Ok Quilters...What is your #1 reason for why you enjoy Quilting !
 

https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/hug.gif I enjoy quilting as a hobby because it brings me Joy to create gifts for others. My favorite quilts to gift are baby quilts.

I enjoy the creativity of mixing colors and shapes to create a block, then blocks to create a top. I relate it to putting together a puzzle whether is a three inch puzzle or an 18 inch puzzle. I find the process of looking at a quilt top and calculating how to replicate it or to expand it to change the finished size of the quilt, make it, then.....bless someone with a warm snuggle. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png

I particularly enjoy quilting with others and sharing ideas.

I too get the most enjoyment out of quilting when I give away what I make-donation quilts, baby quilts,etc. I also enjoy the "meditative" aspect of quilting . When I am focused on a project, anything else I might have been concerned about goes out the window.

I like to sew - but garments always had that problem of needing to more or less "fit".

Quilts are useful - and one can usually find a home for almost any size quilt.

For me it's just so relaxing! ( most of the time that is ) :)

I also enjoy making baby quilts. I make a quilt for each new baby in our church and for young mothers that we knew in our former church before moving. I like to personalize them to the family and that is what I find fun. That is not to say that I don’t enjoy making larger quilts and gifting them also.

I’ve always enjoyed sewing. But, you only need so many clothes. Then I started making quilts. So many patterns and fabrics to work with. There is always someone to give quilts to. Whether family, friends or charity. As long as they are loved and used , I am happy to make them

#1 reason for making quilts
 

It’s like working a puzzle. Taking all these little pieces and creating something that can be used. It is so relaxing and so many patterns to choose from or just make up your own.

For me it is a hobby I can enjoy regardless of the weather and the end results in a beautiful, yet practical item that can be used every day. The level of detail and effort is also up to me, it is also a hobby that can be enjoyed solo!

I love playing with pretty fabrics and making a quilt come to life.

I’ve loved sewing since I was pretty young. It’s relaxing and rewarding to create something from fabric. I think I also enjoy the fabric hoarding part too - love thinking about what I can create!

ummm....so much more enjoyable than drinking.....and almost as good as eating chocolate!

I guess I just enjoy the journey- picking a pattern I like, find some material I can't live without even though have no definite purpose for it, the planning of a quilt, the cutting and then putting it together. It takes me away of some of the problems we are now having in our country. Right now I just finished putting a wildlife quilt together per a request from my 13 year grandson, to be his Christmas gift. Recently donated two quilts to be auctioned off by our church parochial school, the money being used to assist families that may need help with the tuition at that school. The two quilts I just donated were a result of using my scraps so I guess I am all over the place with my quilting adventure.

I also love that I can make something for aother person(s) that they wouldn't normally get from another. Love all the beautiful fabrics out there plus the fact I can take scraps and make something awesome out of it. I even amaze myself at times how nice the quilt comes out. It also keeps me busy during bad weather or for us around here in Iowa cold weather in the winter time. I can also make other items with the scraps to go with the quilt like pillowcases, throw pillows, runners, etc. just to name a few. I love that I still have a creative bone in my body after all these years. My sister just loves to come over and pet my fabrics. She doesn't sew though.

When my children started to hit their mid and late teens I realized my focus in life had to shift as they would be leaving home soon. At the same time I was watching my elders entering retirement with no plan...which had obvious negative effects. So I started to search for something that would keep me learning, could be done even if I was confined to a chair, and that connected me to a community. Quilting ticked all the boxes! I made incredible friends at week long quilting retreats, learned so much my brain hurt, there is always a new skill to master, and to my surprise I started to gain colour handling and design skills....things I never thought I would gain. I can match the day's quilting to my mood...tackling something new and challenging on some days, making simple strip sets on days I just want to work without thinking too hard. It is meditative, regenerating, relaxing, challenging, comforting. And like so many here, I love making baby and charity quilts, and lap quilts and mug rugs as gifts.

Oh and turns out I love buying fabric! I have a huge stash which really suits my quilting style, which is increasingly improv. That stash gives me a good paintbox to work with.

I watched my two grandmothers. One had no hobbies, no interests and she just sit and withered away moaning why she was so lonely, like it was everyone's job to keep her entertained. My other grandmother gardened, sewed, crochet, went to church activities, did lots of DIY projects, had pets, cooked every day, and was always busy with something. She enjoyed being alone as she had things to do. I was young but could tell a difference in the two grandmothers. I wanted to be always have something to do I like doing. I tried a lot of different hobbies. I made a simple quilt and was hooked. My perfect do by myself for myself hobby when I was alone.

I like seeing how the things I pictured in my mind actually look when sewn.

It is therapy for me and I enjoy making quilts to give to friends or donate whatever the case may be.

I enjoy challenging myself. I can see a quilt, a picture, a pattern, and instantly have a connection to it. I start thinking of the fabric I already have, or what I need to buy. How I would change it, how I would make it. I'm self taught, and a perfectionist. I really enjoy the process of creating something beautiful. Once I'm done I revel in the thought that I made that! I enjoy having my creations hanging in my home.

