Hmmm good question! To me, quilting is an expression of one's self. No matter if you follow a pattern or create something unique. Each quilt has a bit of the person who made it in it. Some quilts have love, tenderness and warmth, while others have a touch of sadness. I say neither! A quilt is a extension of ourselves, it tells a story... perhaps a story of the long past relative we hold dear in our hearts and was made from their clothes, or a collection of memories from the t-shirts we once wore, or perhaps a moment in time, a brief glimpse of happiness that we recalled when we saw that particular pattern and just had to make it. Or, it is the time spent thinking of that someone special (or not so special.. hehehe) that was thought about as the colors, patterns and while the pieces came together to make one. I say a quilt is something all into it's self... OK I think I went a bit to deep for myself LOL