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?