I don't get it. How do they do this?
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SC
Posts: 1,909
I am NOT in a competition either: but I can still do AT LEAST one quilt a week and some weeks even more than that. I piece by machine, LA, add the label (again by machine) and add and stitch the binding by machine. And I also do small quilts for a pup lifeline organization here, giving them at least 25 quilts a couple of times a year. I do NOT do fancy very often; if I do, and you ordered it, you will pay for it. My quilts are made to be loved and used, and I don't have a lot of heartbreak when I see the kids using them for outdoor tents, etc. I also do customer quilts in the middle of all of this...
So it's possible to do at least 50 quilts in a year, if you're not doing the one-of-a-kind ones but rather just trying to help the world a bit. And no, I don't have household help...I live by myself and can do whatever I please. Maybe that enters into my productivity in that it pleases me to quilt!
So it's possible to do at least 50 quilts in a year, if you're not doing the one-of-a-kind ones but rather just trying to help the world a bit. And no, I don't have household help...I live by myself and can do whatever I please. Maybe that enters into my productivity in that it pleases me to quilt!
#23
If I lived alone, I bet I could do a lot more. Only thing is, I'd have to work to support myself. lol. Cleaning up after 5 people, 3 of whom don't do a lot to help, takes time. That will be changing when we move into our new house.
#24
I work full time and keep up the house so I don't have a lot of time for quilting. This used to bother me that it seemed to take so long to produce anything. I eventually determined that my quilts are both art and a learning experience and I should just sit back and enjoy the ride. Feeling pressured to get a lot of quilts done in a short amount of time makes quilting stressful and lots of work instead of being fun to put together. Thus, I've removed myself from the Speed Quilting trend as much as possible. Kudos to all those who can work that fast, they have mad skills I don't. It just doesn't work for me.
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Delmarva Peninsula
Posts: 1,151
I have wondered about this also. For me, quilting is my creative outlet. I like to take the time to choose fabrics and patterns, think good thoughts while I am cutting and piecing by machine. Each of my quilts is a labor of love. I am trying to learn fmq through craftsy, but just can't get it. It is my goal to become proficient and comfortable with it, and then purchase a mid arm to do my own quilts. So i send my out to a long armer, but even doing that, I can do 2 or 3 quilts a year at the most.
I have done a dozen donation quilts in one year, all the same pattern and machine tied off. I loved it at the beginning as each was was different, but it actually began to be a chore, and was hard for me to think good thoughts as I assembly line sewed them together. Hand top quilting takes me years, as I do it a bit at a time.
I have done a dozen donation quilts in one year, all the same pattern and machine tied off. I loved it at the beginning as each was was different, but it actually began to be a chore, and was hard for me to think good thoughts as I assembly line sewed them together. Hand top quilting takes me years, as I do it a bit at a time.
#27
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
I make A LOT of quilts every year- mostly queen sized, once in a while a twin or baby---I don't enjoy those as much so don't make them as much- I work full time outside of my home- I manage to keep the house up - with the help of a wonderful supportive hubby- we get up early (5 am every morning) on Saturday after breakfast we 'dive in' he cleans both bathrooms, including mopping the floors, I strip our bed, clean the kitchen, vacuum all the rooms with carpeting- through out the week we keep things up- so it only takes an hour or two. I (waste) very little time- I always have hand work to do if I want to sit & watch a ball game or something I work on my hand project- I start my day with a cup of coffee & head for the sewing room- I have 2 hours to sew/prep/work on what ever before I have to hit the shower & go out the door- I take my 'hand work' with me- for those 'empty moments' when I get home I look through the mail & head for the sewing room- get an hour or so in before time to start dinner- we eat, both of us clean up, do the dishes together- hubby heads for his favorite chair- I head for the sewing or quilting room. if we don't have plans on the weekend I can spend all day working on what ever I want- if we do have plans I still have my early morning & later in the day- I generally quilt a queen sized quilt in 2-8 hours depending on the complexity. I may work on it for an hour or so-then move to the sewing room & sew for a while- ...I just stay {on task} some quilts I work on off & on for a year or more- some of them seem to go together fairly quickly- sometimes I may have 6 different ones in various stages that all of a sudden all come together at once...it is not uncommon for me to make 30-50 quilts in a year---without a housekeeper, cook, chauffeur... or any of those other things someone stated...and I make it to work each and every day- I just don't sit around staring at the tube doing nothing....thinking about what I wish I had time for...I make the time for the things I want to do.
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