This question, posed by a quilter/blogger made me reflect on how I deal with errors (in quilting and in life...)
First of all, I make quilting mistakes all the time, sometimes through carelessness. At other times, trying to cut corners...
My current quilt project is a good example...
Oops! Something is out of alignment! Maybe I need to pin this (and if that doesn't work, baste it...)
So I ripped open the seam, pinned it, and resewed it, learning from my error.
There! It's still not perfect, but I can live with it...
Occasionally I leave a mistake in - assuming that nobody will notice it. But if it bothers me, I have learned that - in the long run - I will be happier if I take the time to correct it... Though sometimes I have to put it aside for a day or two before I can face the task of undoing.
(A lot of errors are made when I'm tired...)
If I were to assess how much "redoing" I have to do - it's probably less than 5% in quilting. A lot more in knitting (perhaps 10%), where my biggest problem is making something the right size... So I usually have to decide whether to give the knit item away or tear it apart and make it smaller (or larger).
I'm not a perfectionist. Years ago, I heard a motto that I like: Good enough is good enough. It was the motto of a church where they were encouraging people to participate more, regardless of skill level. They weren't looking for perfection - but rather, shared participation.
So I try. Fear of making a mistake would make me reluctant to try anything! And when I do make a mistake, if it bothers me, I correct it. If it doesn't, I leave it alone... It doesn't have to be perfect! (When my children roll up in a quilt to watch TV, they don't care if the stitches are even. They like it because it keeps them warm!)
So to answer the question why quilters don't blog more about their mistakes...
If they're like me, they want to forget them and move on (hoping nobody else will notice!)
Hi Marlene! :) I was just googling on the topic of mistakes and so i was able to stumble on your blog. I also then took the liberty to, uh, "tour around", especially with your latest posts. hehehe... :)
ReplyDeleteI like your analogy on mistakes and knitting, although we don't do much knitting here in our country. I do agree with your concluding sentence, which is what i think most of us would do with mistakes, hoping nobody will notice, hehehe... And that, we'll be happier if we do correct ourselves.
Thank you Ma'am! :)