My darlingĀ friendĀ Ebony Love wrote aĀ powerful postĀ on the topic of quality and Ā sewing in the Ā quilting/fabric industry. Ā Her post is getting a lot of buzz. MostlyĀ supportĀ with a few catty comments thrown in for good measure. Ā She dared to go a place a lot of us have been thinking about but have kept to ourselves or only spoken about in private situations.
Generally Ebony is talking about projects that show up on blogs, at trade shows and in certain books that are rushed to market with the intention of catching theĀ latestĀ wave or craze in the craft industry. Her call down is blunt and well worded and I for one am going to raise my hand and plead guilty.
Yes, Ā guilty – I have fallen toĀ Ā the pressure andĀ unrealisticĀ goals and timetables of this industry. Ā I trulyĀ believeĀ that no one wants to put out crap-tazalistic work but do know that some of us Ā are working too fast in order to serve a master that is unending with it’sĀ requirementsĀ and pressure to do more, faster, each and every season, and by the way make it mind blowing and share worthy while you are at it.
For me this is not all the time or on every project, in fact of late I have sent out some projects that I am soĀ wildlyĀ proud of that I all but wet my pants eachĀ timeĀ I see them. Ā But there have been others in the past where I have been so rushed, so harried and so distracted that while not the worst work in the world it was not my best either and for that I am sorry. Ā Maybe I am the only one to fall in this trap – IĀ don’t’ think so and I don’t know what sort ofĀ responseĀ I will get to this but keeping it real starts here.
You see I made a mistake. I let other peoples rush get in the way of something I hold dear. I let a publisher’s frenzy, a company’s Ā unrealistic time table and Ā just theĀ generallyĀ hurry-hurry nature of the quilt/fabricĀ industryĀ trump my work ethic and it stops now. ( It actually it stopped a few weeks ago since I had a mini-break down due to it all but now seems a good time to write about it)
Like many in this industry I have a family, a home, pets, friends a more. When theseĀ seeminglyĀ impossiblyĀ assignmentsĀ come along ( 4 complete projects withĀ tutorialsĀ Ā in 5 days.. SURE!) Ā and IĀ foolishlyĀ agree to them all thoseĀ a-foreĀ mentioned things get pushed to the wayside during long days and even longer nights of sewing, writing and eating take out food not to mention stepping over piles of laundry which we refer to as Mt. Washmore!
Don’t get me wrong Ā I love my life and each misstep is mine alone. There was not one project I had to say yes to, no one held a {glue} gun to my head making me finish a project in a late night stupor. No, I bent to the rush and lure of seeing my name in a magazine, to the pleading of anĀ editorĀ for just one more project to round out an issue or to a some other hidden force that made me think that I could some how win back time with my kids ” next week” after the current rush was over ( theĀ currentĀ rush is never over).
I am new to this industry (I think.. when does ” new” expire?) and I have no plans to leave of my own accord but Ā I do know that I am reĀ orderingĀ myĀ priorities –
Kids before quilts,
Quality overĀ quantity,
Marriage before making another commitment
BadAss sometimes means starting fresh when things get off track.. what part of your life could use a reboot??
I am three years late to this blog post, and I admit I stumbled on it while looking for something TOTALLY unrelated, however it is resonating in my life like a fucking tuning fork. Unrealistic rush deadlines don’t allow me to do my best work and it bothers me to put something out there that’s good, when it could have been great.
This spiraling meltdown has been going on for months, and came to a head last week when my year of “always say yes” finally ended the day I pulled a rush quilt off the frame with just an hour to grab a box, a roll of tape, an airbill, and aim my car to FedEx so it could be overnighted before the plane took off. No time to check for loose threads or to run a lint roller over it. It was crammed in the box and slid over the counter, frantically scanned and tossed to an impatient driver.
And instead of feeling satisfied in a job well done, I wept in the car all the way home.
I. Love. This. You two have seriously read my mind. Been horribly bummed out this last year and not blogging because you are spot on. I can’t verbalize as eloquently as you two, but wow. Yup. Sometimes excellence takes time and that is OK. And hell yeah. This goes for those not in the industry too-
Kids before quilts,
Quality over quantity,
Marriage before making another commitment
So true. I’ve fallen for this, too. If I say no to the timeline, will they work with me or pass me by? What is it worth to me? I (think) I’m in a better place now, a place where I am confident enough in myself to know that if they DO pass me by, someone else will find my work worthy of the extra time that I need. Of course, I have a tiny business compared to some and I don’t rely on my income to support my family. It’s a tough industry!!
