Stitchnripper

No one in my family sewed except my Grandpa but long before I was born, and he never did touch his treadle again (it lives with my elderly aunt who sewed for me sometimes, but never would do any teaching, and now she won't let me have it!) We played with the treadle with no thread, and I have always been fascinated with it and took "sewing" in school every chance I got. Fast forward to 10 years ago when I retired and took up quilting. No one that has gotten a quilt for me has complained, at least not to me! None of them sew or do anything remotely crafty, so they are very impressed with simple things. But truly I quilt for my own pleasure and don't even give away lots of what I make. I just enjoy my collection. Sometimes I just practice techniques. Sometimes just feel like hearing the hum of the machine. Yes, I strive to be as perfect as I can get, and will rip to get closer, but, alas, I am not perfect. But, I am happy with the "good enough" which is pretty good in my opinion.

Terri D.

I push hard for accuracy to the point where I make practice blocks to double check my cutting, piecing and pressing before turning to my good fabric. It's partly an OCD thing with me, plus my mom stressed it when she was teaching me to sew. I'm so grateful to her that she instilled in me a desire to be patient and take my time so I would be proud of the finished product. Also, I've found that accuracy in piecing makes machine quilting easier, particularly when stitching in the ditch.

Doggramma

As accurate as I can be, especially making sure points aren't cut off. Cutting on the straight of grain - remember making clothing and using the grain arrows on the pattern. Sometimes things aren't perfect, and I'll give myself 2 tries to rip it and/or re-do it. If 2 tries don't result in a better match or getting out a pucker, I move on. I'm not a huge perfectionist, but I want things to look as nice as I can make, especially when sewing for others.

bearisgray

She was - a very talented person. I think she did the best she could with what she had to work with! Now there are things I wish I had asked her about or have had her teach to me or demonstrate. But by the time I knew I wanted to know about whatever - she died!

I asked my sister that lived next door to her for all her life - "Did Mom ever show you how to ?? And she said "No - Mom just went ahead and did it"

I think we learned a lot from example. I don't remember ever being lectured to.

jo bauer

Apocryphal stories have it that the Amish purposely put a mistake in their quilts to show that only God is perfect. I've alway laughed at that idea--no need to put in a deliberate mistake; I make enough of them to prove He is the only perfect one around here. I, as most quilters and sewers do, try my best to make a lovely piece. However, I do have a private rule: If the fix doesn't work the third time after a serious bout with my best friend, the seam ripper, I leave the missed point, corner, crooked seam or whatever in the project and just get on with it. I agree with "better finished than perfect or another UFO wandering around."

athomenow

I do the best I can and don't stress over it if it's not perfect. I do unravel crochet and rip out knitting if I find an error even if it's rows back. No one else might see it but it bothers me because I know it's there. I have a wall hanging that has a horrible error on it that I didn't even see until it was up on the wall. I hate it now and I will do another one the right way! There are some things that are never going to line up but I will make every effort to do it right.

RipStitcher

In beading, we hear about placing a "Spirit Bead" in the work - for the same reason... that we're just human.

ManiacQuilter2

I agree with Tartan. This is not a job but suppose to be an enjoyable hobby. If you enjoy being a perfectionist, then that works for you. Others may not have the skills and just want to have an enjoyable hobby. But in block exchange at a guild I use to belong to, the sloppiness of the work some quilter's handed in was sub-par. Ended up doing some careful ripping and resewing.

NikkiLu

About 40 years ago I had a birthday party at my house for somebody - can't remember who. Anyway, my mother-in-law came with her neighbor, a very elderly lady. I had my very first quilt in a big frame in my living room and was in the process of hand quilting it. The neighbor came to inspect my quilt and remarked "well, at least the stitches aren't big enough so that you will get your toenails caught in them". Which, I guess, was a compliment!!!!! So, I have never worried too much about my quilting since then.

zennia

If its fixable or screaming at me I will do my best to fix it, that is why I have so many seam rippers laying around, if not I just carry on.