I have spent some time thinking about Cindy's note mentioning buying a big machine to get all her tops done up. I am having a tough time trying to figure out just what it takes for this hobby to feel right for us. For folks in the old days they had almost nothing. A needle and scraps got them going. Some of the work was really wonderful. Small perfect stitches with great patterns and colors done like art. Some just did slap-dash or just plain old functional work. Many probably did both. Now we quilt as a form of creativity and a pastime. SOme of us do it because we have sewn our whole life while others are looking for something to keep them busy or social in retirement. The equipment runs the gamut today. I don't guess there is a right or wrong. Our budgets dictate some of our needs. Some of our skill comes with us when we are born IMO. Most of us need lots of practice and training to produce fine work. Most of us will not put out blue ribbon show quality stuff. Mostly we use our quilts as hugs to those we care about and a lot of mistakes are overlooked with all that love we send. I just count myself lucky as someone who enjoys most aspects of quilting. The shopping, the cutting, sewing, the many dear friends quilting has brought me and the ability to share something of me with other folks. I'm glad when others can find that same joy not matter what it takes in their corner of the quilting world. Taria
I do not really have a historical 'bump', and I rarely think of being in a succession sort of thing; but I do agree that we have many more gadgets. All in all, though, any skill we might have (or not) would probably have been replicated in the past. We do not really need many tools. I do use a rotary cutter a lot, but I also still use templates - that I make from whatever I have to hand. I never buy templates, nor plastic 'wheels' to make yo-yo's for instance! I have enough fabric, but not a huge amount.
We have quite near us, an exhibition centre in Wales where they usually have a summer-long exhibition of antique Welsh quilts. One year, I went as usual, and saw a really un-square, large stitched woollen quilt. I read the note with it. The mother made a quilt for every child when it was born. This one was for number 13 (remember they didn't all survive). I could sympathise with the lack of care >g<
What am I getting at? I'm not sure really; but I do think that quilters of today who have talent - in design, colour, piecing, quilting, would also make beautiful pieces without modern tools; and that past quilters would learn how to use our tools and gadgets, and achieve the same level. The tools do not make the work beautiful; they just make it quicker and - sometimes- easier to do.
I agree we are not now quilting from necessity - but we could if the need arose. I don't think we are that far apart, fundamentally. . In message , Taria writes
Taria, I'm not sure I understand the question or where you are coming from? Is it a frustration with people being discouraged either by themselves or others? Or not embracing which ever method works for whatever reason physical, finanancial etc? Or not accepting the diversity that exists in all things art?? Or all of the above?
When I taught quilting, I was always amazed at the ladies who thought buying the most expensive sewing machine would mean they could/would make great quilts. Huh? Some of them never quite got the idea that fabric and color choices, pattern choices, tools and equipment and lots of practice was what separated the best quilts from the not-so-good. Most of them got discouraged when they didn't excel at first try. I found that to be very sad.
For myself, I am addicted to fabric and have a hard time saying no to fabrics that call to me. I have quite a few rulers for rotary cutting, but find that the specialty rulers I bought early on have hardly been used, where my good ol' standbys have hardly any markings left on them from being used constantly. I used to think that I had to subscribe to every quilting magazine out there and buy oodles of quilting books. I am much more selective now. I live in a small town, so I tend to have a big supply of fusibles, threads, batting, rotary blades, etc. Traveling a hundred miles to a LQS or waiting for the postman is not acceptable for me when I run out of something.
I quilt for the results- the finished quilt.... not so much the process. I love buying fabrics, I really enjoy designing, making the top is pretty interesting, but I start fading out before most are finished. I have analyzed this and I get discouraged because I have this amazing quilt in my mind and I often don't have quite the necessary skills to actually produce the mind-picture. I know I have made some very nice quilts, but I also have a great pile of not-so-nice UFOs that I will never finish. I try to pass those on when I have an opportunity. My failures are often someone else's treasure.
