Finished is better than perfect. That phrase doesn’t sit well with those of us who are unhappy when something we are making has flaws. It is logical that we as human beings are not perfect, so how can we burden ourselves with perfectionism? Keep reading and you may even want to make this your mantra along with me.
How Did I Not See This Sooner?
How did I not see this sooner? In the process of making a quilt, I look at and study each block as I make them. To get more insight into how often a quilter looks at their work, read https://www.sewingwithstitcher.com/squaring-up/. The blocks then go on a design wall. When I am pleased with the layout, I stitch rows of blocks together. The top is finished and goes back on the design wall. I continue to study the top to decide if it needs borders, how many, and what colors. If I put borders on, I will once again put the top with borders back on the design wall to see if it needs anything else. In other words, I look at quilt tops under construction a lot! So how did I miss this?
A Photo is Worth a Thousand Words
You have heard the saying “A photo is worth a thousand words” right? Read on while I tell you how true that is in this case.
I completed this quilt a few years ago and finally got it quilted and the binding on. I put it aside and forgot about it until a normal Spring in Washington. When there was a brief break between rainstorms and the sun was out, I quickly did an outdoor photo shoot on some items I hoped to list on Etsy. One item was this quilt.
That evening I downloaded the photos to my laptop. When I saw the quilt picture, I could not believe my eyes! Why had I not seen this before? It had to have always been there! Now I could see nothing else! A flaw! One half-square triangle block turned the wrong way making me think of Pac Man! The fix could have been made so easily if only I saw it before it was quilted and bound. Now, too many stitches would have to be ripped and re-quilted, so I chose to leave it as it is.
I was devastated! This 80″x 92″ quilt I had worked so hard on could not be sold. Did I ever mention I can be a perfectionist about some things? However, my middle daughter liked the quilt just as it is. So, it is a quilt someone loves even if it has an imperfection. But how did I not see this earlier?
Finished is Better Than Perfect – A Mantra
“Finished is better than perfect” is my mantra. This is a phrase often heard as words of encouragement to a fellow quilter. In this instance, I have stopped beating myself up over an “oops”. So, I say to you, the only thing better than perfect is finished! Now if I would just believe it!