Why Quilt?

Quilting is an experience that is different for everyone. For some it is part of their heritage because their Great Grandmothers taught their Grandmother who taught their Mother who taught them. It is part of their everyday life like making dinner for the family. Some people love art, any form of art. So they make quilts to use fabric as a painter would use their oil colors. Yet others use quilting as a way to express themselves in a way that only they understand. Whatever type of quilter you are, the end result should be a sense of fulfillment and happiness. It doesn't matter if anyone else thinks you're a quilting Picasso, if you love what you've done, then you have accomplished something that no one else can duplicate!

There are many reasons that people quilt. Some of us do it to relax, some to it to escape, and some people quilt to feel a sense of accomplishment. Some of us do it because of a combination of all of those reasons. I do it because I love it! I love the color of each fabric. I love the feel and smell of new fabric. I love the feel and smell of old fabric even more!

If you are a person that escapes to quilting to relax you are very lucky. How people relax is as different as each quilter may be. Some people relax by just grabbing some fabric and create what they see in their minds eye. That can be a great stress reliever, just cut and slash and sew. Viola, you've created a unique article. There are other people that work well with instruction. You may be a quilter that likes to follow a pattern, cutting precise angles and piecing them together exactly. When you are finished with the instructions you have a perfect work that can be duplicated. This style can be as rewarding as the preceding cut and slash technique. Some of us work for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years to finish an entire quilt project to feel a sense of accomplishment for a completed project. Unfortunately, you will find that most of us have a closet full of unfinished projects because there is always something new that we have to try. There is always a new fabric, a new pattern, a new class to take and a new tool to try out. So we buy the new stuff, start a new project that we promise we are going to finish and then....another new tool comes out and we're right back where we started. I do not discourage this practice, actually I am guilty of having several unfinished projects. But I swear that I was going to finish each project when I started it.

Where you quilt is as important as why you quilt. As a quilter you can make your quilting area anything you like. It can be bright and cheery so you feel alive when you work. It can be filled with light from natural sunshine which helps when choosing fabrics. Light bright areas also create an environment that allows great creativity. But that isn't true for all quilters. Some people make their area very warm and cozy so they feel like they are caved in and undisturbable. When they are in their "zone" they can have wonderful ideas for projects that let them express themselves alone. For some people their quilting area changes depending on what area of the house is available. I've quilted on kitchen counters sitting on a stool, on the dining room table, on the coffee table at other people's homes and even on the top of a television. This traveling quilting circus has its drawbacks. Every time you have to stop and get back to real life, you have to pack up your stuff and put it away. That takes away any sense of fluidity to your project. I highly recommend that you choose the perfect place for you, create a place that makes you feel what you want to feel when you are quilting. It doesn't matter where you choose or what you think you need for your space because trust me, it will evolve into something else. It will evolve into a place that you didn't even imagine. Why? You ask? Because you will move things to accommodate a certain project for instance. You may decide that you need a bigger table for your sewing machine. Maybe you will see a picture at a store that will fit perfectly in your space. You may need to add a shelf for supplies or a dresser for your ever growing stash.

We haven't even discussed the "stash". When you decide to make your first quilt project you will probably buy the tools and materials that you will need. I encourage you to do something fun for yourself from the very beginning of your quilting adventure. Each time you go to the fabric store and purchase materials for your current project, pick out one extra fabric that you love. You don't need a reason to buy it. It is probably just going to be your favorite color, your favorite pattern or something that you really like. Buy a yard or two. Buy three if it's on sale! Then take it home, put it on your ironing board and just look at it. Let your mind imagine where it could be used. Then put it away when you're tired of looking at it. Add it to your stash. You will be amazed at what you collect. I guarantee that at some point you will be so pleased with yourself that you had the foresight to get that fabric! You will need a particular color or pattern for a new project and it will already be there in your stash! How fun is that? When you buy fabric for your current project, don't hold back. Get extra. One thing that I have found is that I make a lot of mistakes. Sometimes I make a mistake so big that I have to go out and buy more fabric just to finish a project because I only bought what the pattern called for. I don't do that anymore. I buy extra at the beginning so if I do make a huge mistake I have some of the same dye lot and color on hand to match the current project. More importantly, the time that you will make that huge mistake will be after all of the stores are closed and you are trying to finish a project for the baby shower that is tomorrow! Trust me....buy extra fabric!

Make time to quilt! If you have ever been involved in a quilting club you will know that a lot of the time you will complete the project that is due the next day, the night before you have Club! Sometimes I have to schedule time to get a project done. When I actually sit down and work on the project I realize that I have missed it and wonder why I don't do it more often! There are a million reasons that you don't have time to quilt. There is always laundry, weeds growing somewhere, dust on everything and dinner to prepare. It is just as important to make time for you! The laundry, gardening, and housekeeping will be there when you're finished with your project. Make time to create something that only you can create. I guarantee that you will feel rewarded.