Why have you chosen to sew quilts?
 

There are so many things people sew and yet many of you have chosen quilts over all. I'm curious as to why.

(I'm introspecting here, wondering why I haven't sewn much at all for quite some time. And no, I'm not depressed and am quite healthy :) maybe I need a new focus?)

I quilt for a creative outlet, it allows me to have something to “do” that I can do solo. I’m not a very social person and I have cats that are a lifetime commitment. If I didn’t have cats, I would travel a lot more than I do and I would probably not quilt as much and I would spend more time working on photography. Who knows what the future holds, for the here and the now I will continue to enjoy quilting and work on becoming a better quilter in the process. I do know I won’t ever stop quilting, though at some point I may slow down a bit.

I've done garment sewing off and on since 11 or 12 years old. My mom and grandmother were sewers and quilters, but it was hand quilting. Over the years as machines became fancier and my job and life became more stressful quilting was a stress relief and an escape. Now that I'm retired quilting is still like a therapy, but I enjoy it as much for the process as much as making something for seeing how much a gifted quilt is enjoyed. Our grandson won't go to bed without an "oma" quilt and our granddaughter only puts my quilts on her bed. Makes it all worth it. ☺

I have always loved sewing, but found that quilts bring so much joy. Bringing joy... that's what I love.

i grew up sewing, knitting, and all sorts of other needle crafts with my mother. oddly, we never made quilts. i can't afford most of the other crafts anymore. but i am able to fit quilting into my budget. even though it isn't specifically something my mother and i did together, i still feel that connection to the memories whenever i'm shopping for fabrics, or doing the various tasks associated with making a quilt. :)

Because a quilt can end up being the size it ends up - unlike a garment that looks better when it fits properly.

I have always had a sewing machine. Well since I bought my first one, a turquoise Singer 327, in 1965. I still have it and it works great. I used it for my first quilt. I sewed lots of things, but never considered quilting. About 20 or so years ago I used to watch Simply Quilts while I ate my breakfast before I left for work. Just liked it. Never in a zillion years considered doing it. Then almost 16 years ago I retired. My son said "now that you are retired you can make me a quilt". What? Where did he get that? He was on his own and had no idea I even watched Simply Quilts. I said "I don't know about that. I never considered it". He said "well, you could learn". Just like magic a few days later I opened the local newspaper and there was an ad for the senior center and a beginning quilt class. How about that. I signed up, made what the other women were making. Which was a flannel 3 1/2 inch trip around the world baby quilt. On that Singer. What in the world. But, since I already knew how to sew, I did it. Had baby granddaughter and she used it on her bed for years. Then tackled his quilt. I thought he needed a different kind of quilt and had seen on Simply Quilts a man doing an ultra suede quilt with giant blocks placed in 45 degree orientation so the shading showed. Never could find ultra suede but got microfiber!! What was I thinking! Very thin, slippery, stretchy. By then I had a Brother XR52 basic Costco mechanical machine. I sewed the blocks together fine, used fleece for batting and stitched in the ditch - it was a king size. He loved it. And by then I was hooked on quilting. I did go to the senior center for a few years, and brought my project and enjoyed it, and then the instructor moved on and the next instructor wasn't a quilter, but tried to convince us she was, and it all fell apart. Then I never had a good place in the house we lived in. So did it sporadically. When we moved here, I finally got my own room and now I do it because I love sitting in my little room and smelling sewing machine oil, and listening to the whir of the machine, and like the iron, and just do it because I enjoy it. I always say I quilt for my own pleasure and my mojo comes and goes. But, I'm fine with all of that.

I never even sewed until after my oldest son was born. But I enjoyed needlework, especially knitting. The lady I babysat for taught me how to knit in highschool.
When I learned to sew (took lessons) I found that I really enjoyed it. It was a great stress reliever. Then some years later a friend suggested a quilt class. Wow, did I get hooked!
To this day we laugh because she never made another one and I haven't stopped!
I get so much relaxation from it. I still love to knit too. I've been making my new granddaughter all sorts of things.

One more thing- when my boys were little their clothes weren't as cute as girls fashions so I used to applique little things on them. Cute and fun!

Quilting is a comfort zone for me. The prospect of taking little pieces of something and making something warm and beautiful for someone just makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over.I have always loved to sew. Now I have no distractions, kids are grown, and I have all the time I want to devote to this pleasurable pass time.