a BOB post

What is a BOB post?   See quilter bob Quilter Bob or QB-BFF.  Good old BOB has some opinions, some that I happen to agree with and others that don't bother me near as much as BOB. Still, BOB always has interesting point of view. I see things that I may not have considered.

If you prefer not to read a bit of a rant, then skip over this one.  I'm getting older, things annoy me.  I am far less likely to "suffer fools gladly" at this point in my life.  That might be part of the reason why I got out of nursing as it is hard to feel compassion for idiotic behavior but I digress.

What set me off?   I was reading these comments on a quilt list this morning.  It is a huge list, far too much mail to keep up with and I scan the topics, reading if something catches my eye.  I read this on the subject of mystery quilts and who should do them.   I did not see the original question that was posed so it definitely taken out of context.

........... Mystery quilts are not for everyone. I think it takes a sense of adventure to enjoy them, since the fun is in the challenge. Mysteries are definitely *not* for perfectionists and/or worriers. ;-) If you feel compelled to see the completed mystery before you attempt to make it, just skip the suspense and make one of the many patterns you've already collected, lol. There's no reason to invite stress into your quilting life!

another one said "I love mystery quilts..that way I use fabric out of my usual themes...and I agree with _______, if you like perfect, matchie, etc..don't do these!!  I have a friend who has now pulled apart 2 mysteries!!!    But she is one hard cookie to please.

I do NOT like doing mysteries but it is NOT because I am a perfectionist or a worrier.  By "worrier" I assume she means someone who agonizes about color and its placement?   I DO like knowing what a quilt looks like before I invest my time and my resources into a project.  What, pray tell, is wrong with that??

I  know myself---I cannot resist the impulse to look ahead to see what happens as to me, it is about the process----how does a quilt come together,  how did the author get us from point A to point B.  To me, that is the fascinating part.  It does not ruin it for me.

I have plenty of patterns, even some mysteries projects saved on my computer because I liked the finished quilt.  Heck, most of the time I do not need the stinkin' instructions as I have been at this long enough to figure some things out for myself.  

But wait---the 2nd post bothered me more.  What is wrong with having perfectionist tendencies anyway?  "If you like perfect and matchie"?  Stop acting like that is a bad thing.  Lady, money doesn't grow on trees around here, living on a fixed income.  I better be making good use of what I have and try to make something that is pleasing to the eye, something that I can be proud of.

Her friend is hard to please??   I too have dismantled a mystery quilt I was making and re-purposed the blocks in another manner for a donation quilt.  What is wrong with that??  The time and effort and materials did not go to waste.  Another child has a quilt.   I just dismantled a pile of abandoned blocks last week to re-purpose the fabrics and re-size the blocks or substitute in another block of my choosing.   I do NOT read my action as being hard to please--that is being thrifty.

And finally----
Aren't we supposed to try to do our best-- not chop off our points and have wobbly joins, act like we know a little bit about our craft?   My work is not perfect but I DO think that we should at least try, for Pete's sake.  You want to be sloppy and call that mess "modern" quilting then go right ahead but I will not be joining you.

But as BOB says----"but then again, it is probably just me."  Now back to our regular programming.