Why Do You Quilt?

Why do you quilt?  That's a question I frequently ask myself.  Sometimes, when I tell people that I am a quilter, I joke that it is my therapy.  But, that is really only a half-hearted joke.  Quilting relaxes me and allows my right brain a chance to take over, quieting that judgmental, over-talkative left side.  It seems to give my whole being a chance to just kick back, relax, and release all of the tension that accumulates during my working day.

I also quilt because I love the medium so much.  When I make a quilt, I try to make it as beautiful as possible, which is an artistic motivation.  But quilts are more than beautiful objects, the way that a painting or drawing is.  Quilts are tactile.  A beautiful quilt makes you want to reach out and touch it, to fondle it, and trace the lines and shapes with your finger tips.  When you make a quilt for someone, you give them, not only a gift of beauty, but of comfort and warmth, as well.

I also love the process of  making a quilt: designing it, piecing and stitching it, making the sandwich, quilting it, and adding the binding.  I love the way I start out making a quilt, and how the quilt frequently has its own ideas about how it should develop.  I have learned that there are times I have to stop trying to tell the quilt what to do and listen to the quilt.  If I listen carefully, the quilt will tell me what it needs.

These are my answers to the question "Why do you quilt?"  Could they, perhaps, be your answers, too?

Finally!

Well, I've known for some time that I was not the Einstein of the tech world, but 4 hours of trying to get this blog up and running was certainly a humbling experience. But, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, here I am: Ta-Daaahhhh!

It seems as though it is always the easiest things that trip me up when I am trying to do something on the computer. I always seem to have the gist of the larger process, but when it comes to the small details to actually get the job done, there is always some little step that I forgot, because I haven't done it often enough, or some little step, like clicking on an icon, that I am unaware of. Of course, this leads to having to put on some soothing music, make a fresh cup of decaf (can't have full strength or might just whip the laptop across the room!), try again, and finally take a break. After doing some household chores, I return and presto! Somewhere in the dark recesses of my tired brain, the solution comes. I have lift off, Houston!

Blogging seems like a good fit for me. I am a special education teacher, specializing in Early Childhood Education. Many years of my career have been spent earning my living by evaluating children for developmental delays and writing reports. I enjoy writing and am eager to use my skills to chat about my other passion in life: working with fabric and threads.

Above is a picture of a current block in progress. The fabric that inspired the block is made from a digital photo I took and printed on fabric. The photo printed on fabric was then enhanced with colored pencils. I am working on the embellishments now, as you can see in the picture. I hope to make three more blocks using digital photos printed on fabric as inspiration. The four blocks are to be finished separately and may be hung as a grouping.

One of the blogs I follow is Diane Gaudynski's. I am in awe of her ability to create true works of art with her sewing machine. When reading her website or her blog, one can easily see that she is not only a fantastically talented artist, but a fine, generous human being, as well. I love the encouragement she gives to her students and readers: "Keep quilting. You are getting better every day." That has become my mantra and I pass it on to you, in peace, as well.