If you enjoy the
process of quilting as my wife, Bobbi, does, some of your reasons may be
included in the list below. (Maybe this post can convince you to start quilting
if you never have before.)
1.
The Fabric: From pastel prints to deep, dark batiks, no quilter has ever
met a fabric they didn’t like. Below are tips when shopping for the best
quilting material.
o
Make sure quilt fabric is colorfast.
o
Be sure to use a backing fabric of similar weight to
that of the top fabric.
o
Take advantage of fabric collections when choosing colors and prints.
“Anyone who works on a quilt; who devotes her time,
energy, creativity, and passion to that art; learns to value the work of her
hands…As any quilter will tell you, a quilter's quilting friends are some of
the dearest, most generous, and most supportive people she knows.” (Jennifer Chiaverini)
2.
Gift Giving: A
part of the joy of quilting is giving our projects to others in a variety of
life situations.
“Nobody starts out a perfect quilter.” (Sandra Dallas)
3.
Quilt Comfort:
Think about it: In the movies when they want to show someone is at home, warm, and welcome, they wrap them in a bed quilt. They celebrate love, tradition, the fireplace, and encouraging the ill while bringing a voice to their medical issue.
Think about it: In the movies when they want to show someone is at home, warm, and welcome, they wrap them in a bed quilt. They celebrate love, tradition, the fireplace, and encouraging the ill while bringing a voice to their medical issue.
“Two quilters who have just met will be strangers only
until their mutual passion for quilting is revealed. Then they can talk for
hours like the best of friends.” (Jennifer Chiaverini)
4.
DIY Home Décor: Quilting projects make it easy to change our home decor. All
you need to do is gather fabric and quilting supplies to make over an area in
your home.
“America is not like a blanket (one piece of unbroken
cloth). America is more like a quilt (many patches, many pieces, many colors, [and] many sizes, all woven together by a common thread).” (Jesse Jackson)
5.
Artistic Expression: creating a picture in fabric is just as enjoyable for the
quilter as painting or photography is to someone else. And we’re just as proud
to show off our quilts anywhere.
“Life is less a quest than a quilt. We find meaning,
love, and prosperity through the process of stitching together our bold
attempts to help others find their own way in their lives. The relationships we
weave become an exquisite and endless pattern.” (Keith Ferrazzi)
6.
The Social Factor: Quilt shows, guilds, quilting friend groups, and social
media; its fun to share ideas, get advice, swap and compare fabric stashes.
“A family stitched together with love seldom unravels.” (Letty Cottin Pogrebin)
7.
Relaxation and Mental
Health: Quilting is good for your health. Quilters
enjoy the meditative concentration that comes from hand stitching a binding.
They know that endorphins and relaxation don’t just come from running.
“The whole quilt is much more important than any single
square.” (Rohinton Mistry)
“Each member of the family [is] his own cell
of consciousness. Each [is] making
his own patchwork quilt of reality; collecting fragments of experience here,
pieces of information there. From the tiny impressions gleaned from one
another, they created a sense of belonging, and [try] to make do with the way they found each other.” (Toni Morrison) [i]
Note: All three quilts pictured below were made by my wife, Bobbi. The
pinkish one was made for my daughter, Allena, out of material from her childhood
dresses.
[i] This post has been adapted from
the following sources:
·
“Scriptural
Reasons to Quilt!” (reapasyousew.com)
·
“10 Reasons I Quilt” (humblequilts.blogspot.com)
·
“Top 10
Reasons Why We Love Quilting” (blog.keepsakequilting.com)
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