joe'smom

I won't tolerate much in construction flaws if I'm able to fix it, but what I am more tolerant of is the design mistakes that I realize I've made, after the top is completed. I would say all of the quilts I've made thus far are flawed in some way (with regard to color, contrast, etc.), but I think that because I've invested so much time in thinking about them and making them, I tend to grow fond of them anyway.

As for construction, I believe my standards have risen along with my skills. My early quilts are much less precise, but I can tolerate that because I know it was the best I could do at the time.

anchoredhope

If it's a big mistake, like a piece in the wrong place, or turned the wrong way, yes I fix it. But a lot of minor stuff, I often leave. I'm not making quilts for show, as others have said. Most people who see my stuff know nothing about quilting and say it looks great. I do what I can with the time I have. I don't have a lot of time to sew, so that sometimes makes my decision. Of course I want things to look nice and be well made, but I want them made, I can't fix every little thing. Which actually shows growth in me as I used to be a bad perfectionist. 😅 I once had a friend over when I was sewing and I made a minor mistake. She said, "Oh honey that's nothing-just a little humble". She said her grandma called her sewing mistakes "humbles". I also like the saying-I think it was actually Karen Brown I heard it from, "If you can't see your mistake from a galloping horse 50 feet away-don't worry about it." I'm having to use this with a current project right now. I'm doing a project with open seams and not everything is matching as well as when I nest my seams. I've decided that it's ok. These are pillow covers for throw pillows in my bedroom. If anyone does see them, it will be from such a distance that you really can't tell my corners are not perfectly lined up. So I've got to take a breath and let it go and say it's ok. I still am trying my best to get them lined up and even asked for help on the board, but if they don't all line up perfectly it's going to be ok.

greaterexp

I strive for perfection but accept reality. I've learned to be easier on myself after sewing with a group. We quickly realized that to make a quilt, we had to accept the facts that we had different machines, different skill levels, and different ideas about perfection. Most of our fabrics were donations and didn't always play well together. But to get a donation quilt to its recipients, we needed to work together the best we could. That's helped me realize that in my own quilting process, the goal was for the recipient to be happy with it, rather than win an award. I've never had a recipient look at one of my quilts and say, "but those seams don't match perfectly!" I do try to keep bettering myself with my quilting process, but it's no hill to die on.

bearisgray

I've always thought the idea of "a deliberate mistake" to be extremely ( looking for the right word - - -))

I certainly make many unintentional mistakes with almost every project I try. Many of the mistakes are minor, but they take away from my idea of "perfection".

Anniedeb

I am a perfectionist. I drive myself crazy sometimes. It really depends on who the quilt is being made for. If it is a gift, there is little room for error. If it's for me, I try to cut myself slack. I see huge mistakes that aren't there, as in my point or seams don't match...perfectly. Missing by 2-3 thread widths is OK. STID wavers a bit...OK. I just always want to keep improving and not get complacent.

SuzzyQ

Perfection is highly over-rated. Done is much better. Few of my quilts are perfect... but they are stunning and satisfying. That's what matters to me.

SusieQOH

Big mistakes are one thing and I will certainly try to fix them. However, you wouldn't believe how many quilts I've made with something that really bugged me only to totally forget about it down the road!
I agree with the poster who said we are our own worst critics. A finished quilt is usually so pretty that a minor mistake is hardly noticed.
I will note though- I am pretty fussy when it's something to gift another person.

stitch678

I worked for months on a hand applique needleturn quilt. It's for myself ( 99% of mine are donation quilts). I used a fleece blanket as backing, and there's 80/20 in the middle. A light custom on my longarm and the quilt came off the frame lovely and straight, and lay flat. However, l must've stretched the edges as l sewed on the flanged binding, because now the borders ripple. Do l care? Well, yes for photo tsking and such...but no , not for anything else. It's wonderful to snuggle under, and the pretty florals, bees & birds in the blocks make me smike. I'm not " fixing" it. Who knows, maybe after washing all will be " normal" 🙂

aashley333

I am new to FMQ. I'm not waiting until I am proficient to quilt my finishes. I just plowed into it. The judge at the quilt show judging my nautilus pixel commented that my loops needed to be smoother. I already knew that, and it did not hurt my feelings. It received a third place ribbon, but I feel that if I quilted by check it would have been first. I am happy knowing I did the whole process by myself!