As always… I am so proud of you, Maddie! š
I have so often said it, “if you charge people for what it really cost you to make it, they wouldn’t buy it.” That’s why they are willing to purchase crap because they can usually get it cheaper than buying good quality. My dad has retired and is trying to make a living out of his hobby, engraving intricate patterns on muzzle-loading guns–it’s a niche thing. Well, truth be told that he would engrave on pretty much anything as long as it doesn’t compromise his principles. I adore him for that. One of the reasons, besides the fact I am not good enough to make money at a business of quilting, that I won’t do it for a living is that I don’t want what I love to do for my creative outlet to become a job. I have a job and I love coming home to my hobby. Ramble, ramble, ramble. Any way, I agree.
A related, annoying point:
I have recently seen clothing patterns by hot current blogistas costing over $10.00 each – one for an elastic-waist skirt, and one for elastic-waist pants.
I know I am cheap. but I have dozens of patterns that INCLUDE an elastic-waisted whatever ALONG WITH something more intricate.
And I don’t pay $10 for them either. Why would I buy a pattern because of the name of the chi-chi designer?
I also recently saw a blog for a quilt design that was nothing but random squares. And the darling “designer” was oh-so graciously patting herself on the back for giving it away for FREE!!
It wasn’t a color wheel; it wasn’t gradations; it wasn’t recognizable – just random squares. Er – I think I can do that myself, without a pattern, thankyouverymuch.
You are so right in what you are saying. I probably need to print this out and read it frequently.
Thank you so much to the link to Ebony’s post! Love it!! I hope you know that you will still have all of your followers even with reordering your priorities, and I think you’re doing the right thing. You will never get back that time with your children, and the years go by way too fast. Great post š
I totally agree to the rushed and promises made while not really thinking hard about my personal schedule and life. I too am starting the re-think process of what am I doing today that will make my dreams and goal into reality? Good for you Maddie to be pro-active about kids and family first! Hurrah for you!
THANK YOU!! I have been thinking and saying this for 2 years, then retracting and feeling guilty. I love your new reordered priorities. I am going to copy them and make a poster for my sewing room, with your permission.
Kids before quilts,
Quality over quantity,
Marriage before making another commitment
BadAss sometimes means starting fresh when things get off track.
Saying “NO” comes with experience.
Absolutely, Maddie. When it stops being fun, when it stops coming from our inspiration and creativity, and we’re producing what someone else has dreamed up, to their schedule and on their terms, we’re not artists any more, we’ve become production line employees. And, as artists, we know that holds no joy for us. Thanks for shoutin’ out the truth. smiles, sl
I’ve got to hand it to you Maddie, you’ve really hit the nail on the head! But another promoter of “quantity” over “quality” (at the speed of light) is many of our local quilt shops! Not all of course, but an alarming number of shops run newbies through a gauntlet of classes that never seems to end, or produce a finished project! We need to stop and take a breath, get our priorities in order, and hopefully turn out quality quilting. And wouldn’t it be wonderful to teach quilters to explore their own creativity, even if slow, and produce an amazing project? Just sayin…
Stepping up & speaking out-that’s what it is all about. You go Girl!
All of the posts are right on the mark. I won’t repeat the comments here, but agree with everything said. The hype that goes along with fabric and patterns is too much. I know some of the names of the designers but don’t go in a fabric store wanting to purchase a specific kind, pattern, etc. I buy what I like no matter who designed what. Thank you Maddie for putting all of this out there!
Loved it. Here is what I had to say to the matter that I posted to Ebony’s wall:
Extremely well said. Iāve been quilting for over 25 years and have worked in quilt shops for the past 7-8 years. Some of the books/patterns Iāve seen coming in written by the Bloganistas are unbelievable. It is so obvious to me that they missed the semesters of home-ec they so desperately need to have some basics under their aprons and/or did not have someone that REALLY sews check their patternsā instructions.
There is a certain designer whoās fabric is incredible; gorgeous color, lovely hand, etc. BUT her instructions for her patterns are HORRID! Iāve gently steered many a doe-eyed, not enough experienced, young sewer who want to make a ādesignerās nameā bag, poof, whatever to another pattern writerās work, but still using āthe designersā fabric so they have a far better chance at success rather than end up hating sewing due to overwhelming frustration. Hell, Iāve been sewing for 46 years, and I canāt fathom the instructions to save my soul!
You go girl!!! You have to take care of you and yours. Cuz, no one else is going to.
