I started several responses to this. I do believe in "finished is better than perfect" but that I am increasing my skills each time. I'm not doing shoddy work, I am working to the best of my abilities. They aren't going to get better without practice/use. My goals for my quilting are also not to win best at show, but to make a quilt usable and lasting and important for my projects, machine washable.
I'm not naturally talented in the selection of quilting designs. At first, I thought too much old school, block by block, no continuous lines. Then when I had the opportunity to be spoiled having access to a friend's long arm, well I got spoiled!
This past year I decided I really had to do something about getting my pieced tops together. My main problem is small space and for the last couple of years with Covid shut downs, I did not have access to any large tables or spaces. So, eventually I found a local free ping pong table which has no room inside the house but is outside in the backyard, carefully positioned and tarped against the rain. A ping pong table is 108" long -- my standard length for backings. It is 60" wide, same as my queen bed (but without the 4 posters), has divisions along both middles to help position. The height is better for me. I am able to quickly and easily sandwich my tops together (now that I bought some clamps and such) and then I spray basted.
I also got an actual sewing table where my machine can be dropped to table top height. The added space of the table to help support the top and the lowering of height has improved both my physical endurance and the quality of my technical skills.
So far I've completed quilting two queen tops. I chose bold designs that I felt did not need quilting to enhance them, only hold them together and so I got used to working with the large tops again by simple serpentine stitched along the grid lines. I have a third in progress where I "stabilized" it using serpentine stitching along the block design, I've been working at some tests and will be filling in the large portions with a free motion meander. The next quilt after that will feature a stronger free motion design.
Each quilt will be finished. Perfection is unlikely for me, but a well constructed sturdy, attractive product with good workmanship is not
