Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Donna Kellstrom on April 28, 2012 at 8:17am

Enjoy your new quilt and focus on the beauty of it and all you did right.  I'm sure it's beautiful.  " Remember only god is perfect our quilts don't need to be"

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Schifano Thomas on April 28, 2012 at 8:30am

Donna,

You are so right.  God is awesome.  I'm so thankful he granted us creativity.  

Have a super day!

Jennifer

Curlicue Creations

Permalink Reply by Rose James on July 14, 2012 at 12:59pm

I second this advice from Jennifer S.  Mistakes can almost always be un-done one way or another, so it is ok to make them. Worst case, you might have to completely remake a block or so. One time I decided a paricular fabric just did not work with the rest of the quilt (after all). This was after I made all the blocks and was ready to sew them together.  So had to choose another fabric and remake the all the blocks that had that fabric in it.  Now I have some extra blocks that might one day work in another quilt!

Almost always, there is a point in building a quilt where I don't really like it.  All my quilts get called "the quilt from Hell" at some point!  I just have to push forward and keep working on it, eventually I see the vision come through.  I don't know what it is, call it the Ugly Duckling affect...sometimes things don't look good when half done, they need to be completed to shine. Just takes perseverance to get them there.

Permalink Reply by Alexandra Henry on April 29, 2012 at 6:29am

Start thinking of yourself as an exceptionalist instead of perfectionist.  You want to do your best work and as long as you are trying to achieve that, allow yourself to be human and make mistakes :).

Permalink Reply by Janie Lewicki on May 2, 2012 at 8:43am

The Amish will intentionally put a mistake in their quilts.  I heard this on a TV documentary about the Amish.  They feel that God is the only perfect being.  I spent last weekend in Shipshewana, IN and wouldn't even attempt to find the mistake in one of those quilts.  There are no words that can describe the beauty of Amish quilts. 

Permalink Reply by Danielle Braley-Winkle on August 3, 2012 at 8:57am

We are not computerized quilting machines, no human is perfect & therefore, nothing we do will be perfect. We simply do the best we can, keep trying, keep learning-best way is from our mistakes. If a mistake can be "fixed" with ripper or other material, do so. You've already dedicated time into the project, you'll just give it more than planned if an error does happen. I liked the comment added about the ugly duckling, so true & something may look off while working on it, but when finished it shines.

Permalink Reply by Ethelda Hillsman on August 20, 2012 at 11:29am

You have received some great advice. My rule of thumb is 'unsew no more than 2 times'. If it still is not perfect, LIVE with it. lol Vicki's analogy to the galloping horse is a good one to keep in mind. Another quilter friend also told me that a lot of mistakes 'disappear' when the item is quilted. Good luck and don't be so critical. My best friend in TN is also a perfectionist and her name is Joyce.  Could be the name?lolol

Permalink Reply by Cheri Foster on October 31, 2012 at 12:27pm

I come from the same school of thought.  If you unsew more than two times the block becomes distorted and the fabric may tear.  I just throw that block away and start over.  Little mistakes dissapear when quilted such as a chopped off point or a not so straight border.  Just keep plugging along and you will get it.  It is supposed to be fun.  I know that we all want to do perfect work.  But only God is perfect.  We can only do our best with the gifts of creativity that he has given us.  I have yet to make a quilt for myself because I end up starting one and then it goes to someone else who has fallen in love with it even though I see the mistakes.

Permalink Reply by Sheila Horton on October 31, 2012 at 1:00pm

One thing I love about these boards is there is always so many wonderful suggestions from everyone there are a lot of fabulous quilters on here. I am new to quilting I've only been doing this for a couple of years and one of the things that I find for me is that I am a visual learner I hate reading instructions as every designer has a different way of doing things. So for me I go to you tube and the quilting boards and look for tutorials for things I'm unsure of, and I also take some crap fabric and try doing the block first that way and measure and check my 1/4". I have also been told by my own instructors if you've got to rip it out more than twice move on to another block and unless your whole quilt is being used by that one pattern; then substitute it with another block you like. 

Permalink Reply by Diana Lewis on February 8, 2013 at 5:22pm

I am very much a newbie - I've made 3 table runners so far.  I was afraid of making a mistake, but then I realized if I don't just do it, I'll sit here staring at fabric and a sewing machine for years!  For the quilt itself, I just followed the directions step by step.  And yes, I destroyed a few yards of fabric, but that's the price you pay for learning.  Yes, it's well worth the price!  I am also doing my own machine quilting (since I'm only making small quilts) and all I did was make some practice squares until I got the techniques sort-of down.  Oh, I also bought a super-slippery pad for my machine which really helped.  My designs are far from perfect, but the imperfections are what make a home-made quilt so special!

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Schifano Thomas on February 10, 2013 at 1:51pm

Awesome, Diana!  You have a great attitude.  It's also amazing to look back at some of your first quilts as time goes by to see how much you have learned and improved.  Quilting just keeps getting better the more you practice.  Did you post pics of your table runners?  I would love to see.  Have a super day!

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