Open Line Friday–Why Do YOU Quilt?

February 28, 2014
Sewing Machine Motif, Free Motion Quilting

Free Motion Quilting, Scissors

IS QUILTING AN ADDICTION?

Have you ever considered WHY you quilt?  The first response that comes to my head is “Because I can’t stop”.  So is it some kind of addiction?  If you Google “quilts” and “addiction” pages and pages of information can be found-most are fabric stores, blogs, etc, but the notion of quilting as an addiction is not unique to me.  I was unable to find any serious discussion about it, but I am left to wonder…

QUILTING IS BOTH A CREATIVE AND INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE

What drives this quilt-obsession?  For me, it’s the need to create and answer the question:  What if?  What if I tried this fabric combination instead of that?  What if I used this thread instead?  What if I changed that block to this one?  What if I did “this” instead of “that”–would it improve the process?  I enjoy both the creative and intellectual challenge of quilting.

DRIVEN BY COLOR

I think I am also driven by color.  I love color.  I love the array of colors found in both fabrics and threads.  I love sorting and re-sorting fabrics into different color combinations for my quilt blocks  and trying all sorts of thread/fabric combinations.

A LEGACY

Finally, I want to create quilts so generations down the line will know me in some small way.   I love the quilts and afghans that my husband and I have inherited from previous generations.

WHY DO YOU QUILT?

Today on Open Line Friday, I’d love to hear why YOU quilt…

Thank you in advance for sharing…

Lori

Free Motion Quilting, Scissors

PS… All images, information and tutorials are property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog and Pin with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt.  For all other uses, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com.  Thank you!

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90 comments

  • I quilt, and knit, for a lot of different reasons. I love playing “what if” with little scraps of fabric and different colors and layouts. I love making pretty little things, especially when I’m playing with scraps from the thrift store and making something out of almost nothing.

    Lately I’m using my quilting to channel stress. My husband was in a head on collision with a drunk driver who crossed the center line. While we wait to see what the future holds, I’m working on fiddly quilting projects. For a couple of hours at least, I can distract myself by fussing with itty bitty squares and trying to match the seams. Honestly, it’s more productive to lie awake at night and design quilt blocks in my head than it is to worry about things that are completely out of our control.

    I’m calmer when I’ve been quilting.

    • A

      Michele–That is awful news! So very sorry to hear it. When was the accident? Is your husband at home or in the hospital? I do think sewing is calming and therapeutic.
      You are in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us updated. Lori

  • I was introduced to quilting as a teenager. I sewed clothes in 4-H and sewing quilts seemed just an extension of my sewing skills. I quickly began doing more quilting than tailoring. I got involved in a local group, then a guild, took classes, joined an international organization. Now, I’ve gotten both of my sisters involved. Personally, I think that quilting is a way for women to connect. We need the social element in life. Quilting has been around for hundreds of years. I realize that more and more men are getting involved in quilting. But, for the majority of us, quilting provides a social connection among women; an avenue to learn, create, encourage, teach, help others, and on and on. Of course, the feel of the fabric, the gorgeous colors, the look of the quilting, yeah, that gets me too.

    • A

      Pamela, I think that the social and solo aspects of quilting are more reasons so very many people participate in quilting! Great hobby no matter who you are!

  • farmquilter

    I quilt because I have enough fabric for a small fabric store and I spent a chunk of change on a longarm – with a hundreds of cones of thread, rulers, templates, patterns, books, magazines – that my DH and daughters will hate me for if I don’t use it up before I die!! 🙂 Besides, it’s hard to have more fun legally than playing with fabric, thread and my imagination!! And SCORE!! I have something pretty and useful at the end!!!

    • karen mcbrayer

      OMG, I can so totally relate. I went to my first quilt camp this past October and I went through all my fabric to look for projects. It was embarrassing how much fabric I found. Came across 7 complete projects tied in bundles. I too have a long arm (which I need to use more) but probably not as much thread as you do – but I probably need more. Recently retired and have lots of sewing plans. Have a great day.

  • Vicki

    In college I majored in painting, but ended up getting an engineering degree so I could make a living. Now, many decades later, I’ve retired and spend all my spare time painting with fabric (aka quilting). I love abstract designs and playing with color. I can’t stop mulling over designs and options in my head. I see quilt designs everywhere – I even dream them!

