This morning I attended a show by Marianne Fons on "Why We Quilt". The show was held at the Shady Maple Banquet Center in Lancaster County, PA. It was quite informative and mentioned the main reasons why we do what we do....necessity, therapy, fame and fortune, and a couple others. I thought it was an interesting topic, though, and wonder why you quilt?
Alice
Alice, I love this question. I started quilting to keep me busy and from going insane after a turn of bad health left me unable to work. Now, I do it because it feeds my soul. I have found something fundamental that was missing from my life. I quilt for joy, for love, for praise (I do love applause -- one of my many character flaws!) and fun. But mostly, I quilt for ME.
Sunny
Two main reasons for me. Therapy, and self-expression. I like making things for other people and for our home. Not interested in fame and fortune. (good thing! 8 ^ }
Karen, Queen of Squishies
What a wonderful topic, Alice! I tried several different "crafts" before discovering quilting, and I've never looked back. I love trying different techniques, I love working on projects, and I love the fact that most of them don't have a deadline! When I used to sew clothes, they were always for some occasion -- or for my DDs, who would outgrow them if I didn't hurry. I have to have something to do (therapy, I guess ), but I don't do well outdoors most of the time, so this suits me very nicely. I'll never do it for fame or fortune, but I also enjoy entering my local show to get feedback on what I've done. I don't consider myself an artist, but quilting allows me to make something that could be beautiful. I guess I could accomplish many of the same feelings by cooking, which I used to enjoy more than I do now, but it's frustrating to have hours of work disappear in a matter of minutes! LOL!
It was a logical extension of my creative drive. It is akin to woodworking for me. You take a lot of little pieces and carefully arrange them into a pleasing shape and pattern, and then you assemble them into a useful and hopefully beautiful whole. I was already sewing clothes, which also have the same sort of attributes about them, so it was the next logical thing to follow. All of those things give me a great sense of accomplishment when I pull off a good job. There you go.
John
I quilt for myself and to maintain my sanity some days tho the only quilts I've kept for myself are a couple of table toppers/wall hangings. I love that I can make something unique.As soon as I get my stash and UFOs back with me, the first thing I want to do is finish a couple of bedsize quilts for our bed.
I used to decorate cakes for relaxation. But everyone appreciates the quilts more, as they don't make the waistline expand!
Trixie
Another thing that Marianne mentioned was that Martha Washington was a quilter. They still have a quilt top that she made, but she died before it was quilted......thus, she may have been the one to start UFO's!
Jane
Because those dratted designs won't leave me alone, keep me awake nights, unless I make them. Besides, it's so much fun. And I have a whole lot of fabric just lying around... Roberta in D
"Alice" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:q6Odndk9uKyusrbVnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@ptd.net...
yes, most colonial women quilted. i even have a Martha Washington sewing stand. it's about 3 feet tall, with octagonal sides that the tops flip up and three drawers in the front with crystal knobs. really nice. and i use it almost daily.
i love the peace and calm the fabric gives me and the satisfaction that i made something beautiful for myself or someone else. i used to landscape paint, watercolors and acrylics. got too messy. and my kids came along to interrupt that. i may not be an "artist" by anyone's standards, but the love comes thru.
amy in CNY
I quilt because:
I quilt because I have a closet full of fabric :) Of course, I have all that fabric because I enjoy quilting -- and shopping for fabric for a new project. It's fun to give a quilt-y gift. And quilters are nice people to hang around with.
Julia > This morning I attended a show by Marianne Fons on "Why We Quilt". The show
Yes, Judy. she wrote > It's a way to say "I love you"< Me too. Polly
"ME-Judy" <
Good question! I quilt because I love to play with varied color and style of fabric. I enjoy working with shapes to create a pattern or design. I love to combine the fabric and the shapes into unique quilts. You may call this therapy as it is a relaxing activity. I just call it fun! Necessity and fame & fortune are not in my play book though. It really, really, really (yes 3x really!) makes my heart sing when I make a quilt to donate to a wounded soldier, or to a preemie baby, a child in need, or even just for my own family members. They are why I quilt!
Excuse me for replying to my own message, which I posted yesterday. Today I took the time to read the interesting responses to this thread. When I came to my own note, I read it too. I just realized that while I had intended to close with THAT is why I quilt ..... what I typed is THEY are why I quilt. Is that a Freudian slip or what?
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