When my first book, Piecing Makeover, was published ten years ago I struggled with how to promote it. How do I encourage people to have an easier time piecing without sounding like the quilt police? People loved the book. It’s sold a lot of copies (and continues to sell!) but I’m embarrassed to say it’s taken me ten years to realize that encouraging piecing proficiency is different than policing piecing and/or quilting.
New quilters need encouragement. We need to invite them in, teach and uplift them. Not police their work. Truthfully, we shouldn’t police anyones work. No one starts out a great quilter. NO. ONE. I certainly didn’t. We learn from each other. In person. Through books. Online or, often, through simple trial and error.
The goal of Piecing Makeover is to take the frustration out of piecing. I want to fill your toolbox with the tools to make piecing a more enjoyable experience. What you do with those tools is up to you. Chop off a point. Fine. Don’t want to remove the selvedge edge. Go for it. Have some wonky bits. I’m here for that, too!
My job to uplift your work, and create tools to help make piecing easier. My job as someone who has quilted a long time is to welcome you into this space with open arms and without judgement.
However, if you get stuck and ask for help, I’ll always share how to make your piecing journey lighter.
So, what are the 5 myths of piecing proficiency? Here’s my two cents.
Myth 1: You need a fancy sewing machine
All you need to start your piecing journey is a sewing machine that sews a straight line. There is a high cost of entry to quilting and, frankly, if you aren’t sure if you are going to like quilting, there is no need for the high investment.
My best advice is to buy the best machine you can afford. If it’s from Grandma’s closet? Great. If you found it at an estate sale or on Marketplace? Fabulous.
My point is – you ONLY need to sew a straight line to begin. Keep it simple.
Myth 2: You need every possible gadget to achieve a perfect 1/4” seam allowance
While some of the gadgets are absolutely worthwhile investments, you don’t *have* to have them to begin. Depending on the machine you have, you can move your needle to the right, put tape across the throat plate or use any number of tricks to help get a perfect 1/4” seam allowance.
Practice really does make perfect and tools help but if they aren’t in your budget, get creative to figure out how to make it work.
Later, when and if you decide you need them, THEN make the investment.
Myth 3: Being proficient makes you the quilt police
If you judge other peoples work for NOT being perfect then yep! You’re the quilt police. And if you have thoughts on their work, keep it to yourself. People creating art and putting sharing it with the world is an act of bravery. We should applaud their efforts.
If being proficient is important to you and you keep your mouth shut – welcome to the club. We want you here.
The point is, you can be proficient and help others fill their toolbox. Policing happens when you decide they aren’t using the tools the way they should and you share it with them, or others. It’s not our job to tell people when and how to use the tools. It’s our job (my job as a teacher) to fill their toolbox and set them free to create in whatever manner speaks to them. Period.
Myth 4: Not being proficient makes you a bad quilter
Piecing proficiency is NOT for everyone and, fortunately for quilters, there is no one size fits all when it comes to piecing and quilting.
I have quilt friends who cannot for the life of them master a 1/4” seam allowance and they have gorgeous quilts.
I have quilt friends who use rotary cutters and rulers with reckless abandon and they have gorgeous quilts.
I have quilt friends who appreciate my attention to detail but don’t care about precision the way I do because it does not bring them joy. Like, at all. They have gorgeous quilts.
I have art quilt friends who work in a totally different space who have gorgeous quilts.
Piecing proficiency helps you make flatter quilts (usually, take that with a grain of salt) but it is not for everyone and that is okay. If not being proficient makes you a beginner, a more fluid artist, just creating for fun or any other number of things THAT IS OKAY. It doesn’t make you a bad quilter. It’s your style and you get to own it.
Myth 5: Lack of traditional piecing proficiency means your quilts will never get a ribbon
This is unequivocally false but it might also depend on the show.
If you submit a quilt to a more traditional show, like AQS, it might mean you don’t get a ribbon. It also doesn’t mean you won’t.
If you submit your quilt to shows like the MQG or Quilt National, their rules and criteria are different so you absolutely could get a ribbon. Or not.
If the past 20 or so years of quilting has shown me anything it’s that rules are great, you don’t always have to follow them, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and don’t let a ribbon (or lack of one) stand in your way of creating something you love.
There are quilts at shows that I would never make because that is not MY style. Do I appreciate them? Absolutely. Does it encourage me to stretch and push my boundaries in ways that are comfortable for me? Also yes.
What’s the takeaway?
Piecing proficiency is important to me, but that doesn’t mean it has to be important to you. When I teach, it’s my job to fill your toolbox. What, when and how you use those tools is entirely up to you.
The most important thing we can do as quilters is encourage others to get creative and make things. Help them find the same joy we find from our art.
Make a semi-circle and invite quilters into it. There’s room for everyone. Wonky seams, perfect seams and all.
LINKY LOVE:
BUY: Piecing Makeover
TAKE A CLASS: Piecing Makeover for Flawless Quilts