    The quilters in my guild are a creative community of kind, funny, generous, helpful people and best of all, they totally understand my obsession.

    Also, it is a life-long, never-ending pursuit. There’s so much to learn and I will probably never make all the quilts I have on my bucket list. But I’m sure going to try!

  • Diane

    I just love quilts. I love healthy high I get when the project is complete. So I mobe on to the next one.

    • Diane

      Sorry for misspelling, darn fat thumbs, move not mobe.

  • I share most of the previouse thoughts and comments. It’s creative, intellectual, soothing, plus when finished you’re left with some matrial article that helps make others’ lives better.
    The idea of beauty, the idea of turning something abstract (ideas, thoughts, fantasy, dreams) into something material (something that keeps you warm, some small article in the kitchen or dining room, something that you carry with you and makes you smile), and if possible making it as close as possible to the way your imagination pictured it…

  • I have been making things with my hands since I was 5 years old. Mostly fiber related, as well as beading and jewelry. Don’t work with fire. So I went through the quilt phase in the late 70’s 80’s., I sewed, I knit, I even learned how to weave. I am so thrilled that all these crafts are back and a new generation is embracing them with gusto.
    I have been fascinated from the start with how pattern and choice of fabric creates something unexpected. Unfortunately for me, my very first quilt was covered with swastikas. I had to come up with a creative way to blur that effect. I used to hand quilt, now it’s FMQ, it is amazing to me how the quilting changes the top, I do not like all over, I want it to relate to the actual quilt.

  • Now I quilt because I can express myself with fiber and color because my preferred mediums are far too expensive and can’t be done at home (hot glass and hot cast bronze). I started making quilts as a way to get away from sports on tv, particularly during football season when my partner is watching. Now I make more traditional quilts to give to nonprofits and for gifts to friends, and am making art quilts for myself. What is so great about this hobby is that there is always something to learn, from new quilting or piecing techniques to thread painting, embellishing, and painting with inks. My next undertaking is trying to figure out how to use my plaster sculpture patterns to cast fiber and make fiber sculptures (with three layers so they qualify as quilts).

    • Oh, and I don’t think that the quiltmaking would likely be an addiction, but the fabric purchasing could certainly qualify!

  • Laura M

    Wow,, what an amazing bunch of women here, it’s so neat to see how quilting is something that connects us all together, and probably all for the same reasons. I quilt because there is an artist inside me that is begging to come out and it’s a place where I can release her and let her go. I work in an extremely stressful, totally ‘by the book’ full time job, quilting is where I can let my inner child out. It’s totally therapeutic for me. I don’t have enough time to do all that I want, but I spend as much free time in my sanctuary as I can, much to my husbands chagrin. He call’s it my quilting porn. I am totally addicted to the whole process from picking out the fabrics, to hand sewing on the label at the end. It’s wonderful to know that I am right at home with the rest of you creative people!

  • Susan Barr

    For me, it is about connections. Connecting to the memories of sleeping under quilts as a kid, and to the loved ones who made them. It is connecting to my creative side and enjoying the use of pattern, color, process and the rational side of getting to make the decisions that steer the ship! It is about connecting to the loved ones who get the products of my hands, whether I know them or not. It is about connecting with others who love to quilt, too, and weathering life’s storms with them. And, when I’m in my sewing room….I get to be in charge!!! lol.

  • Polyquats

    I remember why I started quilting. My girls wanted beautiful doona covers and I couldn’t afford them. I made their first quilts from sheet corners bought from the Sheridan outlet (can’t get those anymore, the sheets are no longer “Made in Australia”). I didn’t own a cutting mat or rotary cutter. Just Fran Roen’s “Country Quilts in a Day” and basic sewing supplies.
    I kept quilting, I think, because I was tired of putting effort into gardens that I would have to leave behind.
    I can afford doona covers now, and we are much more settled, but it’s way too late. I’m hooked. For all the reasons everyone has given above, I won’t be stopping anytime soon.

