Quilting

In 2001 I found myself single with a huge raise in income from a job change. I decided that this would be a good time to start a hobby just for myself and one from what I thought was part of the “dying arts.” You know, those handcrafts that only the older generation did and once they died, then so would it.

So I chose quilting.

I always loved to mess around with fabric. I had an old Singer sewing machine my mom bought me at a yard sale several years before. And woodworking is not conducive to a second story apartment.

I consulted a co-worker who also quilted on what to get for basic tools. Got introduced to fabric scissors and a rotary cutter and a self-healing cutting mat, found a pattern, and bought my first round of “good quilting fabric.”

Oh man was I hooked.

For the last twenty years I have learned that quilting is not a dying art. No, no, my friend. It is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are quilt shops and magazines and conventions and shop hops and websites galore dealing in all the fabric, tools, patterns, and techniques you could ever possibly want to try.

And I love exploring them and dreaming about the next project with quilting.

From my little corner of the world I have been able to finish at least 100 projects and connect with other people from all over who enjoy the craft just as much as I do. I am hugely active in my local quilt guild and part of two Facebook groups through which I get to see finished quilts and UFO’s (unfinished objects) in progress from around the globe.

So what exactly is quilting?

It is taking perfectly good fabric - usually cotton - and cutting it apart to sew it together again into a pattern or picture. Sometimes this cutting and resewing is done several times over to finally finish what is called the top of the quilt. This top is then layered with batting (a rawly finished layer of tightly woven natural or polyester fibers about ¼” thick) and a large piece of fabric a little larger than the top called the backing.

The “quilt sandwich,” as it is called, is then run under a machine once again or stitched by hand to keep the layers from coming apart. This is the actual quilting part of the process and the maker can either just sew along the edges of the pieces or make patterns with thread to enhance the pictures created by the fabric. After this another piece of fabric is cut, sewn into a long strip, folded, and placed around the perimeter of the quilt to seal the raw edges. This is called binding and keeps the quilt from falling apart in the wash.

So why do I love it?

It is my sanity in an insane life, especially when I can close the door to my sewing area and block out the rest of the world. Just me, some music, and the hum of the machine.

I love the fabric. The feel of the buttery soft weight of really good cotton fabric is like none other. Sometimes I will go to the quilt store just to touch it, especially since the store is an hour away and I do a lot of my ordering online.

And the colors. Oh the colors. Just by combining different fabrics I can create the feeling of anything from a bright rainbow to a soft field of flowers to a rustic farmhouse. The part of the process to choose my fabrics usually takes me a few hours alone. I have a decent “stash” (collection of fabrics) on hand and when it is time to either start a new project or add more to a current one my sewing area becomes a tornado of color.

Because of course it has to be that just right blue with the pictures printed on it a certain size.

And I love quilting because of the connections it brings me with other people.

My two best friends are also quilters and we get together once in a while just to sew and talk and I love going online to see what other quilters are doing around the world. And like I said before, I am really involved in the local guild and besides the meetings and classes it offers, there is an annual retreat I make sure I save my pennies to go to. Forget the spa - just give me four days of sewing and food and laughter and I am in heaven.

And I get to bless people with my creations.

Most of my quilts are for babies and weddings and milestones in life. I have also made some for people who need a lot of extra comfort in a tumultuous season. I use mainly traditional piecing and construction and spend the money on higher quality cotton fabrics so that they last for those who receive them. They can be washed and used and provide warmth and happy thoughts for a special person or family and hopefully passed down to at least the next generation for continued blessings.

I’ve even been able to capture some special moments in my own life through a quilt. When my mom passed away I went back to my hometown to help clean out the family home. I took one of my best friends along and after the days of cleaning and sorting we loaded up a U-haul and drove back to Colorado. The plan: to stop at a quilt shop for each of the days we were on the road. And at each one of those shops I made sure to purchase a special fabric that coordinated with the ones from the other three. I then made a huge quilt out of those fabrics to commemorate the drive.

When I think about that first quilt and how far I have come in the last twenty years, I am so very glad I took up this craft of quilting. It has brought joy to myself and so many others. And while my technique has improved since that first project (it had tiny holes in the top I needed to fix while quilting because my pieces didn’t match up) I know there is still plenty to learn and do - especially since my own personal UFO list is over 40 projects long.