Illinois Quilter

It was the Amish who intentionally made a mistake in their quilts; only God is perfect!

lfstamper

You won't know how perfect you can be until you make something...lol. Get started and don't over think it. Can't wait to see your next project! If it is like your cross stitch it will be awesome!

KarenR

OH MY - Quilts are suppose to be perfect! I think there is a saying that every quilt is suppose to have at least one mistake.
Mine have more - he he he

sunny42539

They put the boo-boo in the quilts for 2 different reasons. Some thought it was bad luck to create anything perfect and others knew that only God and Jesus are perfect.

Friday1961

Maybe you could think of it this way: If being afraid to start because you don't want to cut into that gorgeous fabric, keep this in mind: There's more fabric where that came from, in case you make a mistake. If afraid what you turn out won't be perfect, think of the Wright brothers. Their first plane flew only a little way, but they got better. You will, too. Also, fabric not sewn is just beautiful; cut and pieced and quilted it is beautiful, useful, and an accomplishment.

Of course, it's entirely possible you don't really like to sew and don't really want to make quilts, and are only enchanted by the fabric, tools, and dedicated room to do it.....which is perfectly acceptable, too. If so, you'll realize it soon enough and probably move onto something else that is equally beautiful to you. But if you like to sew and really want to make quilts, take a deep breath and just dive in. Make yourself get out that fabric and cut it up!

I say all this because I share some of your attitudes and think I know how you feel. The only cure is just to make yourself do it -- realizing there is no true perfection -- or move on to something else....which you may develop the same fear about. I think you'll conquer it. Good luck!!

rj.neihart

You know, I can relate to this very well. I have received many compliments through the years on the quilts I have made, and always hope no one will notice the mistakes. As my husband has put it "if the quilts were prefect, they'd be made by a mold." So...now when I make a quilt and make a mistake, I keep going and overlook it. I find with all of my collection of material, I'm always hesitant cutting what I need because it all looks so good on the shelves. All material is neatly stacked or rolled nicely onto cardboard for easier storage. What I have to do is hold my breath, pull out the colors I want and start cutting. If I think about cutting, I won't do it. So it's an automatic thing and I have the design all laid out before I begin sewing. What I have a problem with is finishing the hand quilting - I get all excited, prepare, quilt, and just before I come to the end, I hesitate and put off finishing. My quilts are my friends, we've been through a lot of thought while creating the design, and I have a hard time letting go once again. I guess I'll have to push myself because I have 3 more tops to hand quilt before Christmas this year!

DawnFurlong

[QUOTE=pad's;5323509]Love this quote! Think I need to include this on the label of the quilt I am making for a friend in which I am NOT happy with how my FMQing is turning out.

I can relate to this all! Many good suggestions, I don't have much new to offer. I know that some quilters, if they aren't happy with how something is turning out (maybe they don't like the block they chose as much as they thought they would, or the colors - whatever) - they will use those blocks to practice other skills (such as FMQing) - or maybe making mug rugs or pot holders. I really like that idea. No waste! Perhaps you might want to start with smaller projects like that - and then work up to larger ones.

The picture you posted of your lap quilt in progress was very pretty. I encourage you like the others - you just have to make yourself jump in!! Let go, allow yourself to enjoy the process! I tend to be somewhat OCD, but a long while ago I left that at the door with my quilts. They are never perfect, and sometimes there is a mistake that I discover later (like a block the wrong way on a triple rail fence pattern) - and I have learned to accept it and not fret over it. Start quilting, start enjoying!!

anita211

Close your eyes, reach out and touch what you have laid out, and go for it. You just need a little push. Find a guild, go hang out at your LQS. Touch the samples. Look at the quilting. Talk to the people that work there. They are quilters too. Ask them if they lose their mojo once in awhile. I think I can speak for every member on this list. We all need a good push every so often.

butterflies5518

I tend to over think too - now I just dive right in but it was baby steps for sure. I read somewhere that even when you think that pretty fabric won't play well with others it does! Your design board quilt is very cute and all those points match! great job!

irishrose

For me, my points have to match, etc. I wish they didn't because I think it slows down the quilting process. But that doesn't stop me from quilting. If there's something you don't like in a quit as it progresses, change it - see my Two Quilts in One post in the picture forum. If you are not pleased with the lovely star quilt, start a new thread asking for ideas. The center is wonderful, but I can see why the border is a problem for you right now.

Start somewhere and know it's okay to be a perfectionist. We perfectionists put off starting because we feel we can't be perfect - it's a vicious circle, but we can work through it. One corner of the binding on my red quilt wouldn't behave. I had to settle for good enough - but you know what? It's finished, my daughter loves it and life is good.