  • Meriul

    I’m a better person when I’m quilting! I like who I am…….. creating and expressing myself. I like the entire process and enjoy seeing what makes other quilters tick. I love sharing ideas with others and encouraging and being encouraged. Quilters are nice people (usually) and it’s great to be affiliated with nice people! When I’m in my “studio” and in the middle of some project, I’m reminded of my mother, my aunts, and those who taught and guided me to where I am today. I am grateful for this artistic outlet.

  • For the pure pleasure of it and for all the comfort and love it brings to whoever I give it too. 🙂

  • Just because … there is fabric, thread, and wadding which just needs to be used up … doing something satisfying and creative.

  • karen mcbrayer

    I quilt because I find it relaxing. I go into my room,sometimes close the door and just work on projects, start or finish them. I like the mathematical challenge that quilting presents as well. But, right now, Grandma is going to take a nap. My daughter gave birth to a healthy 8 lb 21 in boy at 1:57am and grandma’s tired. Have a good day all.

    • A

      Congratulations! Thrilled for you! Take a quick nap (and then start stitching that baby quilt!)

    • Congrats Karen!!! So thrilled for you. My daughter is expecting a boy in May…I can’t wait! Glad all is well. 🙂

  • I quilt because I can and all of the above! Hands on creativity makes me feel complete. I am so thrilled that my 8-year-old granddaughter has fallen in love with quilting, too. We are making her first quilt. Great bonding activity. The only problem I have is I am really wanting to upgrade my sewing machine and have to earn the money first! (Mine is doing fine so far, but a machine that regulates the stitches would be awesome.) Hope the day keeps you all in stitches!

  • Michelle Shook

    All of the things you said AND it gives me a peace and joy.

  • billiemick

    It was on my bucket list. I enjoy sewing, but not the pressure of finishing everything and I don’t…..:)

  • witchylin

    I quilt because I love it. The feel of the fabric, the colours, the shapes I can create, the maths it requires to make up my own design and the relaxation I feel when making a quilt. Drawing pictures with fabric is very addictive.

  • I love how beautiful they look, and all the different colors and prints put together to make something so beautiful.

  • Diana

    Sometimes I lose myself in the rhythm of the cutting and stitching so that all of my other problems or issues fade away.

  • Patti Phillips

    I am finally using all that math that I didn’t pay enough attention to. I quilt to satisfy my hunger to create…quilting isn’t just bedcovers. It’s wall art..clothing..bags and purses, dolls, furniture! Any place I want to go, I can with quilting. It’s my magic carpet to friends all over the world. It connects me.
    Patti

    • A

      Patti, I agree. Quilting is fabulous because it is solo AND it is social. Isn’t it interesting how the internet has connected even more of us and that there are quilters almost everywhere in the world? Fascinating to me that we are all drawn to this same form of creativity!

  • I love color. It is my primary reason to quilt. If tires came in 86 colors, I’d have to have them all. I like the interplay of colors. And fabric is an easy way to try combinations I find intriguing. It appeals to me to make useful items when I play. The idea that people come to know me by my work is a kind of immortality.

    • A

      I love the color and feel of fabric. Kat, have you ever tried fabric dyeing–it’s the ultimate in playing with color!

  • Janet Bevan

    I love being creative. The challenge of making something from loved fabrics, the textures and colours. Pushing out the boundaries and loosing myself in the process. The satisfaction of a job well done. Rescuing on old pair of jeans and turning them into a useful bag, exploring colour and pattern and the pleasure of waking up in the morning under a quilt that I have made. The friendliness of fellow quilters and just the delight of making something beautiful and useful for you home.

  • Linda

    Quilting is my hobby and I am never bored. Since retiring from an all-consuming job quilting has allowed me to fill my time spaces with something creative and inspiring. Through quilting I have the pleasure of many long lasting friendships and memories of wonderful times. A visit to my quilt shop is inspiring – the colors, the designs and most of all the people there – so friendly and happy. I love finding a new pattern and choosing the colors and creating something that is one of a kind whether it’s piecing, applique or hand work. There is always something new to experience and to learn.

    • A

      Linda, you echo the sentiments of others that quilting is enjoyable because it is solo, but also social. Interesting…

  • so many others have hit on so many aspects that drive me to quilt. I love a challenge – the what if aspect, the can I recreate what’s in my mind’s eye? the different colour combinations. I also love that it creates something tangible – my day job does not. I’m not as interested in a legacy – I tend to forget what I’ve made as soon as it is finished – it is definitely the thrill of the challenge that drives me to create more, and I am definitely driven!

