Why do I quilt? Or why did I take up quilting? Or why will I continue to quilt? There are different answers to each question.
I make quilts because of the joy it brings to people I give them to. In this age of mass production there are few things more appreciated than an individually crafted item, no matter how simple.
I took up quilting because I was - at that time - unable to continue making my own clothing, as I had no one to help me with fitting. I got hooked, and never reverted to sewing clothes.
I continue to make quilts and teach classes on quilt making because it is the most social of activities available to me. At this time in my life the social contact that comes with quilt making is very important to me. The benefits of teaching and passing on experience and skills is a bonus.
Making quilts (as opposed to actually quilting them - which I do not do anymore) combines many things that interest me. I have always enjoyed geometry and the associated mathematics, I loved drawing patterns as a child, and although 40+ years later I am still not confident dealing with colour I have long been fascinated by the use of colour in many aspects of life.
While making a quilt can be a creative outlet, it is anchored in the practical world that is so often the domain of women (no jibe intended to our many talented male quilters). I like that I can be creative and artistic and use the end result in my everyday life. My quilts - even the ones that take me years to finish - are made to be used, not hung on the wall. I love looking at the magnificent art quilts that others make, but I do not aspire to make them myself.
I find the resurgence in quilting and other textile crafts to be interesting in a social studies sense too. The massive shift to mass produced clothing and textiles after WWII and through to the 70s meant that many items (predominantly clothing) were no longer made in most homes, but instead were bought off the rack. For many years it was something of a status symbol not to make your own clothing, and now it tends to be assumed. So as homemakers stopped sewing an entire generation grew up not learning by observation how to do these tasks. That generation were largely responsible for the resurgence in quilting (and knitting and embroidery) years later. The people I teach now are often those who had mothers who stopped sewing because it was no longer an essential homemaker activity. These people seek the intangible benefits of the activity rather than simply gaining the skills to make something they could buy far more easily.
I think the textile crafts that have undergone the most obvious resurgence in recent years are those that are suited to group activities. Dressmaking is generally not an activity suited to group work, and has declined somewhat in popularity. But a group can work on a quilt through every stage to completion. More than anything else I think this is what makes people so passionate about their chosen textile craft. I am also a knitter, and I was an embroiderer. These groups gather, swap patterns, talk, and share skills and life experiences.
My personal observation is that women generally prize group activity far more highly than men do. Domestic quilting, knitting and embroidery are fields largely dominated by women. As a sex we are great communicators and this is best done in groups. There are countless jokes about how much women talk, but in reality we do talk a lot. It is important to us. When was the last time you were with a group of quilters and no one was talking? It is the best form of therapy and support you can have. You only have to look at this newsgroup. We are scattered round the world but we all have a common thread - no pun intended - and this binds us together in a unique way.
So . . . . why do I quilt? Because it keeps me connected to a group of communicators and innovators who are endlessly creative and inventive.
Perhaps the world would be a better place if we could just organise more world leaders to do international block swaps on a regular basis. It would require them to follow a set of rules, be generous and creative, and communicate with one another.
So . . . . . why do I quilt? No, the question should be -
Why doesn't everyone quilt?