Aha quilting moments

I've had quite a few AHA! moments over the years-

1. I can do whatever I want to do- there's no quilt police- there's no right and wrong- I can try anything and everything just to see what happens!
2. I do NOT have to finish everything I start- I'm allowed to experiment and change my mind- and I can sew all night long if I want to
3. I can throw away pins, scissors, needles, rotary blades, rulers, thread and fabric when they are not doing their jobs properly. I don't have to use anything that detracts from my quilting experience
4. I can buy any fabric any time I want to- just because. I don't have to justify or have immediate plans for what I want and love- and "some day" I *will* use it
5. *Anything* I make and give to my loved ones is cherished and appreciated- no matter how small or large or simple or fancy or what degree of perfection it is
6. I don't have to buy every gadget, book and/or magazine that comes along- I will still be "A Quilter"
7. The HairyButt gang will steal anything and everything from my quilt studio just to watch me search for it and then chase them down to get it back

There's been other AHAs, but these impacted my quilting the most.

Leslie & The Furbabies > KJ's post about her "aha!" moment with measuring borders got me thinking.

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Sadly, every "a-ha!" moment I have had in the past 8 years has been a revelation from someone in this group that made me slap my forehead and say, "DOH!" a la Homer Simpson. Does this mean I have reached a point where my brain will no longer generate new ideas ?

Not sure if we're doing AHAs or DUHs but I surely was thinking backwards on ironing board covering. I assumed (I know) that putting a new pad and cover on top of an old pad and cover would provide nice padding for pressing fabric and seams. We don't even want to know how many sets I'd piled one on top of the other. Finally, someone here mentioned that a hard surface does a far finer job of getting things well pressed. No more pillow top ironing board for me. Move over a little, Carolyn. The very best revelations come to me from our precious group. Polly

"Carolyn McCarty" Sadly, every "a-ha!" moment I have had in the past 8 years has been a

Now thats a good one!

I rarely have new ideas. But I'm really good at recognizing OTHER people's good ideas. So I get all the benefits without the hard work! LOL

I had had one of those ironing board covers with a grid printed on them and missed the grid when I bought a different cover. I didn't stop with a couple lines -- I marked a 2" grid on the new cover.

Julia > KJ's post about her "aha!" moment with measuring borders got me thinking.

My 'aha' moment was using a small clamp on one end of my long ruler after I've lined everything up.

The clamp holds down that end of the ruler and fabric to the mat and table and I use my left hand to hold down the opposite end. No more slipping!

-Irene

I think my biggest AHA moment came when I went to a LQS and looked a little more closely at the beautiful quilts hanging on the walls and saw that even those quilts had a couple points cut off, imperfectly matched seams, and irregular stitching line.

That was the day I was able to implement the 10-yard rule... If a person rides by on a bicycle or horse or in a car and cannot see the flaw from 10 yards away - It Isn't There. I also learned that my own eyes are far too critical and quick to seek out the flaws and mistakes in my projects while others only see the skill.

Trisha in MO

Howdy!

I dunno' about the brain generating, Carolyn, but this reaction would explain that big bump on your forehead.

R/Sandy

Leslie, I loved your list of moments. Especially about your "HairyButt gang." LOL

René