    • A

      You are driven by the process not the end point…this can be a bit of a “creative block” because the drive to create a completed quilt is less strong. Do you usually finish your quilts?–Bindings, etc?

  • In my sewing room working on a quilt at any stage, “centers me”, and when it’s a gift/talent… It just has to be expressed…..

    • A

      What does it mean to be centered? I know what you mean, but how would YOU define it–it calms us?

  • I am definitely addicted to the colors, and all the amazing ideas I see everywhere. I’m still in the beginning stages of quilting too, so I have this drive to make one for every person in my family because they could get cold. Hahaha! Otherwise, yes, it fulfills the need to create and express my artistic abilities, while creating a family heirloom that I’m hoping will be passed down and enjoyed for years to come.

    • A

      I think it is a lovely idea to make a quilt for each family member. Your quilts will keep them warm, but more importantly–loved!

  • Duane Wiley

    Creative Challenge. I just love a challenge and there is so much in quilting that feeds that desire.

  • Definitely enjoy the “what if” factor of each quilt. Like improving my technique with each quilt, and enjoy giving one of a kind gifts to family and friends Hope to leave my daughters with a bunch of quilts for every season and holiday and the grandkids something to remember that I made especially for them.

    • A

      I think the challenge to constantly improve drives me as well. Your family is lucky to receive your quilt legacy (just make sure they’re labeled!)

  • Delaine Nored

    I like the process of quilting. There’s an order to it. First you get a pattern, then the fabric, then you cut, then piece, etc. I like how the process can be interrupted for minutes, days, or years, and I can go back to it. Very unlike anything else. Imagine setting aside cake batter for 2 years? It’s also a pretty forgiving pastime. Most any stitching can be taken out and redone. A strip cut wrong or a block that doesn’t work or fit can be made into something else. Quilting can be done as a solo experience or in small or large groups. And I love looking at my hands holding the needle stitching down a binding and seeing my Nana’s hands.

    • A

      I think you bring up another excellent point–quilting can be cone solo and in groups. That definitely adds to the enjoyment of it–as well ass the other things you’ve mentioned. I love the image of you seeing your Nana’s hands as YOU quilt!

  • Marta

    These letters brought tears to my eyes..love discovering what makes us tick ! I have loved fabric all my life. I remember as a 3 year old feeling the fabrics of the dresses my mom and aunts wore, LOL! I have a university degree in Art, printmaking and photography, and was a Girl Scout growing up doing many kinds of arts and crafts,
    Thru the years I had to move “my stuff” from the table so the family could sit for a meal. Then 4 years ago I shared a demonstration cottage with 2 quilters. Something in me just “poured” inside, but still took me awhile to identify it. Insight: I love fabric and had sewn for 60 years, too!! I joined a quilt guild 3 years ago and now am obsessed with ideas of what can be done and then doing it. i love the joy my gift of a quilt gives family and friends. But the best part is my connection with the fabric. I realized I had collected a huge stash thru the years because the pieces were simply and purely works of art.Quilting allows me to participate in that art process which begins with the yard goods.And ditto to what others wrote too, about the need to work with fabric all the time ! 🙂

    • A

      Marta, Isn’t it interesting how many of us started as children? I couldn’t wait to go to Brownies and start our little project each week. We are just big Girl Scouts now!

  • So many layers! I have always been a fabric person and have memories of going to Hancock Fabric as a teen (new drivers license!) to visit and fondle the fabric! Those ladies even knew my name! When I learned to quilt as a young wife far from home (my DH was active duty AF and we lived in Spain for 5 yrs), it gave me something to do with my hands and my brain when the hours stretched. I remember getting small samples of fabric and my DD spreading them out on the floor. Oh! The colors! Quilting is always there-in what ever fashion- when I am lonely, bored, and worried. I PROUDLY say I am quilt obsessed. I wish you could have seen my face when one of the dads at soccer told me I was CHEATING by machine quilting. OMGoodness! What you would not have given to be a fly on the wall! yep..guess I am obsessed…
    :::patting myself on the back::::

    • A

      I do appreciate that the soccer gentleman at least had an opinion–that’s more than many men when it comes to quilting! So did you learn to quilt while in Spain? Are Spanish quilting techniques and fabrics different in any way?