The most important thing about being your own boss is that you’re in control of what you do. Finding a tactful way to tell someone their priorities aren’t your priorities, and their timescale isn’t your timescale, requires backbone. Having the backbone to stand up for yourself – that’s badass. Putting your hand up and say I’ve done wrong in the past and I’m not going to do it again – that’s ballsy!
Maddie you are so right, and thanks speaking up. I’m in no way a professional quilter; I do it for love of the craft (ok, and because I’m addicted). I taught beginning quilters for a while, and emphasized careful planning, cutting, and stitching. I told them there are no quilt police, and that the “rules” of quilting were suggestions for success. And I made samples where the suggestions were ignored and other samples that showed the result of successful following the suggestion. And I made sure everyone had access to a seam ripper. The classes were a hit, but I soon learned that devising new plans and writing new handouts and making new samples at the pace demanded of me very nearly destroyed my love of the art. I quit teaching. I may go back to it, but on my terms. Meanwhile I’m very much enjoying stretching myself as a quilter, trying new techniques and perfecting familiar ones. And devil take the hindmost š
I haven’t been able to read Ebony’s post yet, she’s got major server overload today, but I will as soon as I can get the page to load.
About a year ago, as I was in the middle of preparing for the 6 bloghops or features I was part of, i realized the i wasn’t having any fun. It all seemed like drudgery. I wasn’t working on my projects. I wasn’t working on things that improved my skills or taught me new ones. I was just working to get on somebody’s radar. I was well on my way, but decided that if it wasn’t how I wanted to spend my time.
A year later, I hardly blog at all, but I sew like a madwoman! I’m having fun again and every single thing I make is made to the absolute best of my ability. No cutting corners for deadlines, no fudging it, no pretending crap work is okay.
And you know what? I’m happy. Life is good.
And I still have my own personal Mt Washmore…….
xx
K
Mt. Washmore! Love it…
Good for you, Maddie! I am glad you recognized what was happening and didn’t get sucked up in the frenzy. I tried to quilt/sew/whatever for others but it turned my hobby into my job and I hated it! Thankfully there are quilters out there like you who are willing to put themselves out there and be an inspiration to the rest of us. Now that’s BADASS!
I have turned down opportunities because the time tables were unreasonable with my other commitments. Maybe I missed out on something but I have to live with me so I make those choices.
I do know that people can be really persuasive at times. I don’t fault you. I see that you learned from it. That is truly Badass.
I know what Ebony is talking about. It happens.
There are 2 people/designers of quilts/sew patterns and EVERY single pattern has at least one mistake in it.
I always wondered if they even have folks test run the patterns first. It irritates me when I pay good, hard-earned cash for a pattern with mistakes and worse…when I find the mistake in process and must go buy more fabric. Sheesh…..
That said, I do not buy from these folks any longer.
You’re blog post really touched me. It is such a “hurry up” society we live in, isn’t it? We seem to be sacrificing quality these days. No time to cook? Drive through the fast food place. A forgotten birthday? Send a quick email. It really is time to slow down and start prioritizing. Are we enjoying what we do anymore? I mean really enjoying it, not spitting out quilts to wipe our brow and call it done. It is so important to be happy, and take some pride in what we create. It’s all about the process, right? Frustration levels get so high when I see people rush. As a national and international instructor, I remind my students to enjoy the process. Take it slow, be mindful what you are doing and I always make my email available to them if they have a question or need a little help after a class. I wish we all would just “Hurry Up to process to Slow Down”.
Linda
Maddie,
I just want you to remember always that you are your own boss, other people’s ineptitude need not be your emergency and you do not “need” to work for anyone, doing anything. You are a very valuable asset to the quilting/sewing/crafting community and you should claim your Queendom. They wait for you, or they go somewhere else with their unrealistic ideals. We do this because we love it and it is easy to get caught up in chasing the name in lights or the buck, but that is never going to serve anyone. You are the Queen. These pulishers and whatnot, they serve at your pleasure. Because you can do a kick-ass job all on your own. You do not “need” anyone to give you credibility. Always supporting YOU, girl! I love you! Nichole
I’ve made some mistakes in designing that have led to some pretty upset quilters. And so I will no longer design quilt patterns for public consumption. I will take what I’ve learned and move forward. It’s not an easy thing to admit however it’s an important part of the learning process.
Going for my very best quality, not perfection (wish I could underline that bit), but my best quality means for me that I do the process of quilt making more slowly. Meaning more hours spent on a quilt. This means the cost is higher and I’m ok with that.
