Ok you guys, I’ve had it up to here, and I just can’t take any more. Pardon me while I rant about a few things on my mind.
I work hard, every day (ok, except yesterday because I was really tired) to hone my craft, make it better, make it worthy of putting out into the world to represent who I am and what I do. I also feel like my work represents every artist out there, as an example of what is possible when you apply your talent to something tangible. I am harder and more critical on myself than anyone else, and maybe harder on myself than I should be, but I truly believe that an object should look just as good on the front as it does on the back; just as good on the inside as it does on the outside. I’m always looking for ways to enclose raw edges, make smoother curves, and I’ll even sometimes take the trouble to match patterns if I have enough fabric to do so.
What I am realizing is that a lot of people just don’t seem to give a shit. Yes, I said it. And I’m sorry for the inclusion of this word, but those who know me know how rarely I curse, and I really need you to understand the depth of my feelings on this topic.
I’m not talking about perfection; I’m talking about attention, respect, commitment. Attention to detail, respect for your own work, and a commitment to putting out the best work that your talent & skill allows.
What is killing me these days is this assertion that being a “modern” whatever means that it’s okay for you to sew seams any which way, that if your piece doesn’t lay flat, it’s ok; that if your topstitching looks like a drunken spider stitched it, that’s all ok too. And maybe it is, if you’re just stitching for yourself, or you haven’t developed that skill yet and you’re still learning, or you just wanted the darn thing finished because you’re tired of looking at it and you’ve stopped caring.
But if you’re going to teach? If you’re writing a book? If you’re cranking out patterns to sell? If you’re selling the item itself? That’s where I draw the line. This is what I call the dumbing down of our industry. And it’s not just the makers of crappy work that I’m directing my ire toward; it’s also the consumers who lap up substandard work just because that person is popular, and the editors of books and magazines who don’t call people on their crappy work and make them do it better or not at all.
Someone told Lisa Sipes the other day something to the effect of, “You could sell poop and people would buy it.” Lisa does not sell poop, she has an incredible work ethic and talent, and I totally get what the person is saying. It’s supposed to be meant as a compliment, but I would be horrified to be so popular, to have such celebrity that someone would allow me to sell shit as gold and not call me on it.
I’m not including pictures in this post, because I’m not talking about any specific person; I’m not trying to shame anyone or call them out, but I know you’ve seen this stuff out there. It’s like an epidemic; the close-up shots of tangled starts & ends, because the person couldn’t be bothered to lock their threads or hang onto the tails when they started. The haphazard binding put on any which way that is lumpy in one spot and empty in another. Raw hems on dresses & trims that have masses of threads hanging off of them, because the person can’t or won’t draft their pattern to cut on the bias in order to properly employ a raw edge. We call this stuff cute, we ooooooh and aaaaaah over it, and drool, and drape praises over them like superhero capes, all the while reinforcing the idea that crap is great and great is overrated.
And this isn’t restricted to novices; I’ve seen this stuff in glossy, well-made books. I’ve seen it from very talented designers and makers alike. I’ve even seen it in full page ads taken out by quilting celebrities in magazines.
Here’s how this cycle of ineptitude starts. Some person starts blogging about their sewing projects. They develop a following because they came up with something clever, and even though that clever something isn’t particularly well-made, because it was clever, people pay attention. We don’t know how to separate the clever part from the construction, and so we heap praises on that person, and no one bothers to tell them, hey if you did this a different way, your piece would look better. Or hey, next time you should do X, because X will keep your piece from looking like crap. But no… people will share the clever, not the well-made, and that blogger develops an insane following and someone in the industry takes notice.
The industry person wants a piece of this person’s popularity, because if they can ally themselves to that person, they can reap some of the rewards that popularity brings.
“If I give this person some fabric to work with, their followers will buy my fabric, and I’ll make money. If I give this person a book deal, their followers will buy the book, and I’ll make money. And to hell with whether or not that person has a talent for sewing or quilting. I’m not going to help them by mentoring them or suggesting they actually take a class on sewing and quilting techniques, or how they can improve; they are popular now, and that’s what I want. To hell with them developing their skills. They don’t need to; they are popular without it.”
