Is quilting a hobby or an art?
06-09-2012, 12:07 PM
#111
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Cwmbran, Wales, UK
Posts: 43
Surely, it depends on one's definitions of Art and Hobby.
If you make a model aeroplane from a kit, is that a hobby as everything is provided for you. So is it any different if you made a quilt from a kit? Does this change with the actually quilting if the kit is only for the pieced top? What if it's a wholecoth type kit with the quilting design printed onto it.
Does it depend on how much creative decision making you've made?
Personally, I don't see myself as at all artistic, but I do see myself as creative. Does that mean a quilt I make is any less a piece of art, even if I don't think of it in that way.
What is it that makes a quilt a piece of art? Or the maker an artist.
It's a very interesting discussion and you could find it the subject of your first essay in your degree course.
Good luck with your studies and don't let anybody deter you from this if it's what you want to do.
If you make a model aeroplane from a kit, is that a hobby as everything is provided for you. So is it any different if you made a quilt from a kit? Does this change with the actually quilting if the kit is only for the pieced top? What if it's a wholecoth type kit with the quilting design printed onto it.
Does it depend on how much creative decision making you've made?
Personally, I don't see myself as at all artistic, but I do see myself as creative. Does that mean a quilt I make is any less a piece of art, even if I don't think of it in that way.
What is it that makes a quilt a piece of art? Or the maker an artist.
It's a very interesting discussion and you could find it the subject of your first essay in your degree course.
Good luck with your studies and don't let anybody deter you from this if it's what you want to do.
06-09-2012, 02:53 PM
#112
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: North Essex, England
Posts: 1,108
I would say that most all hobbies can be considered a form of art. You are taking pieces of fabric, cut them into smaller pieces and then sew them back together to make a beautiful quilt. How is that not art? I look at a pattern and see different colors, often the complete opposite of what the pic shows.....so I am creating a different look. Is that not art? Yes, it's a hobby that gives me relaxation and stress relief. Yes, it's an art form because I am creating something.
Annie
06-09-2012, 04:33 PM
#114
Super Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,585
It is so remarkable that today, just before reading all these responses, I discovered my initial "idea" for a quilt as a wedding gift. It started with a 3" X 5" image from a website. That design was eventually enlarged, redrawn, enlarged and redrawn again and again.
Quilting is everything that has been described in this thread. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I have certainly seen some beautiful art on this website! Love it!
Jeanette Frantz
Quilting is everything that has been described in this thread. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I have certainly seen some beautiful art on this website! Love it!
Jeanette Frantz
06-09-2012, 06:16 PM
#116
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Nevada
Posts: 6,958
It's both. It's like many other crafts. There are painters, woodworkers, jewelers, etc. who make things as a creative outlet (art), but their art is still a hobby, since they are not always making a living doing what they love. 
06-09-2012, 06:30 PM
#117
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 2,644
Its an addiction!!! For me - its my sanity - I love it so much that its both to me - I love the artistic side and its keeps me busy - since I am retired (before 50) its really fun, relaxing and artistic.
06-11-2012, 08:10 AM
#119
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Posts: 3,025
For myself I find quilting is a great hobby, that is why I don't sell any quilts, but I am really excited when one turns out to be "artsy" also. I love playing with different ideas and embellishments so these are the smaller wallhangings and table toppers, but love making the old fashioned cuddly kind to give to friends and family.
06-11-2012, 08:52 AM
#120
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Washington state
Posts: 820
For me, quilting is more than a hobby or art. My grandmother made quilts, my mother made quilts and now I make quilts. Quilting is something that I do for my family. It is something that I do for therapy; it is something that I do for enjoyment; and it is something I do for the future generations. Many people take classes or get degrees so that they can become chefs or photographers. I think that getting a degree in Fine Arts is a wonderful idea. I am always trying to learn more about colors and the way to blend the different color values.
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