Love quilting, it is so relaxing and fun and always for me has a since of accomplishment.

I love quilting for customers thinking that maybe, just maybe I helped create an heirloom!

I am gratefull to have such a wonderful hobby. I also love sewing clothing for others and gardening. It is a blessing to have found it so early in life.

I love making something out of "nothing" . . . that is, making scrap quilts from odds and ends of fabric that others might consider too small to save. I enjoy string piecing, crumb piecing, and sometimes putting together eclectic combinations of the two plus scrap blocks. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to make something beautiful out of an odd assortment of pieces and fabrics, with a uniting fabric holding the whole design together.

I love that I can take a pile of fabrics, apply a little math, cutting, and sewing, and create a one of a kind gift for someone that will give them hugs from me for a lifetime.

I have always loved working with fabric and I love piecing.

You wrote this so well and it fits me fits me so well. It is also a source of artistic expression for me when I make art quilts.

Synnove- that is exactly how I feel about quilting.

It's so interesting to read each person's reasons for quilting. I started quilting because my DH suggested it. The women in his family quilted and I've always loved the look of quilts in any room. When we'd visit his family we always slept under a quilt and they just feel different, like your bed covers giving you a hug. And he would tell me who made the quilt and stories about watching them quilt them when he was little. Those ladies taught me a lot but they used the old methods, bless their souls. I still have some of those quilts and cherish them.

For me, quilting is an expression of my ideas, a message to give on to the next generation or a memory to share with them when I'm gone. I love the challenge of a new skill learned. I welcome taking a seam apart to learn how to make something better. It's almost like I'm honoring all those quilters before me as I create something for the next person.

Being a quilter is who I've become.

I have loved quilting since 1972 with the family. And bought a lot of fabric before we retired. In 2013 I almost went blind in my right eye, and optic nerve did blind me in the left eye. It has slowed me down to more petting the fabric than sewing it. I hope I can find that love again, and complete a quilt or two, but have failed so far. I no longer drive nor have anyone who loves quilting to drive me anywhere to get encouraged again. Husband is 79 years and hates drive very far, so I don't ask it of him.

I've been sewing since I started making my own clothes as a young, pre-teen. Quilters come from my DH's side of the family & I started my first quilt just before college & finished it about 2 years later. Then, no quilting for me for about 33 years later.

What I enjoy the very most about quilting is the act of giving them away to friends & those in need (charities). I'm not a prolific quilter but enjoy every minute at my sewing machine, thinking & praying for the friends & needy that these quilts will reach. That's just who I am & what I love to do.

I love making things, solving artistic problems and having a challenge. Quilting fits does all those things for me. Each quilt has it's own challenges, whether design issues, construction issues, or FMQ issues and I learn something from each quilt I make. I enjoy everything about the quilt-making process from designing, choosing fabrics, deciding what construction techniques to use (piecing, appliqué, coloring, painting, adding embellishments, etc.) to sandwiching and quilting. It's just about my favorite thing to do!

Rob

Charity quilts are my thing, however I never get to see the person they are going to. Still it gives me a sense of "goodwill toward men" that keeps me going. Besides....it keeps me out of trouble!! LOL

I started out making clothing and pjs for myself and three kids. Then I got the idea to learn how to make quilts about 55 or 56 years ago. Been making them ever since. It tool probably 200 - 300 quilts before I stopped getting so shocked that I actually made the quilts. I hope to be able to quilt until the end of my time.

Most of the quilts I make now are for foster kids in my county. Keeping warm whem its cold is important to me. They also get to have something that belongs to them.

I enjoy learning new things. Most quilts start with..."I have an idea for a quilt..." that comes from something unrelated that I see.

OnebyOne talks about the contrast between her two grandmothers. It really pays to have a skill set that pushes you to create, think, engage as you grow older and (at least in some respects) your horizons change.

Loved reading this thread. My #1 reason for my love of quilting, is creativity. I've always been a creative person, and to me quilting allows that on many different levels, from picking the pattern, fabric choices, layout, on to quilting, and even thread colors.
Also, as previously mentioned, quilting is my therapy too. When life is stressed for whatever reason, my peace is found at the sewing machine.

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I love to sew. I grew up with my mom and both grandmothers sewing and all were excellent seamstresses. I don't remember not sewing. I have always made clothes for myself and my kids but now the kids are grown so I have turned to quilting. Each kid has their own quilt that I made just for them. The grandkids got baby quilts and now, the older ones are getting tee shirt quilts made for graduation. It give me a creative outlet and keeps me thinking of ideas. It is a wonderful activity now that I am retired. Gotta keep the brain active.

This is so true! I've seen in play out in my own family. My Mom was active her whole life. My sweet Aunt wasn't. What a difference as they got older- both physically and mentally.
I'm constantly thinking about my next project. It keeps me out of everyones' business! :)

The creativity. I get to be an artist!