      • I was taught by another AF wife..and I am ashamed to say, I cannot remember her name! She gave me SUCH a gift! There were no cottons on the Spanish market (that I could find) at that time for quilting. We moved back to the States in 1984, so that was A LONG time ago!

  • I find quilting to be a creative outlet. I did several years of jewelry design and finally tired of it. I have been quilting for 3 years now and am really enjoying it. I started watching your blog because I am not yet very good at FMQ. I have been leaning toward straight line quilting and embroidery stitching. I make a lot of totes/purses and this works for them. I do want to expand my horizons and learn more about FMQ and you make it look so easy…which it is not. Thanks for all your help.

    • A

      The fun of quilting is that you can never learn or master it all. It remains a new challenge every day whether you’ve been quilting for 3 years or 30!

  • Lorna

    Quilting… It is my passion, my relaxation, my satisfaction. I work full time and quilting to me is my release from the everyday grind. I love the colors, the process of creating something beautiful. I especially love the small scraps that begin as nothing and become something beautiful. I give all of my quilts away. I seldom have any that do not have a home. It gives me such a great feeling. I guess I am obsessed!!

    • A

      I think 50% of my brain is working on my quilts–even when I’m working on something else.

  • Quilting allows exactly what I cannot do in the office where I work. I can work with my hands and try to create something which I like. I guess I am a haptaic person and therefore the modern paperless office is not perfect for me. Quilting definitely is something for a haptic person.
    Actually, I have never considered myself a creative person but through quilting I start to realize my own ideas and this really makes me happy. Besides my children will have something in their own apartments which will always remind them of me.

    • A

      Martina, I think a lot of us think we are not creative because we could not draw at an early age–so quilting has been our inlet to creativity!

  • P Pardue

    I love the idea of being able to conceptualize an idea and put it into fabric. Even after picking out all the fabrics, I never really know what it is going to look like. I love the outcome. It is a meditative process for me.

    • A

      That’s so true—even when we have an idea of what our quilts are going to look like, the final project is always a bit of a surprise. That is a big part of the fun!

  • Janet

    I’m stealing one of your lines. ” I enjoy both the creative and intellectual challenge of quilting.” That would be the one line that sums it up for me. I’ve always needed to do something creative; hand stitching on my jeans as a kid, handmade ornaments for our first Christmas tree, floral arrangement, goose egg decorating and quilting. I’ve recently discovered Zentangles. I NEED to challenge my mind and I get bored easily, so quilting best suits my creativity. I could live to be 100 and never cover all there is to know about quilting.

    • A

      Janet, I think it is so interesting that creativity has taken so many forms. I am fascinated by Zentangles–they are great inspiration for free motion quilting!

  • Everyone who has commented has echoed my own thoughts. The urge to communicate and create takes many forms. Once you achieve some satisfaction and success from your chosen form, and that could be just a compliment from someone, the urge to create gets stronger. I have experienced this and many other of the creative joys the quilters who responded listed. I sometimes feel a little sorry for people who seem to have no creative outlet in their lives. I once had a relative who asked the usual…”why do you keep making all these and what do you do with all these”..questions. I responded with this. For the same reason cave dwellers drew pictures on their walls in prehistoric times. It’s just in me because I am human.

  • Rhonda Rannow

    Quilting for me started out to be a hobby, that quickly turned into a business that allowed me to quit my 9 to 5 job, and become my own boss. When I left California almost 20 years ago and moved to Illinois, it gave me a way to meet people. And now almost 25 years of quilting, I find it is still my connection to people. I have met some of the best and most interesting people through quilting.

    I love to explore new techniques, work with fabrics and threads, and then share them with others. I quilt just about every day and when I don’t, I feel like I’m missing out on something.

    I also feel its a way of leaving a little something of me behind for future generations. Recently, my oldest 5 year old grandson became a cousin, and he immediately went through his collection of quilts [yes, he has a few 🙂 ] wanting to give his new baby cousin one — his mom suggested that they make one instead so they went through her fabrics and made a special little quilt. He was so proud to give “the quilt he made” to his new little cousin! When I was told this story, I have to admit that it brought a tear to my eye —- yes, this is why I quilt!