I always dreamed of having a dozen bed quilts- all with matching bedskirts, window treatments, etc. After almost 20 years of quilting, I know this isn't likely to happen. But that's okay. I have a quilt for each bed, The HairyButt Gang greatly contributes to the quilts needing frequent washing and then the quilt is worn out and I make another for the bed. The worn quilt goes in my truck for emergencies and the cycle begins again. I'm okay with this.
Most of my quilt are given away to people I love. The few commissions I've undertaken haven't been the most fun. The worst are when the commission'er dictates every detail. They really don't 'get' how colors and prints and block patterns play off each other and the quilts have been disappointments to them and me. The buyers who give me a general idea and let me run with it have been much happier. Nowadays my quilting seems to run in cycles- I quilt like crazy and then don't do any for a while. That's okay, too. I would not accept a commission at this point because of the time element. I don't want to 'have to' quilt when the mood isn't right for me. That's counter-productive to creativity.
With thanks (???) to Pat on her hill, Polly Esther and Jan (and a few other enablers) I have become rather passionate about free motion quilting. Unfortunately, my hip surgery has stopped that dead in it's tracks. I hope I can pick up where I left off. I often open the door to my little studio and look longingly at my 'stuff'. It's too cramped in there to allow me inside with my wheelchair or walker. But soon....... VBG
What an interesting and diverse group of responses we'll most likely see to this question!
Why I quilt? It's not a simple answer, for me anyway. I can play with color, play with design, take a pattern and "tweak it" = it lets me be a kid again! It allows my hands to "do something" while my mind wanders the meadows of my thoughts. It feeds my soul to see something in my mind's eye and produce it in fabric. It feeds my heart to gift my endeavors.
I entered the quilting habit with no big machines, no fancy tools. Like Leslie, my favorite rulers have their marks worn off from use. I just stopped my subscriptions to the two magazine I have gotten for years; there are enough saved ideas to last 3 lifetimes on my bookshelves. I have rarely kept anything I make, and usually know where it is going so as it is created I can think of the recipient, putting good thoughts into every stitch. I still have nothing fancy but a lot of fabric that spoke my name when I first saw it, and would love to think that I can pass on until I use up the fabric I have ;)
My regret is that I work full-time and cannot devote more energy to this wonderful pastime.
Have a peace-filled/piece-filled day, G> I have spent some time thinking about Cindy's note mentioning buying a
I have only been quilting for a year or so but I have sewn for most of my life. I have a few machines that will do all sorts of amazing things but the one I use the most is a Janome straight stitch 1600P. That is just about as single purpose as it gets. It only sews straight stitch. The only thing I have a lot of is thread. You can never have too much thread. I hate running out of a color when I am into sewing. I think a lot of people think that if they buy the fanciest machine they will be able to do the fanciest stuff. Not necessarily. It is the person who drives the machine that does the best work. A craftsperson of excellence can produce the finest work with the simplest of tools. I work in a solitary environment and don't "hang out" with other quilters. Present company excepted. The other thing that I do is work on one quilt at a time. I don't have a number of projects going at the same time. I will interrupt the quilting to do a quick sewing job that is of an urgent nature, but with the quilting it is single minded in it's hold on me. Most of my creative life has been in a solitary environment, and that is what works for me. Probably not to everybody's liking though. I sometimes don't even want the radio/t-v/ stereo on as it is distracting if I am doing something such as laying out a pattern and don't want to be distracted. The whole creative process is not the same for everybody. I have tried to get my wife interested in taking up sewing/quilting but she does not seem to feel the spark that I get from it. I think she has interests of a different type that satisfies her creative interest and so there is no need to branch out. At least not yet. I am always hoping, though.
I have one of those really nice machines. I never for a moment thought it would make me an instant artist. It's made me a better sewer because I don't get frustrated with it like I have with all my other machines. There are features that it has that I use every single day. There are also wonderful features that I will never use.
