patricej

well, never let it be said that i passed up a chance to pontificate. LOL

#1 ... taking offense or not is quite often a personal choice based on habits in perception. that whole glass half-full or half-empty thing. given that none of the respondents seem to have taken offense; and given your assurances that you intended no offense; i think we can run that cat out of the room now. it's all good. chillaaaaax.

#2 ... get 10 people in a room and you will get 30 definitions of just what is "art" and what is not. news flash - all quilters are artists. it's just that most of the rest of the world doesn't recognize quilting as an art form so a lot of quilters don't, either. it's labelled a craft - as though it's somehow inferior to that which is considered art. even among quilters, works are not normally labelled "art" unless they diverge somehow from traditional patterns of geometric piecing or applique (such as baltmore albums.) puleeeeze. decide for yourself whether or not you are an artist. and ... oh, by the way ... art can also be a hobby. LOL ;-)

yep. it's as easy as that. LOL

#3 ... if an art teacher knows a student will not be able to achieve a certain effect without a specific type of supply or tool, and that teacher still tells the student to not "waste the money" until they reach some arbitrary point on the skill scale ... well ... i'm sorry, but that teacher is no teacher. a real teacher should inform, inspire and encourage.

#4 ... as so many have already pointed out, things like "best", "worth it" and "worthy of it" are all in the eye of the beholder. we should be careful how we advise beginners when it comes to tools and equipment. unless she has money to burn, a person who is still trying to decide whether or not she wants to move forward in quilting should think twice about plunking down piles of cash. once she's hooked, though, all bets are off. the best advice then would be to try the tool(s) or machine(s) first and then decide whether or not the bite in the budget is the best way to go.

as JulieR so wisely expressed it ... "As quilters build their skills and experience they can better tell what a quality tool or material will be because they'll know WHY they're looking for certain things, and then price becomes less of a guideline and more of a project management consideration."

and if your friend's "why" is "because it's there" ... that's ok, too - so long as she doesn't expect you to pay for it. LOL LOL LOL

carolaug

Ditto...no idea what your point is...and for my this is a hobby. The more I quilt the more I look for bargins...and I also upgrade my tools along the way...what is nice is you can make the same quality quilt with any tool...its just easier. My sewing machine is faster than my old one....easier to FMQ due to the arm lenght. Die cutters are easier than my rotary cutters. etc...

carolaug

Nicely said...totally agree!

jitkaau

In my opinion, one should use the equipment one can afford to buy. I have many friends and acquaintances who have bought top of the range machines and equipment and it sits in the cupboard for months on end. They then don't know how to use the stuff and it stays idle for a bit longer

Rina

I never look at myself and think that I am an artist. I just love quilting and one of the reasons that I would tell somebody to buy the best they can afford is because I know that after the first thing they made they will also be addicted! I must admit that I think having the better quality machine, needels, pins ect just make the work so much easier. I one bought pins that have a flower head and it was for quilting, but much cheaper than the other ones I bought previously, but the didn"t have sharp points. That makes working with them unpleasant.

callen

I couldn't agree more. When my family was young, it was all about them. It is now time for me. I have sewn on machines from cheapies to my new Bernina 820 & have also just purchased Singers 160th anniversary machine because I loved the look of it. Because we have a TOL machine does not make us machine snobs just people who have reached a point in their lives that we can now afford something that makes our life a little easier & why not, WE'RE WORTH IT !!!

nycquilter

Actually, I do consider myself an artist and quilting to be my medium. I have many years of "art" training and have used all that knowledge in quilting. That said, I used my mother's 1952 Singer for about five years before I changed/upgraded my machine. That older machine, which I loved and passed on to a friend, just couldn't handle the newer threads I wanted to use in my quilting. My "new" machine was my mother's newer Bernina because she upgraded. I used that machine for years and years happily but finally chose to buy myself the machine *I* chose--my gift to me for earning my Ph.D.

It was not the machine that changed how I view my art--it is art to me, whether it is a string quilt or a more difficult pattern or whatever I make. My hands and mind work together to make it. That is what I consider art. It also calls to me. The fabric tells me what to create or I get an idea while driving or walking in the woods. I used to grade dates by how many quilts I designed in my head while on the date--the more quilts, the less attractive the date looked!

And, in my many art classes, I was never told to buy cheaper items. I was given a range of items with explanations of why one was preferred (by some). I also was taught to stretch canvas and not rely upon others to do the work for me. That gave total control of one's work. From my first studio art class in college, I was sent to a store from which "Professionals" shop--I could see the range of both tools and supplies.

Art is in the eye of the beholder. If you see yourself as an artist, you are. No one has to agree or disagree. At least, that is my humble opinion. I live in a building that was originally built for students at the Art Students League of NY in the 1890's. When I moved in 30+ years ago, I had quite the discussion with a new neighbor who said what I did wasn't art because it wasn't painting. I simply stared at her then had to laugh. What about sculpture? what about pottery? what about collage? Art is art.

Laurie (who is also pontifical--*G* )

Geri B

To the initiator of this thread: How long have you been quilting? Do you enjoy it? How long ago did you attend art school and how long ago was that?

I personally believe you are over thinking this thing that we so love to do......and what each of us is happy doing/learning...I have been doing "this" for a long time and am still learning new techniques, and yes, buying new toys along the way, and enjoying the advancement in the world of quilting........Now I am going to go to my sewing cave and stop doing this theory stuff...........want to use my hands and create........I don't want to analize(sp) why I am doing it, I just want to enjoy the doing.

nhweaver

I guess after reading all the posts, I can conclude:

we are a great variety of wonderful women and men, who have a myriad of views, different societal and financial levels, different needs and wants, diverse reasons and justifications, but the thread that binds us together is "The Art of Quilting". Hee Hee"

mimi=17

What was the question?????? This is MY answer, I LOVE WHAT I DO. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Mimi