Because this now-popular person is being courted by the industry, and now has followers, and industry people chasing them, they think to themselves, “Well, this isn’t a big deal after all. I was worried at first about my crooked seams and crappy construction, but no one seems to care, so it must not matter.” They continue putting out crap, the crap is selling, and the attitude is reinforced.
Other folks producing crap feel encouraged by this blogger’s success, and so they start putting out crap. Some of this crap gets through, and another crappy book comes out.
Meanwhile, there’s a sector of folks who have been doing this a while, the folks who have talent, and have honed their skills over time, and who ordinarily do not put out crap. They start noticing this trend of crap flooding the internet, flooding the bookshelves, the popularity of crap, and they think to themselves, “Why the hell am I working so hard?” And they throw some crap at a wall to see if it sticks. “What do you think of my crap?” They ask. And you know what happens? Because that person already has a measure of success that they BUILT ON WELL-MADE THINGS, and are already popular, no one will dare say to them, “Did you just throw some crap at a wall hoping we wouldn’t notice?” NO. Nobody says BOO. They heap praises on that person, call the crap golden, and it reinforces to that person that they can sell shit as gold and no one will object. Now that person can start producing crap on a regular basis.
And I’m not making this stuff up. I watched this very scenario unfold on Facebook last week. It happens every minute on Etsy. I’ve got examples of this very thing on my own bookshelf.
And so the cycle goes; someone makes crap, the crap sells. More people make crap, and that sells. Then someone makes something even crappier, and THAT sells too, and pretty soon the whole industry is putting out substandard work; fabric quality degrades, everything is made of plastic and breaks easily, and we buy the books and patterns and magazines filled with glossy photos of crappy projects. This gives everyone the impression that crap is great, and the standards take a hit. The bar is lowered, and all of a sudden the crap drowns out the well-made so that people don’t even know what well-made is anymore.
Then there are the rest of us, watching in horror as all of this happens. And by “the rest of us”, I mean the people who refuse to put out crap, even if it means doing it over, or who put out crap because they honestly want feedback and to learn and improve but who wouldn’t dream of hoisting it on others as if it were not crap. Those of us who wear out seam rippers by the dozen because it’s worth doing right if it’s worth doing at all. Those of us who will still take the time to do a French seam even though it takes longer and we’re going to miss our deadline. The rest of us who point out the crappy parts in our own work so that you know we’re not perfect. We don’t do this so you will tell us how fabulous we are anyway; we do this because we think you should know what crap looks like so you can make an informed decision if you ever decide to buy or make crap of your own. It’s the rest of us who want to hold the standard high so that even if we miss, it’s still better than the crap that most people will put out there.
Everybody makes crap – it’s how we get better. In all things artistic, you have to make a lot of crap before you ever start to make anything good, and sometimes you have to make crap because only by doing it wrong can you find the way to do it right. I’m not objecting to the idea of making crap, what I’m railing against is the part where crap sells and everybody thinks that’s OK.
It’s like the person who is told all of their lives that they can sing, and then they go audition for American Idol and the judges have to tell them they have no talent. Simon Cowell was my favorite judge. He didn’t mince words; people called him mean, but Simon is someone who refuses to call crap golden. If you can do better, he’ll tell you to go take some lessons and come back next year, but if you have no talent, he will tell you to pursue another career.
I am not suggesting that we all start going around trolling people’s blogs and criticizing their work; but I do think that as consumers, we need to push back on the industry and refuse to buy stuff that we know is crap in the false name of supporting the “artist”. I don’t know what the solution is to get people to stop selling crap, or to stop believing their own BS. As makers, we need to have enough respect for our own work to know that we can do better, and enough care for the folks who come after us to show them what good looks like.
I do not want to set myself up as the Simon Cowell of the quilting industry. I know crap when I see it, and I refuse to lower my own standards in my work. But I can only sweep my own house; it’s not for me to become the sweeper for the whole town. It just really makes me sad to see how the quality of work has degraded so much that people no longer even respect the skills that it takes to do things well. I get frustrated every time I open a book and see a closeup of terrible topstitching, and I get really upset when I see yet another artist I respect throw crap at a wall and get praised for it.
