I LOVE the quilting process. I rush through piecing so I have something to quilt. I take the quilt, I look at it, I load it on my frame and let it speak to me. I doodle, I go have a cup of coffee, I doodle some more. I finish one and can't wait to start another. Why send it to a long-arm quilter? Share the love!
I have one client who finished quilt tops for her son and daughter 20 years ago! She started quilting on her home machine and could not finish it. She brought 3 quilts to me that she had been staring at forever. I finished all three for her when she never would have done it herself. That is something I love! Bringing to completion someone's work of love, work of art.
I know I'm like the silent partner. I don't get the credit, but I really don't mind. I just love finishing something for someone. I also had a client who entrusted me with a quilt top that his grandmother had made between 1900 and 1910. Talk about pressure. He didn't want it changed, but he wanted it done. I must have agonized over that one for about a week or more. Researched. Dreamed. Prayed. He love it so much he cried when he saw it. Finally, his grandmother's work was finished. That is why I love it. Too deep? Maybe, but they really do speak to me.