I worked really hard for a lot of years to be able to afford this really nice machine and I'll make no apologies for having it. I also still buy tons of patterns, magazines, fabric and tools just because I'm still so excited about it all.
I will apologize for having brought up a subject that has touched such a nerve. I'm a little flummoxed at the emails I've gotten because people think I'm bragging about being able to afford a long-arm when I apparently haven't "paid my dues" long enough to deserve one.
I don't think that owning a long arm machine will magically make me into an artist who can do the work that I saw at the show last week. I will never be able to do that kind of work because I don't consider myself an artist. I'm a decent enough craftsman, but no way an artist.
I should have divided the two topics into two seperate posts: the exciting show that I saw and I am looking at maybe buying a long arm. That way no one would have gotten confused thinking I thought that a long arm would instantly transform me.
Oh my goodness, Leslie, how your post distresses me. There must be someone that could come and clear you a wheelchair-wide path into your studio. We understand that you can't do the sewing machine things just now but, my goodness, I'll bet you would enjoy getting to fondle and admire your stash. Plan. Dream. Wonder why you bought that. Some of us may just have to come to Missouri and bring a road-grader or whatever it takes. Don't worry. We'll bring heaps of puppy biscuits. Polly
"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote, in part > I hope
I'm not sure I understand the original thoughts behind Taria's comments. But I am enjoying reading the follow-ups. I took a quilting class six years ago now because it seemed like a fun thing to do. Then when I became too ill to work and realized I would never work again, I knew I had to do something. At first, I worked at quilting for my sanity. Now, I do it for my soul. I love fabric. I have always loved color and motion and lines. I just never let myself play with it before. Now, I have a fabric collection that I love. Some if it will never, ever, ever see a needle. That's ok. It enriches my life by being with me. On those days when I can't do anything else, when pain becomes my entire world, I can go to my stash and hold my fabric and put pieces next to each other and the beauty and flow and the potential of that fabric gives me joy. I am not an artist. I have a goal of one day producing one quilt that I can enter in a quilt show and feel it deserves to be there. It likely won't be this year. But it's a goal and I work towards it. And in the meantime, I give everything I make to someone else and it makes their eyes light up and they hug me. What more payment could I ever ask for?
Were I to be transported back in time, I don't know if I would quilt. I have lost sensation in my fingertips and can't really feel a needle when I hold it most of the time. Sometimes I "forget" how to move my fingers. It would be a great loss in my life. I don't know how I would fill the void. I'm glad I live now, when I do. I, like Polly, have a lot of fancy rulers I bought early on and never use them. I have a nice machine. I drool over the Janome 6600, but that's as "big" as I want. Someday I will make a quilt that I think is "good" enough to deserve quilting on a longarm. That's not likely to be this year, either.
In the meantime, I play with fabric, cut out pictuers for myself (you guys would laugh yourselves silly if I showed you what I spend a lot of my time making. I love cutting out funny "folks" and making scenes. Just for me). It's grown up paper dolls. I make a few good things. I come through in a pinch most of the time. And when all else fails, I wrap myself in 3 yards of handpainted silk that I got for $2 at an estate sale and pretend I'm a silent film star.
Why ever we do this thing we do, we are all sisters and brothers of the fabric and we belong together in the long line of people that started when Eve or Adam put two fig leaves together and then realized it could use a little embellishment.