And it’s not sour grapes either, because I’m not sitting here whining about poor me, everyone else is popular and I’m not, or everyone else is getting a book deal or fabric or sponsorships or whatever. I get the book deals, and the fabric, and the industry attention so you know I’m not begrudging what someone else has.
I don’t have a great solution to this pervasive dumbing down, other than to ask my fellow makers to examine your work to see if there is room for improvement & make a commitment to yourself to develop your talent for your own sake; and to ask the consumers to vote with your dollars, to recognize crap when you see it and to hold us to a higher standard. Don’t let someone sell you shit and call it gold and be okay with that.
And if anyone needs a sewing mentor, or a quilting mentor, or wants some constructive criticism on something they are working on, I will raise my hand and offer to be that person for you. I won’t tell you your work is crap, but I’ve been sewing almost as long as I’ve been on this earth, so I have a lot that I can recommend. Maybe I should start posting tips on how to make things less crappy. I’ll do my part, but mostly I think I preach to the choir; the folks making the crap that sells won’t listen because they’re already writing and teaching and selling. But if you think you can do better and don’t know how, let me know and I will try to help you. I’m not a 100% expert on everything, but I know enough that I can share.
What do you think? Do you see what I see? Does any of this bother you too?
Update: If you’ve gotten this far, I hope you’ll also take the opportunity to read the follow up post that I wrote (I don’t apologize, but I do clarify the difference that I see between professional standards and personal ones; why my crap isn’t your crap; and why everybody should keep making crap, but not necessarily sell all the crap they make.)
Does anyone know how the quilting industry is doing? Is it still growing, staying the same, or shrinking? Can’t find any articles about this since 2012.
What a timely question! AFCI, the craft industry’s trade organization, just released their survey results: http://www.fabshopnet.com/eNews-FSN/%5BBizNote%5DAFCI.html
I love this post (even though I’m about 3 years late to this particular party). I started sewing at age 8. Fifty years later, I look at all these “hip” blogs that obviously young and less experienced sewers are posting. I roll my eyes and shrug my shoulders at many of them because the construction techniques they use are, well, not very good. Looks fine from a distance but it doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny. But they have tons of sycophantic followers that post slobbering comments. No, the work is not always “amazing” or “fabulous.” All I know is I, personally, would not be satisfied with the quality of the output.
Well said.
I too have noticed the “dumbing down” of the quilting and sewing profession. I love handwork and really can not understand why anyone would take up the task of making a quilt and not want to do a good job of it. But I think there are two trends working against those of us who want to do quality work.
The first is the trend that many, many, many people have is that if you can’t do it fast and easy, why bother? We are a society who craves instant gratification and putting in the hours to do something right is “so yesterday” and “so old fashioned”! I blame parents for this — is it not their job to raise adults who are hard workers and proud of the quality of their work?
The second trend is the desire for celebrity. I can count on both of my hands the number of quilters I have met that want to be quilting superstars whether they have the talent or not. After all, what is the point of doing anything unless there is applause (and hopefully enough money for a more than comfortable retirement) for the doing? Thus leading to the last trend…
The third trend, the industry itself who only cares about selling fabric (well made, poorly made — can anyone really tell the difference anyway as long as they use a lot of it in cookie cutter patterns that promote no more skill than a monkey peeling a banana), selling books with great covers and yet poorly written and conceived contents (who reads instructions anyway), and selling expensive sewing machines that promise professionally perfect results with a flip of the stitch regulator button.
Quilting (as well as many of the traditional arts like drawing and painting) is now accessible to anyone who is willing to spend money if they are convinced that it will get them good results in as little time as possible. Even if a person falls for this scam just once, it is money in someone’s pocket that was not there before.
Bravo to you for wanting to do what you can to reverse these trends! I too will do my part by not producing crap and entering my art in a few shows to remind people of what well crafted art art really looks like!
Wow this is great! I’m really late in reading it but I can relate. I’m just starting my budding designing career and I try to put out the best quality quilts that I can. So yay for good workmanship!
