting I have noticed my piecing is darn near great without a lot of striving.
I don't believe in making a deliberate mistake on a quilt and according to my Amish friend neither do they.

My proofreading leaves something to be desired!

You're a better quilter than I am doing all of that! Then again, it wasn't until I was looking at a photo months after the quilt was gifted that I noticed I had done that! Grr. Suppose I should photo and LOOK at the photo BEFORE gifting next time!

I have learned that I am not perfect. Doesn't mean I've stopped trying to make each top as perfect as I can, but I no longer "sweat the small stuff". If I have to be within 12 inches of the spot, to see a boo-boo, then it is minor enough to (probably) let go. I strive to make each quilt better than its predecessor. I have learned that the journey is often more fun, rewarding, and fulfilling than the end result. I am usually sad to see that last border attached. Hmmmmm......maybe that is why I have all these UFO's.....

Well said!

All I can say is I am getting a little better. I have never been in a hurry when I cut and piece and I do a lot of starch and pressing and I pin always. I know I take a lot of time but I am not in a race. I do the best I can and no one that I give these items to like my family they do not sew and they don't know or realize how long it took to make this and they don't know the first thing about any imperfections. I am lucky about that!

I totally agree! Doing it right to begin with saves you time in the long run! I think it does beginners a disservice to tell them that no one will notice if they do a terrible job! Help them learn the BASICS, then teach them how to do the best work they can do with those. Yes, they will improve as they go along.... after 60 years of sewing I'm still learning! But it's important to start from the very beginning with the attitude of always trying to do your best work. That old "no one will see it on a galloping horse" saying always drove me NUTS! Is that how people are going to see your work? On a galloping horse? Instead, find something realistic to praise... the use of color, the improvements they're making... every project has a good point you can use to give the quilter a pat on the back for effort. And then give them a leg up the rung to the next stage! Don't bog them down in mediocrity by telling them bad work is good enough, but don't be mean, either!!

I always try to be as precise on each step as possible. My self rule is I try to fix mistakes three times, if it doesn't work then I move on. Making quilts often makes a lot of things easier, faster and better. I totally finish one quilt and start another. I bought my fabrics for me to sew up and I am trying to do it. What is left at the end, the girls can do with as they see fit.

It depends on the project and my mood. Some things require real precision, others not so much. I want to keep my frustration level under control. If I know that even I won't see a mismatched seam or a cut off point on a big quilt, then I am letting that go - unless I don't. I know what will cause me problems when putting a project together, so will do my best to avoid trouble at that stage. That is my goal in teaching a friend - if I know it won't go together, I suggest she redo it - otherwise, up to her how perfect it needs to be.

My feelings, too!

Quilting is a hobby to be enjoyed. Yes, you should try your best at making these special items but there is NO reason to get frustrated over mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes in quilting no matter how careful we try. Just enjoy the adventure of making such beautiful quilts and things that family and friends and sometimes anonymous individuals will enjoy the fruits of our labor.

When I just want to sew I get out my "odd bits" box and create manufactured fabric which segues into the manufactured fabric box. When I want to gift something or enter it somewhere, I get out the rulers and the seam rippers and all the other equipment and try for perfection. When I want to learn something, I combine as perfect as possible with the joy of learning. And when I want something for me, well there are no rules.

The important thing for me is the joy and good memories quilting brings.

Pat

I try very very hard to cut my pieces accurately. It means that my quilt will go together as the designer wanted and that I will get the result I want. So with good intentions does that mean that all of my projects are perfect? No way, I still manage to either cut just shy or stitch too big a seam at least once or twice. However, I will continue to strive for accuracy when I cut and that 1/4 inch seam is still my goal. When I'm doing a complicated pattern it is pure joy to see it develop just the way it should and I know each and everyone of you knows that feeling.

You have it right. Quilting isn't suppose to cause us frustration, it is meant to bring delight. Will keep on trying for accuracy, but if I need the seam ripper(s) then so be it.

I agree, too. Especially with "when 'good enough' was left the way it was. It did bother me but not quite enough to do it over."

As I've said here before, it annoys me that I don't have a 1/4 foot and have to move the needle to acquire it, or put strips on the bed of my machine. I, too, pay attention to grain lines. Crooked fabric is a lesson in frustration and, I think, a bad product, and I just prefer not to use it.....if I catch it in time.

"right from the start" is an excellent rule of thumb. The English, I believe, say: "Start as you mean to go on." The same thing, really. I also prefer not to fudge; it's always a reminder that I didn't do something right in the first place.

Great post, bearisgray!

Funny, I was just thinking that about myself this morning. A lot better to be as precise as can be and things do seem to go together better. Sometimes even with the best of efforts/intentions, the old ripper has to come out. Frustrating for sure.

I do try for careful cutting and piecing my blocks because it makes the whole process come together better. I might get away with a little "fudge factor" now and then, but I try for perfect (blame it on being a Virgo and being a perfectionist). I strive for perfect piecing, but I also know that the longer I've been quilting, the better I have become, even with a few mistakes along the way.

After reading all the posts, I decided that y'all are more easily frustrated than I am. I live by the rule, "Better finished than perfect," which is a good thing because if what I make has to be perfect, it will never be finished. My motto is, "Can't be seen from a galloping horse? Good enough!" froggyintexas

This is great advice... my problem seems to be that no matter how careful I am, things are "off"... sigh... sometimes it is very frustrating!! I probably get in a hurry... but I still LOVE piecing and quilting... LOVE it!!!

Heaven knows, I try for accuracy. When I find that things didn't come out quite as I had expected them to, I'm always gratefully reminded of those women in the olden days that would deliberately put in a block upside down, or have one piece in the quilt the wrong color. This was because they wanted to show that they were less than perfect, therefore, less than God.

~ Cindy

As far as I know, furniture made by " the Amish" is excellent. Do these craftsmen also put in "a deliberate mistske"? it would seem logical for them to do so, if the quiltmakers had to do that.

does this " custom" apply to other crafted items?

Bear I am with you on this!!! I get so much more satisfaction from doing each step as precisely as I can , it make the rest of the project easier, and I look at my finished project with gratification, rather than remembering how I suffered through after not being accurate right from the beginning. Yes there is a time and place for fudging it, but fudging it means something went wrong somewhere in the process. I am my own worst critic, and I am grateful for it. It keeps me striving to improve.