  • Angele Robichaud

    Or me quilting is therapy, challenge and passion all rolled up in one. I come home from work and the first thing I want to do is sew, not eat or walk or sit. I want to sew. I forget the world around and fix all my woes while I sew. The challenge comes from choosing the right colour/fabric texture to complete the image I have in my head. I’ve never considered myself creative, but I am becoming one more and more. The passion is in achieving the look I want and thinking yes! That was what I was looking for! I love it look for fabric. I love new techniques. I love to make others happy. Every day I learn something new about quilting as well as about me.

  • I used to quilt just for the emotional calm it gave me, and now I quilt for a business. I never had a job before where I love to start working as much as this one. The only drawback is less time to create the quilts that I want to make. Making other people happy is a rush, but I think I need that Zen feeling I get from sewing and quilting just to scratch my creative itch!

  • sillyandrea

    It;s a great intellectual puzzle and creative challenge – plus there is a 3d actually *thing* when you are done, something that is tangible.

    For me personally, it is such a 90 degree turn from my daily work, I actively try and switch between the two tasks on a daily basis. This helps clear my head and also gets me away from my desk.

    Granted, I’m at another chair, but it;s a different chair some steps away. 😉

    Plus it is hard to wrapped up in work problems with a needling running so close to your hands.

  • Fiona

    I think it is an addiction … I don’t feel right without fabric in my hands … Whether stitching by hand or machine … Still learning the quilting but I just love it … And go into my happy place…
    Hugz

  • LaNan Eldridge

    I enjoy quilting because of the creativeness of it and the process of beginning and ending of the quilt. The final joy of quilting is giving it to someone and for them to feel the love and compassion that are a part of the finished quilt.

    • A

      I love the beginning and the end of a project, too! It is lovely to know someone is snuggled under our quilts!

  • Quilting is my creative outlet. It keeps my brain and my hands busy. I love the colours and textures and basically every part of quilt making.

    • A

      I think you are right–hands and brains…if it weren’t intellectually challenging it wouldn’t be enough.

    • Debbie Wren

      I totally agree with Lucie!!

  • I started to quilt when I quilt my job to become a 24/7 caregiver for my husband who had Alzheimers and then died..I joined the local guild and was a kid in the candy store with all the books they had in their library. It is therapy,is a user of time when I feel lonely and the bright colors help get me through this along winter. A friend set me up with blogs, even tho I don’t have one of my own, I’ve learned so much from others and more of the history of these United States. Most of my quilts are given away, and I enjoy making something that helps to relieve a little of the misery in this world. Living alone is challenging, but I have family close by.

    • A

      Jean, so sorry to hear about your difficult time and the loss of your husband. It’s interesting to me that quilting is such a solace in times of grief—and has been for hundreds of years. I’m glad you found and guild and found us here…

  • sarava425

    I have only been quilting a couple of years. I have loved dyeing fabric for years — the colors, textures, effects. Quilting was a natural transition from fiber art pieces. I love quilting, although I am not very good at it yet, because it creates beautiful pieces that can be used. The most meaningful belongings I have inherited from loved ones are the things they used daily, and that I use in turn, remembering them and what we did together. I hope every quilt I make will be found beautiful, used, cherished, and passed along.

    • A

      I love fabric dyeing,too–though I haven’t done it in a while. I love the surprise when the fabric is ironed–dyed fabric can just take your breath away. I agree, though–it has to be turned into something, or it’s just a folded piece of fiber…

  • Quilting is a passion. We need to cut, rearrange, create.
    Whether we give, sell or keep our creations is another thing entirely. We make quilts because we need to. Its a feeling of accomplishment, keeps us grounded. It’s an art, an extension of ourselves.

    • A

      I agree, I don’t think the final placement of the item is that important…it’s the process that we are driven by.

  • Carol

    “What if?” Is curiosity, a love of learning and figuring things out for my satisfaction. Leaving a legacy, …I hope to be remembered for what I enjoy and share – my love of color and texture in fabric that one can feel and use. Linda above called quilts “comfort sculptures”….I love that description, it’s a hands on world.

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