1. What is your name and where are you from? Natalie from Northern KY
2. How, when, and where did you learn to quilt? I taught myself at home from books and internet in the last year.
3. Why do you quilt? (tradition, expression, for family, etc) I liked to sew and knit, but I wanted to make something that would last a long time and be cherished. No one else in my (living) family quilts right now, and this was a way to set myself apart and create something beautiful that would give me pleasure creating and giving to people.
4. Have you taught anyone else to quilt? No
5. Are there differences in quilting from when you first learned and now? If so, how do you feel about this transition? I've just been doing it a year, so I can't comment really. But I prefer the traditional pieced and applique quilts and don't like the contemporary art-style quilts.
6. Are you part of any quilting groups/communities? No, I wish I were though.
7. Do you feel that quilting is a part of your heritage? If so why? Sort of. My grandmothers made simple quilts, but I don't know that they created anything elaborate or considered themselve accomplished master quilters. They did it out of necessity and thrift.
8. What type of feeling do you get out of quilting? Why do you enjoy it? I feel a creative release...it gives me pleasure and allows me to escape. I enjoy creating and seeing peoples reactions when I give them a quilt.
9. What different type of quilts have you made? What was the most difficult, easiest? Do you have a favourite style? Pieced quilts and samplers. I am still learning. I love traditional patterns and fabrc from the 1930s.
10. Who do you make quilts for? family members and babies
11. When quilting, what happens if you make a mistake? I get frustrated, but amazingly this is the only thing that I am patient with myself about. I just keep trying over and over again. I may take a break away from it for a little bit, but I don't feel like a failure. I still have confidence in myself that I can figure it out, and I don't feel like that in any other area of my life right now.
12. What is your favourite feature about a quilt? The softness and the colors.
13. What makes a quilt different from other blankets to you? The time that is put into a handmade quilt makes it better than any other, even a store-bought quilt. It's a labor of love that makes them cherished and more valuable.
14. Do you feel that contemporary quilting has lost some value? If so, why? Or do you feel it has gained value, and again, why? I feel like quilting has gained value by looking at the number of quilt shops and variety of patterns and fabrics available just for quilters now. It is still a dying art I feel like though, especially among my generation. (20-somethings)
15. Does the history of quilting mean anything to you? If so, what do you know about its history? Yes, the thrifty nature of ladies, their art, their usefulness...it's a heritage I'm proud to take part in.
16. Do you have anything you would like others to know about quilting? That it's not just blue haired ladies who quilt! And that it can be very rewarding!!
17. Do you quilt alone, or together in a group? Is quilting a social event or a chance for some alone time for you? Or both? Alone, but I wish I had quilting friends.
18. If quilting is in your family, do you feel you are carrying on a tradition? If so, why is this important to you? Even though quilting is not very prominent in my family, I feel I am carrying on an important craft. I feel like I am strengthening and creating a tradition that hopefully becomes I legacy I can leave my own descendants.
19. Do you have any memories of others quilting? Do you have memories of specific quilts in your past? If so, please feel free to share. My Nana made a wonderfully soft scrap quilt out of my aunts old shirts and dresses. I adopted it as my blankie and still have it to this day. It has a few rips and I hope to reconstruct it soon.
20. Last but not least, do you have any stories or memories about quilting you would like to share? The last quilt I made as a gift was for a coworker's baby. When I gave it to her she was so excited she almost cried. She was thrilled that her baby had something handmade now. It made me swell with pride and joy. Quilting does that in a way that is unlike anything else I've ever done.
A question regarding your consent: Is it alright if I use your responses in a informal class project? Absolutely!