I have noticed that a lot of new designers don’t know ANYTHING about sewing construction, fabrics, etc…. How can they possibly know how to create QUALITY items without knowing the demographics of the whole piece and what goes into the construction of a quality product?
I read your blog and couldn’t help but smile. I’m a relatively new designer and just had my debut line of fabrics with Maywood Studio in October. Most of my designs are a bit complicated, but traditional beauties that I hope will be admired for years and years. Am I popular, no, because many quilters are intimidated by my designs and they are looking for quick and easy. I make every attempt to write accurate patterns, provide quick customer service, and wear many hats. All in all, I work hard at my craft and I honor and respect you for having the moxy to say it like it is.
Congratulations Jan!! I totally hear you about people being intimidated by more complex designs; heck, lots of people are intimidated by the easy ones too! The trick here is not about popularity so much as finding your market, targeting your market, and delivering what your market expects of and needs from you. We don’t have to serve the entire quilting community, but we do have to respect the community that has embraced us. Thanks for holding yourself to your own high standard. Work it girl!
Thanks so much, Ebony, for having the courage to point out that the Emperor’s Suit might be a bit threadbare. I don’t usually comment, but I just had to here! I am a very new quilter… Like less than a year. Really no background in sewing, either. But I am hopelessly devoted already, to the point that I am getting emotional as I write this. Because it matters to me… I want to learn and practice and sew and I am truly living and breathing this hobby. And here’s what stinks as someone in my position… It’s hard for me to figure out who is a reliable source as I’m learning.
I’ve spent too much hard earned dough on books or patterns that turned out to be poorly written or executed, and I don’t have a lot of folks in my life who can show me that its not my inexperience but the instructions that are to blame, for example. Having the lovely gals in the shop explain that to me the next day does not unshed those tears of frustration!! And I’ve already had to spend time unlearning things that I’d rather have spent learning correctly the first time and then moving on! I mean, when the work I am seeing online, in books, and in magazines, has chopped off points, non-matching seams, uneven stitches, how am I even supposed to know what the goal is here? I’m sorry to be a dummy, but I don’t know anyone who quilts personally, no one in my family, and the aforementioned girls in the shop are not necessarily gonna point out these issues in my work… They are trying to keep a customer, and they don’t know that I really want to know…
There are plenty of people out there who are willing to tell a new quilter that it is worth it to spend the extra money to have good equipment and quality fabric. And they are right. And there are plenty of resources I can turn to for an honest review of a machine, a notion, a thread, or a fabric. When it comes to learning who I should be learning from, though, I kind of look for the names I know because they have been published. And the more I learn, the more even I am seeing that a lot of these people are putting out subpar products using kooky techniques, to be nice about it. I don’t know if its because they don’t know any better (like me) or because they just know they can get away with it, but either way, someone has to call bullsh**.
I’m not expressing myself very well, but I just wanted to thank you for being the one to call them on it. among other things, you are speaking up for the newbie like me who doesn’t really have a voice. I want to learn, and I want to learn it right, and I want to grow, and if I’m doing it wrong I want someone to tell me and show me how to do it right! It’s nice to know that this is a zone where a turd is called a turd…
Thanks NellyKelly! Welcome to the dialogue! Hopefully you saw my response to you – it prompted its own blog post! 🙂
YES! a resounding YES! My father taught me that if you weren’t proud enough to wear your home made garment inside out, you made it wrong! I have carried that sentiment with me all these years. I have transferred that to my quilt making. Good article!!
Does anyone think that perhaps the emphasis on “quick”, “fast”, “easy” in the magazines, tv quilt shows, and online might have something to do with some of this? I find that for me, even though sometimes I like fast…..fast does tend to produce something that looks like it was made FAST.
I’m an artist first and my sewing comes second. I come up with original designs and I am getting a lot of positive feedback. I know that my sewing is scandalous. Believe me. I do strive for improvement with every new project. I will never be Nancy Zieman, but I can always shoot for her type of perfection. Also, I’m not selling anything (yet) and certainly not pushing my method. Bert62
Sorry, but there is no way that you can “start a dialogue” or have a “respectful debate and disagreement” when you begin with a diatribe.
