Crossing lines... Excellence over Perfection

on not being perfect.

Jasmine of quiltkisses. said she might like the look of less perfect machine quilting.
I couldn't agree more, so all the judges out there, look away now.

some quilting on "Reaching...."

It's like seeing brush strokes on old paintings,  like plaster walls with dappled paint,  like rough hewn antique furniture with some dents and signs of having been made by hand. For me, free motion quilting is better when you see the maker in the movement.

I am not a fan of a BSR...or perfection. It's too far removed from the maker's exuberance.
Perfection is just so sterile, cold, machine-made.

There is something about  texture.
 Something about the connection with a maker.

 I have always, from early childhood been in love with making things. My favorite tool is my hands. I love seeing the maker in a finished piece.
Think about it, when you see an actual Monet painting, he touched it. You see where he did. 

My friend Annie commented on my free flowers quilted into Reaching. She asked if I remembered ( in the 80's ) we were told free motion quilting lines were not to cross each other? It was a rule.

Well, here's a little story of connections.
I married in the early 90's, quit social work, moved to MD with my new husband and joined a quilt guild. I had been quilting for a long time in FL and didn't know guilds existed. The first show I entered was a little quilt called "my favorite things". I just had a good time quilting motifs, and swirls and whatever my eyes wanted to see, my heart wanted to feel.

They must not have seen the value in it, as they hung the small piece near the floor in the back.

A woman who would become my friend,  Mary,  came and found me at the show. She said she just loved the rule-breaking, line crossing quilting in my free form quilt. She and I went on to form a 20 plus year friendship that continues despite her move across the country.

Like most of my quilts, that quilt is personal and tells my story. It's the kind of quilt I like to make.  I just didn't care what was acceptable in the quilt world... my style and vision were more important to my work. All my quilts are well constructed, they lay flat, have fairly regular stitches, and I try to follow the guidelines of good design.

I believe one can achieve good workmanship in one's chosen medium, as well as being original and working from your heart. I also believe

Perfection is over rated.

  Excellence is more important than perfection.
 Guidelines are more important than rules.
Individuality should shine through. Originality gives the viewer a peek into your personality.
Any artist should strive for excellence in their chosen medium, but perfection??  nah. 

For more posts on this series of Creativity Roadblocks--Overcoming them CLICK HERE