Thread:Superkenzie/@comment-33437691-20200103172834/@comment-33437691-20200110161014

You are more of a quilter than you think; the fact of doing more than one qualifies you! I can relate to everything you say, including having trouble matching the corners (I only use the sewing machine for the patchwork; I have no idea how people machine quilt. I would end up throwing the machine and the quilt out the window trying to mess around with that bulk! It's hard enough on the frame.) I am no longer a perfectionist; which I see as a major personality improvement because I never judged anyone else by the same yardstick. It meant that I never liked anything I did, because it wasn't...ta dah!...perfect. It also limited what I did. It came about playing the piano, actually: I would stumble on some notes (as I was learning the piece! Like, who doesn't???) and stop completely, beat myself up a bit...I ended up not playing for years. Then six years ago I started again and was able to think "who cares" and voila, it seemed to spread to all aspects of my life. It's not like I'm a clumsy lummox that can't do anything right or that my projects look inferior, so let up already! And I have. I'm also not trying to enter competitions or play on a concert stage, so I'm not trying to be assessed by those standards.

I have been very, make that VERY, fortunate that none of my colours have run, yet; knowing that it could happen, I haven't washed any of my cross stitching projects. Most of them have full cover, but I did some Japanese geishas and a samurai, both of which were isolated figures on the open background. I was super careful about handling them, but even them some smudges showed up. Fortunately I was able to sponge these away with some persistence. Re quilting, I kind of like the crumpled appearance that comes from not pre-washing the fabric, but I am taking a risk. In thinking about it, I realize it's because I use so many colours, none of which are WHITE or near white, and that many of the fabrics are patterned with multiple colours, so maybe there has been some running.

Funny you should mention projects not being appreciated. It astounds me how indifferent people can be, however much they clearly look impressed by what you're doing while you're doing it. But time passes: I gave away the dragon quilt I mentioned--or rather, my mother took it, because I was going to throw it away, being imperfect (!!!)--and I didn't see it untl years later, when it was clearly well used (sun faded in spots; a few loose threads etc). She died, and then my son wanted it, and he used it until I replaced it with the green one I showed you. Ditto for the cot quilt I made my sister; it was well used...but I sensed a kind of resentment in her about it...maybe that's the wrong word. Maybe because it's something she thought she should have done herself. I have no idea. People can be very strange; I'm trying to learn to not try interpreting what's going on (with 2 "tries" in a statement, I"m in for a long learning curve on that one, I'm afraid) but I am also not willing to 'give' my projects away. I may try selling them on line at some point; storage is an issue.

My, this is getting long. Apologies! It's my morning coffee time. But one last thing: no, the metallic thread is not the same as in cross-stitch, and you're right, it is challenging to work. Metallic embroidery thread is still challenging because it's more slippery and doesn't catch the material or batting as well as cotton or even polyester threads do. And I've noticed that more of those quilting stitches have broken over time; the others are still robust after multiple washings. It's not actually meant for quilting (at least what I used) but it looks so impressive that I'll just fix it (one of these days).

Happy stitching, to you as well.