All of us wrestle with perfectionism typically, and it steals from our pleasure. Right now I’m sharing a narrative about my most complicated quilting challenge to this point… and the precious lesson it taught me about letting go of perfectionism.
I completed my epic hexie quilt at a Chicago Trendy Quilt Guild retreat, surrounded by pals. It was a beautiful day so we went to a close-by lake for pictures
From a senseless exercise to a deliberate challenge
My epic hexie quilt is my favourite challenge thus far on my quilting journey. It began as a strategy to preserve my palms busy whereas watching TV; I’d take these little 1-inch hexagon papers and baste cloth to them, accumulating stacks and stacks of cuties.
After a yr or so, I made a decision I wanted a plan. My pal Robbi helped me create a digital doc that will enable me to dimension a quilt up or down – and know precisely what number of hexies I wanted. I continued to baste hexies on a regular basis, grabbing scraps from pals and “fussy reducing” to get the exact picture I wished in every hexagon.
Then I sorted all my hexies by colour and did some sophisticated math to determine what number of rows of every colour I might make with my hexies. I coloured in my doc from Robbi and began stitching them collectively.
To complete the quilt, I embroidered one final hexie with the full variety of hexies within the challenge: 2,752
I obtained VERY invested within the success of my hexie quilt
My hexies traveled with me to international international locations, and to pals’ homes. I sewed at enterprise conferences and lakeside picnics. I barely know how you can estimate what number of hours I put into making the quilt – I in all probability put 100 hours into basting hexies, simply, and I’m certain I put many a whole lot of hours stitching all of them collectively. Might it’s 1,000 hours? Maybe – I stretched the entire challenge out over nearly 5 years.
So I used to be invested. This was going to be a “good” quilt. Regardless of what number of instances I had suggested pals about letting go of perfectionism, I held on to it with an iron fist.
My approach was sturdy: I hand pieced the whole challenge and I deliberate how you can get it quilted (my pal Amy did a fantastic job). I researched how you can do a hand-sewn dealing with as a substitute of an ordinary binding so I might keep the enjoyable shapes alongside the perimeters. On October 27, 2019, within the firm of many pals, I completed it.
I felt triumphant! And so many buddies had helped and watched me work – all of us ran exterior to the lakefront to take photographs of it.
Buddies Katie Cooper, Sarah Shulman and Jen Beatty had been among the many of us who helped me have a good time the completion of the epic hexie quilt
Then got here my lesson in letting go of perfectionism
Then I took it dwelling and washed it. And cried.
A number of the dye from the darkest materials had bled onto the sunshine backing. The backing that was alleged to be starkly colorless to distinction the entrance. My “good” backing.
Just a few pals supplied strategies to assist take away the dye, and their recommendation helped quite a bit – I used to be in a position to take away a lot of the dye, however not all of it. About 10 faintly coloured ghosts of hexagons stay on the backing, in turquoise, yellow, and scorching pink.
These are the sorts of marks that stayed on the again… like little ghosts of the hexie shapes on the entrance bled by way of. There are about 10 of those marks. I’ve realized to like them!
At first I used to be so unhappy. I had labored all this time to make this “good” quilt! However after a pair days, I began to really feel higher. It was nonetheless my quilt, even with imperfections. It was nonetheless a creation I labored on tirelessly for 5 years, one which linked me with many pals.
My finest pal Natalie’s kiddos stayed at my home quickly after, and her 7-year-old begged to sleep below it. He didn’t care in regards to the flaws. He thought it was superior. And each time he’s spent the evening since, he’s requested that quilt.
Step-by-step course of for letting go of perfectionism
Listed here are a few of the steps I went by way of to embrace my quilt’s (and my) imperfections:
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Settle for that the act of letting go of perfectionism was mandatory (acceptance is usually step one of constructing large change!)
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Take into account the entire optimistic traits of the artistic challenge (the craftsmanship, the love I put into it, the reminiscences related to it, the exuberant colour and fussy reducing, and many others.)
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Remembering that handmade gadgets can by no means be good, and that’s a giant a part of why I really like making issues by hand – the errors present the humanity
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Take into consideration how a baby or a favourite pal would admire the quilt (and settle for that they’d NOT level out its imperfections)
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Remind myself that it’s attainable to be sort to myself about errors, even when others haven’t been previously (we typically have destructive voices in our heads, and we have to present them the door)
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Follow loving the challenge through the use of it, sharing it with family members, and displaying it to individuals with out declaring its “flaws”
I’ve realized to like my epic hexie quilt, and not consider it as a “fail”
Studying to like imperfections
Inside just some days, I used to be again to loving my epic hexie quilt. The method of constructing that quilt was unbelievable, one which required planning and persistence and collaboration. The observe of quilting was one I labored on every day, which meant my talent stage and confidence grew and grew. I created a way of life that accommodated me quilting always – even enterprise conferences, the place fellow attendees had been fascinated and requested if they may attempt stitching a number of stitches.
Right here’s what I dodged in letting go of perfectionism:
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If I had solely targeted on the completed product, this quilt would actually have been a failure
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I’d have been depressing that I couldn’t enter it right into a quilt present or win an award
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I’d have felt self-conscious about displaying it to anybody
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I’d have felt resentment as a substitute of pleasure each time I appeared on the quilt
However the course of, observe, and way of life I engineered meant that the quilt has been my fixed pal for 5 years – and I settle for her, even together with her flaws.
How are you going to study to reframe “failure” as success?
What challenge have you ever thought-about a failure? When have you ever labored exhausting on one thing, solely to have some a part of it end up unsuccessful? How might you reframe that “failure” as successful? Hop into the feedback and fill me in. Let’s have a good time your imperfections!