You are entitled to your opinion, of course, and thank you for the feedback. To be fair, I did say I was going to rant in the intro to the post. I suppose the way I delivered my message prevents you from contributing anything else constructive?
Wow. I simply stumbled upon these posts. And look at what you hath wraught! I know I’m late to the dance, but my two cents:
Ebony, I agree with what you’ve said. I also think the way you said it was just fine. You were respectful, you were detailed, and you clearly held a wide perspective on the matter, not simply your own.
The ONLY thing I see as a problem is that, via the internet, people do not understand–they react. There is no way to have a real-time dialogue. There is no way to hear inflection or get immediate clarification. And so a certain percentage of the backlash is simply misunderstanding, and among people who would likely agree with you if it weren’t for the walls of the internt. That’s all fine, as long as you keep responding, as you have done.
But the percentage of people who really are angry that you would dare to say there is something wrong with selling and teaching poorly- or even mediocrely-made goods are simply full of crap. They apparently don’t pride themselves on working hard enough to make something the best it can be before asking someone else to pay for it. They apparently are having a little tantrum over the fact that selling something they wouldn’t buy themselves is their right and isn’t anyone else’s business.
The ugly fact of the DIY market is that, the scantest percentage of us are ever going to get paid what we are worth in terms of skill, attention to quality, and certainly in labor hours spent on the product. The huge majority of those who sell their wares are greatly underpaid. And given that, many people probably feel that it isn’t fair and that they shouldn’t work as hard and charge whatever they can get.
It’s totally okay for you or anyone else to call that what it is. It’s true. It’s reality. People escape realities constantly. But that doesn’t mean they go away.
Oh yes Chris!! And there’s also the part where, you can write what you want in the heat of the moment, letting the words flow out of your fingers like a monsoon, and have people take that as a representation of who you are, all the time. If I were standing in conversation with someone face to face, we could argue our points back and forth, forgive one another for a misplaced word or turn of phrase, and still walk away friends. The internet can be an ugly place to be sometimes, but here we all are. Thanks for sticking around to participate in the dialogue.
We have a free market economy, for the most part, where anyone is free to sell just about anything, and people are also free to buy it. I am also free to complain, but I can’t make someone cease their production of whatever crap (good, bad, or great) they choose to put out there; nor do I want to. My call was not to stop making, but to start paying attention. Thanks for recognizing that. 🙂
I totally agree!! Someone needs a few more humility blocks in their quilts. When did art have to be perfect? I agree that patterns should be accurate and if you are a “professional” then your quilts should be well made but let’s not categorize things that are not perfect as crap. Quilting will survive even with quilts with unmatched seams.
OMG, this subject of substandard work has been eating at me for a year. Like you, I`ve been sewing for most of my years and have learned through classes, practice, more classes, reading, and hard work. I really do resent it when some neophyte waltzes in with a new take on something (something that we probably did decades ago) in a new fabric – and does it poorly to boot – and is praised and followed.
I only sew for my pleasure, not for profit, but hate seeing the crap and wondering why quality and pride in workmanship count for less these days.
Well said Ebony,
I myself produce and right my own patterns and run my own business. This is a very satisfying but busy business to have. I work very, very hard and the last thing I want is for somebody to think that my work ethic is sloppy or not presented in the best format that I can possibly produce. I go to great lengths to ensure that the pattern you receive and the service you get is 100%. (there are lots of “Mud Maps” out there).
When I attend a show or group meeting my stand is always the very best I can present on the day…..anything less is just not doing my business any favours!
It all comes down to pride in your work (whether you are professional or non professional), nothing else, you don’t have to compare to others, but know in your heart that you have done the best that you can possibly do. Take care in your work every step of the way and you will be rewarded.
I would much rather have rewards for good presentation and no sales than to know that the product that I produce is sub standard to myself and others.
And here is a note to some magazine editors out there who are under pressure to fill their pages…..your people should not settle for second best either. Over the years I have seen countless images of poor work reproduced in magazines which is one of the first places that beginner quilters stop at for help and inspiration.
The industry needs to grow from young well informed people who will continue the craft onwards.
Be proud of what you produce and enjoy making your quilt.
Carol