Quality Standards and Expectations vary according to skill level.

When we pay someone to do a job, we expect a high level of qualilty. When we pay for a professional, we expect professional results.

Beginners are not held to the same standard as experienced processionals. The stand level of a professional would be impossible for a beginner to achieve on the first effort. If all beginning upholsterers had to do it perfectly the first time, no one would ever succeed.

For beginners the quality standards and expectations are pretty lax. If they make an honest effort, trying their best, just seeing them try, getting the new cover on the piece, is rewarding enough.

However, the danger is when relaxing standards for beginners, some may take it as a license to just do sloppy*. Just to set the record straight, "It is NEVER OK to do sloppy work!" Even this has to be qualified. Beginners by their inexperience do sloppy work, and that IS OK, because they are doing what they can do. For them, this is just a part of their acceptable learning process.

*Let us define "sloppy". Sloppy relates to experience and ability. People who are knowledgeable and have the ability to do nice work, but are just too lazy to do it, they do sloppy work. You would not call it sloppy if a beginner did the same quality of work, but that's all they knew how to do. But, to be clear, it is never OK for even a beginner to do less than they are able to do. It is NEVER OK for even a beginner to intentionally do sloppy work.