Aging with Grace

I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.

Yohji Yamamoto

I found this quilt folded up in an old apple basket, at the back of a stall run by a charming lady in her eighties, at the Christmas Market in Fredericksburg, Texas. It is hand pieced and hand quilted, probably dating to the 30’s or 40’s. When I dug it out and asked the price, I was told I should consider one of the newer quilts with better workmanship. After some discussion, I was able to purchase the quilt. To me the flaws were part of it’s charm.

There is a myth that quilters leave a mistake in their quilts on purpose. The truth is that in a quilting project mistakes are inevitable. There is no need to try to make them. If you’re looking for perfection you might try something machine made, not as charming, but with fewer imperfections. People make mistakes.

I wrote about my dilemma dealing with this topic in, Perfection. I find it easier to accept flaws in others than in myself. Of course, it’s a losing battle. As human beings, none of us achieve perfection. At some point the only thing that makes sense is to embrace the whole package. Flaws and all.