Because I was on a crunch that got tighter and tighter because of my schedule @play went out into the world without being blocked. I’m shaking my head at myself only because I know I can do better work.
As teachers we’re going to have to do it well and teach it well. And bring quilters into the process of making quilts well regardless of their personal style.
Teri
This is why I don’t quilt or blog for money. I learned the hard way that the quickest way to begin hating something you love is to bring money into the equation and bend to the demands of those who are doing the paying.
The things people do for fame… I have fallen in this same trap myself! Your post, and Ebony’s too, have brought to light that in the quest for fame some people don’t put their best foot forward. I have done it on deadlines that would curl your hair, and all for seeing my name in a magazine or show.
Will it stop entirely? I don’t know, because SOMEONE will fall into the Fame Trap and work on those crazy deadlines to see their name in lights.
On the other end, I am seeing publishers/magazines acting out of desperation to get content, and when you have nothing to post, I guess you will take anything. They are also accountable here in saying “I’m sorry, this work is not appropriate for our publication”.
Well said doll!
Words I need to let sink in today and just S L O W down and do my best work and remember why I started this journey in the first place.
Mt Washmore…..thanks for the chuckle.
I give a thumbs up to you for seeing this before it is too late. Your work is beautiful and you will not be forgotten so don’t worry about that. You only have your children for a short time and each day is important. Your marriage is important. You have the rest of your life to do “just one more project” or get your name in a magazine. Quilting is supposed to be fun and never ever to be destructive to your family.
Love that you have stepped back, taken a breath and realized that there is a time for everything!!
This is so well thought out and so well said. There is a saying in French that roughly translates to this: ”Ambition kills its master” and I have seen some pretty frazzled quilters out there trying to do more, working late into the night, even getting sick. Hey everyone! Life is just too short to give up everything for quilting. There! I’ve said it also and I feel so good. Thanks for letting me have my own rant. Have a great day quilting, but remember that there is a life out there also!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I agree that sometimes its disappointing that unreasonable deadlines can kill one’s love for the artistic craftmanship in lieu of chasing the almighty dollar. Its is difficult to find the right balance between family, pets, chores and honing one’s artistic endeavors. Add to that the difficulty of balancing another full time job for some of us (myself included) and it becomes even more difficult to find the right balance in my universe. I recently attended a lecture by a rising star quilter, author and teacher and I was appalled at the quality of her items during the show and tell portion of the lecture. I did purchase one of her books and while the photographs were beautiful, the lessons and instructions were truly lacking for anyone that might actually want to make an of the projects contained within the glossy pages.
I also know that sometimes I rush to get things done, because I am tired of working on that particular quilt. However, since I mostly quilt for myself or charity, or to learn a technique and not for show or publication, I really wasn’t worried about it. Now, I will give it more thought to finish my project the right way no matter how long it takes. Each project is a personal reflection on me and I have to admit I had probably lost sight of that recently because life has been so hectic. I have to remember that my quilts will outlive me and that is what future generations will have left.
I also agree with Bonnie’s comments above. I used to long arm for my guild 10+ years ago. The unrealistic demands of some of those quilters made me start to dread long arm quilting for others. It was easy to weed out the ‘bad’ customers and send them elsewhere. I got so busy (6 months backlog) with quilting their quilts that I ended up getting very sick. I finally gave it up after I cleared out the backlog and now I just basically quilt for myself. Its so much better this way. I no longer have to deal with poorly constructed quilts, impossible deadlines and ungrateful demands from people I barely know. I actually had one customer accuse me of making a cut on one of her quilts that she thought I had quilted for her several years before. It turned out I had not done the quilting on that one, but I was so appalled that she questioned my integrity and thought that I might not take ownership if a mistake like that had occured, that I walked away from LAQ for quite awhile. On the other hand, there are several quilters that I will quilt for without question because the quality of their sewing is second to none and its always a joy to work on a beautiful piece and enhance it with my custom quilting.
Good girl…..it took me 7 years to come to this conclusion and over 4000 quilts…..yes I said it 4000 finished for customer quilts…. I learned to hate my machine, I almost learned to hate quilts and quilting. I Have taken an 8 year hiatus and just now am getting back into customer quilts and all. BUT first off its at my time and my pace…if it takes me three weeks to do a three hour job so be it, and if the customer doesn’t like that schedule, there is another down the road.
My hat is off to you….now just don’t fall backwards and get reswallowed.