I'm more in the dark than Sunny. I have no idea what prompted this discussion but am enjoying the thoughts shared so much. I am an artist. I am talented. So? Many times, however, I've thought when someone has said, "Oh you are so talented," I wanted to just kick 'em. Talent my foot. If they only knew how hard I was struggling, making mistakes, trying and then trying again and again. Talent? Naaaaah, methinks, a whole lot more tenacity and hard work than talent. When I finally got off of my high horse on that attitude, I realized that talent doesn't hurt. My favorite Harry Potter quote goes something like this - It's not the abilities we are given but the choices we make. Yes. Yes. There are people with no talent whatsoever and no matter how many times they try, how nice their SM is or how many classes they take, their quilts are going to be dreadful. I saw two of those last week. I was visiting my sister's friend who had some sort of disc surgery. I took her some comfort food and visited very briefly. She proudly showed me the two quilts she had. Oh my. They are awful; hand-quilted with 3 or 4 stitches per inch, colors that would make you cringe and fabrics of poly and cotton that will forever bicker with each other. Those poor quilts have nothing going for them but love, the most wonderful quality of all. Polly
Dear Cindy, I want to apologize on behalf of any and all of the folks who said unkind t hings to you in emails. How rude! and how unnecessary. I would go out and buy a long arm in a heartbeat if I could, dues or no dues. And who is to say what is "right" time for one to "deserve" a better machine. For heaven's sake, why can't people just be happy for others and stop using the wonderful gift of email to ruin somebody's day. I for one am enjoying this thread. We are discussing and thinking and it's all about quilting. This is one of those wonderful threads that gives us a chance to see each other's "real" selves and understand a bit of the motivations of the others. I appreciate your questions. And I'm happy for you with your new machine. Wish I had one. And I bet so do all the others who gave you grief. Just forget about them and don't let them cause you any distress. You're one of "us" -- quilters. That's all that matters, cuz with family it's all good.
tis the 'green(not lime, hrmph, that would be sacré bleu) envy' some folks hold i do believe is what Ms B meant to say. i dont know what gets into folks. you take no mind of those who have nothing better to do than give ya grief. get what you want, when you want and enjoy every minute of it. oh and do let me know when the next quilt'n party is, eh. :) perhaps you could have a big old quilt retreat for those of us who envy you but sure aint being mean about it. we could put up our tents in the yard if need be, lol. works for me if its not too hot or too cold that is. now dont forget pix of your newly quilted beautys as well. cheers, jeanne
Thank you, Sunny and god, I don't want anyone to think I was whining. I guess it sounded like it, but I wasn't. And it was only 3 emails, it wasn't like it was 20. And I don't even think it was people being jealous, more like people saying I shouldn't brag (which I didn't feel like I was).
I don't want to make this worse, because it's not a big deal. My feelings weren't hurt or anything. I'm touchier than normal because it's one of those anniversary's of a bad day for me. But it's almost tomorrow and then I'll be fine.
I shouldn't have said anything. I always start the engine before I engage the brain.
ACK!! I meant that to go to you as an email Cindy. I didn't mean it to be on this thread. ACK. Speaking of putting engine in gear before opening mouth.... or something like that. Ok, sorry if I offended anybody. Cindy, I understand about those anniversary days. And I'm still having fun reading the responses to this thread.
it's not bragging it's sharing! I'd buy a long arm with all the bells and whistles if I could (do they have one with a computer you can set and walk away from yet? hehehe) for now I will just have to plot how I can get my grubby hands on some long arm time instead as I have given up on being able to quilt a large quilt all on my own on my tiddly janome (which I *do* love most dearly but it "only"has 6 inches of usable throat)
that said here's the answers: I started with a borrowed n-th hand sewing machine, cardboard, all purpose scissors and a ballpoint pen - yep I marked my quilts with a ballpoint pen and fortunately I never got any ink bleeding through! those first quilts were a disaster as I sewed on the lines only and well.. cardboard tends to scrunch up a tad as you use is so the first squares may have been perfect but the last ones were definitively crooked. I also tended to quilt about 12 inches apart at most or tie every 18 inches
nowadays I am glad I discovered rotary cutters, quilting rulers and strip sewing! my sewing machine was bought new 3 years ago and though it's a cheapie janome I'm happy with it despite coveting a larger machine (= more throat) as all I really care about it the straight stitch and throat space not the rest. I still design quilts on paper despite having EQ as I don't only think up stuff when I'm at the computer though I do usually draw out my paper designs into the computer next time it's on.
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