Should you tell someone if you see a mistake?
#41
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
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How do you know it's a mistake? There is a legend (true or not I don't know) that the Amish always put a mistake in every quilt because they say only God is perfect. So how are you to know if the quilter put the "mistake" there for spiritual reasons, or to be "outside the box". I would just keep it to myself unless asked by the quilter.
#42
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On a completed project, no I wouldn't. As far as mismatched seams, lost points, etc. no, because I get them too sometimes no matter how hard I try. If someone showed me a top and I saw a misplaced block I would mention it but not make a big fuss.
#43
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Even though I take photos as I go along, sometimes our brains see what should be there rather than what is there.
#45
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Location: NW Kansas
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As far as pointing out cut off points, I think that would be down right rude, a very good friend of mine once told me, when I said something about cutting off some of my star points, she said, " they are not cut off, just nicely hidden in the seam". That is how I look at points that don't show pointie
#46
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I would be very happy if some one found one of my opps before I had quilted it , I found a big oops in the first raffle quilt I made was so glad I found it before it was too late and quilted, so if any of you ever see a oops from me please let me know no worries
#47
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I'm in the "please tell me" camp if it's an unquilted layout mistake. Otherwise, I'd rather be blissfully ignorant (or hope everyone else is if I already saw the error). A tactful PM would be my preferred method of communication.
#50
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If the person asks for feedback, I would provide my opinion. If I know the person plans to enter it in a juried show (meaning they are open to feedback), I would probably provide my opinion. Otherwise, I don't feel qualified to comment on someone else's art. There have been a LOT of really beautiful quilts that only became as beautiful as they are today because someone didn't realize a "mistake" until it was too late. It's the reason we have applique, decorative stitches & other interesting techniques. I don't ever feel like a quilt would be "ruined" by me keeping my opinions to myself.
Have I personally found that lightly quilted quilts tend to shift/pucker/pull apart after so many washes? Of course & I'm happy to share that information with people asking if their quilt is quilted enough. Am I a fiber purist? You bet & I got that way through experience & fiber studies. But you know what? I've also seen quilters with FAR more talent than I have who've thrown in every fiber imaginable & created a stunning art quilt. I've seen people who used minimal quilting & it worked for them. I've known people who intentionally created one pinwheel or one churndash that went the wrong way & they used a contrasting color to highlight it & then named their quilt something like "against the grain" or "out of sync" and it made a statement, very effectively, about how breaking the status quo can be interesting, beautiful, or an agent for change. So I don't presume to know what people's intentions are with a particular design (and honestly, for a design change, I'd probably still be more likely to write "Cool. You made the one block in reverse & put it in red! How daring -- I love it!" than to assume it was some kind of mistake I was calling out.). If it's a wavy border or partially stuffed binding & they're entering it in a show, I probably would suggest that most judges would look for X, Y & Z and offer a way to fix it.
If I truly thought someone always did very conventional quilts & would be heartbroken if no one pointed out that one block was constructed differently, I guess I'd send them a PM & admit I'm never sure whether to share my thoughts about other people's art & ask if they're looking for other people's feedback and opinions. Hopefully they'd feel comfortable enough to give an honest answer as to whether they're okay with feedback or not.
Have I personally found that lightly quilted quilts tend to shift/pucker/pull apart after so many washes? Of course & I'm happy to share that information with people asking if their quilt is quilted enough. Am I a fiber purist? You bet & I got that way through experience & fiber studies. But you know what? I've also seen quilters with FAR more talent than I have who've thrown in every fiber imaginable & created a stunning art quilt. I've seen people who used minimal quilting & it worked for them. I've known people who intentionally created one pinwheel or one churndash that went the wrong way & they used a contrasting color to highlight it & then named their quilt something like "against the grain" or "out of sync" and it made a statement, very effectively, about how breaking the status quo can be interesting, beautiful, or an agent for change. So I don't presume to know what people's intentions are with a particular design (and honestly, for a design change, I'd probably still be more likely to write "Cool. You made the one block in reverse & put it in red! How daring -- I love it!" than to assume it was some kind of mistake I was calling out.). If it's a wavy border or partially stuffed binding & they're entering it in a show, I probably would suggest that most judges would look for X, Y & Z and offer a way to fix it.
If I truly thought someone always did very conventional quilts & would be heartbroken if no one pointed out that one block was constructed differently, I guess I'd send them a PM & admit I'm never sure whether to share my thoughts about other people's art & ask if they're looking for other people's feedback and opinions. Hopefully they'd feel comfortable enough to give an honest answer as to whether they're okay with feedback or not.
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