National Quilting Day

Happy National Quilting Day! The actual date jumps around but it is always the third Saturday in March. Interesting that is just before the start of official spring. Winter and quilting go together in my world. Of course, I quilt year around, but in spring, summer and fall, I must give up time from my sewing room to work in the yard and the flower beds. Some quilters have a passion for gardening. I don’t–I do enough so that I don’t embarrass the neighbors. But I am off track. I want to share some of my favorite quilts (random photos that don’t correspond to the text) and the reasons I am an obsessed quilter.

Six reasons I quilt/sew:

1. I love to sew and for years made most of my clothing. I sewed for both of my children–shorts and shirts for my son and most of my daughter’s clothing plus some very clever Halloween costumes. I made dresses and tops for my Mom. But, the children were easy to fit and my Mom wasn’t very particular. I hate to buy fabric, cut and sew together and THEN discover it just isn’t a good match of fabric to garment or fit to my body or I just didn’t like it. As fabric became more expensive, I swore off making garments and never wearing the item. I embraced quilting!
2. I taught Family and Consumer Science(Home Ec.) for 32 years and made the circuit of foods, family living, home decor, child development and consumer science but discovered that sewing classes were the most fun. (In the beginning classes the projects didn’t require much fitting, so there!). The pride a student felt after making their first “learn to sew bag” was wonderful to watch. I am still in awe of some of the quilts my upper class students created. They proved the saying “They did it because they didn’t know they couldn’t”.

Sometimes I have a pattern, sometimes I don’t.

3. I love making something out of scraps; that knowledge that some saw it as a pile of leftovers but I created a useful item. I will admit I have spent enough money on fabric to pay for a small vehicle, but I save every scrap. I have made aprons out of thrift store finds. I made table runners out of leftovers from a quilt top. I have made a queen size top with 2.5 inch square saved over the year.

Made from 2.5 inch blocks saved from scraps

4. I love to create. I can’t paint or draw. I am not a musician. My flower bed evoke pity from my friends—but I can quilt really beautiful quilts, and who needs a pattern! Plus the object of my creativity lasts. Cook a meal and it gone in minutes. My great grandmother made a quilt, and I still enjoy it.

5. The quilting community is a great support system. Every Wednesday I join a dozen other women to sew from 11 am to 5 pm. I could get a lot more done if I stayed home. But as Susan said to me once when I complained about only getting one border on a top, “that isn’t the reason we come together”. The first hour or so each week is an informal session of “what do you think” questions…do you think this quilt needs a border? do you think this print is too large for the block? do you think I need to make the top bigger? Husbands are not known for giving very good answers to these sort of questions, I need these people.

6. I do realize the last reason is rather flippant–I mean no offense. But many a time, I have said “it is better to quilt, than to murder!” Sewing/quilting soothes my soul, calms my nerves, lifts my spirits—-and to be honest, gives my self-esteem a boost when I am falling into that trap of feeling inferior.

Realistically, not everyone is going even like quilting….my son in law is a football fanatic. I do not see the point! Fishing? no thank you. Collecting fine art, ok but collecting quilts is better.

Happy National Quilt Day!