klswift

I have been making quilts for 40 years, I have been teaching quiltmaking for 20 years and I have never entered a quilt in a show. All my awards and accolades come from the people I gift them to (and sell them to). I teach people how to make quilts and have fun doing it. At times I teach them an 'easier' way to make them. But, if I tell them a shortcut, I always explain that if they are going to submit to a show, they need to follow the guidelines set by the show and follow 'traditional' rules. My goal in teaching people is not for them to show and win, it is to find the pleasure and joy in taking some flat pieces of fabric and creating a treasure. Maybe it isn't perfect, maybe the stitching needs some work, and maybe they machine attached the binding (heaven forbid!!), but they had fun! Let me re-emphasize that, my goal is that they enjoy the process and keep sewing.