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-   -   Even this quilter of 30 years makes mistakes! Imagine that! (https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictures-f5/even-quilter-30-years-makes-mistakes-imagine-t23179.html)

Rhonda 07-24-2009 05:00 PM


Originally Posted by QuiltMania
I try to think of them less as mistakes and more as lessons in humility. The bear paw quilt I'm finishing for my nephew is a huge lesson in humility because it is horrible with tons of mistakes. But I know that he will love it and not care that the points are chopped off. It gives me motivation to learn how to make my points sharp. (BTW -- I'd love suggestions about how to keep my points sharp).

Most of my suggestions are accuracy related and are prevention ideas. I will put something together and post it soon. Most of it is just common sense and paying attention to detail. I am guilty of it too. We get in a hurry and oh well that won't matter and like a tile floor that is laid wrong pretty soon those oh wells add up to a lot wrong and before you know it you have a skewed picture because you (universal you not any one person) has chopped off points the corners are crooked the center is not in line the seams are bowed or crooked.
All these can be prevented if you are willing to take a moment or two to pay a little extra attention to making sure you start out with a square square and you make sure you keep a 1/4" between the point and the edge of your block. ( this is one of the biggest reasons people lose points)
I will put together some of my prevention techniques that I use to straighten a crooked seam or to tighten a corner etc. It does pay to take time to do this if you are looking to keep your points or have straight looking seams etc.

This is the reason I don't really shrug off mistakes because I need to look at them and find out why it ended up this way and how can I not do this the next time. I am a perfectionist tho so I probably go farther than most to straighten the picture before I am satisfied with what I am putting out there.

I sell my stuff and I feel I need to do my best on it. But that is a subjective idea. What i consider the point where I stop fixing things is not the place others would stop fixing or maybe even start to begin with!

Rhonda 07-25-2009 04:13 PM


Originally Posted by QuiltMania
I try to think of them less as mistakes and more as lessons in humility. The bear paw quilt I'm finishing for my nephew is a huge lesson in humility because it is horrible with tons of mistakes. But I know that he will love it and not care that the points are chopped off. It gives me motivation to learn how to make my points sharp. (BTW -- I'd love suggestions about how to keep my points sharp).

QuiltMania I posted my Tips for not losing points Rhonda

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/l...52.page#458005

jumperfamily 07-25-2009 04:20 PM

You should "charge extra" for the "pink" and red one because now it a unique, hand-dyed product! It's all in the marketing!

Rhonda 07-25-2009 04:29 PM


Originally Posted by jumperfamily
You should "charge extra" for the "pink" and red one because now it a unique, hand-dyed product! It's all in the marketing!

Very interesting idea!!! Thanks I might have to do that next time!!! This one is already gone. Whether anyone bought it at the store I don't know.
I sell to a local gift store and then she sells to the public. I'll have to look next time I go.

Debra Mc 07-25-2009 05:02 PM

Somebody that didn't know quilting would have never noticed. I thought the second one was suppose to be that color. I really liked it.

Rhonda 07-25-2009 05:09 PM


Originally Posted by Debra Mc
Somebody that didn't know quilting would have never noticed. I thought the second one was suppose to be that color. I really liked it.

If you saw the second one up close I think you would realize the color had run. It had a funny look to it and is not consistant. I really don't like the look of the center. I wished I had left that alone but thought it would look to stark white as opposed to the pink parts. I really didn't like the whole thing but I think it sold so it is gone. I checked my inventory list and it is not there so I'm sure someone bought it.

motomom 07-25-2009 06:59 PM

Rhonda, thanks for posting these pics.

You are correct, I think, on quilting being a process. I do get a wonderful feeling when the process is finished, but it is nothing compared to the peaceful quietness of the process itself.

Bevanger 07-26-2009 04:19 AM

Thanks for sharing this Rhonda. I panic if I think I did something wrong.

Rhonda 07-26-2009 06:40 AM

I had a lady in one of my classes that I suggested if she didn't want to lose the points she might think about going back and tightening the seams. I said it exactly like that. She got real defensive and upset. And she dropped my class.
Now I don't care if your patchwork comes out wonky or all the points are lost. It is your work and you can make it any way you want. I was just trying to be helpful in a non judgemental way but she got her feelings hurt. I do understand that because I can do that too.
So it is all about how much attention to detail do you want to take time for. Some mistakes are worth redoing and some are just an oh well better luck next time.

I know our work is an extension of ourselves but life is too short to make it so meaningful that it makes you feel bad because you didn't do some steps as well as you might have.
Dorothy used to tell me when she first started doing my blocks for me( she had never done any quilting) that this old lady was dumb and had a hard time learning things. She learned to make all of my Blocks in just a very short time. She had little concept of matching colors and she has learned to have a very good eye for color combinations now. I no longer have to lead her into the right choices in the work she does for me. She is almost 70 and has a few ideas of her own that have inspired me! It is good to have someone to bounce ideas off of.

This is important so listen up! There are no dumb quilters! There are only quillters who haven't learned those particular lessons yet!! You can't expect to be able to run if you haven't learned to walk yet! It all takes time and it is a process not an overnight success.
Inexperience is not the same thing as being dumb.

I have had 30 years of learning to get where I am
today and I have a lot more to learn to get to where I wil be in the future. You never stop learning. I have learned a lot from all of you.

cutebuns 07-26-2009 08:00 AM

I need one of those smilie things that clap, Well said Rhonda, Bravo!


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