Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Why We Quilt


I was asked to submit a little story to our guild newsletter. I cannot write two different things in the time I allow for the computer----so here is what I sent them. The picture is a little table topper I made for my daughter in laws parents. They travel around quite a bit in their motor home when visiting the USA from Australia.



I always find it very interesting to talk to beginning quilters. They have all sorts of reasons that they want to learn to quilt. Many have seen a quilt somewhere and think they can make it cheaper. That always results in a laugh.

One lady had a very interesting story. She is a psychologist and the vast majority of her clients are women. She was writing her annual Christmas letter and realized that she had not done anything that whole year for herself. This is the very thing she tells so many women who come to see her. So she decided she would learn to quilt. She put herself on her to do list in a life too crowded with other obligations. She hopes to have a couple of small quilts finished to put in her Christmas letter this year complete with pictures.

Another lady had a really beautiful top that her Grandmother had made. She wanted to learn how to make this into a real quilt as she called it. It was just gorgeous and made out of authentic feedsacks. She had no idea why it never got finished but felt a strong pull to make sure that it did. She still has not finished that quilt but will eventually as her skill grows on small projects.

There is also a lack of time to connect with other women. Taking a couple of hours a week out of a busy week to sit and sew together is very therapeutic. Generations before us knew that very well. Quilting or sewing allows our minds to quiet down the many voices clamoring for our attention. We can join together in a non judemental group and just discuss problems and share joys in our lives.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I know my wife would have liked to meet you. She had lots of lady friends to sew with.