quiltingbuddy

I quilt because I want a padded house rather than need to be in a padded room. Yes, quilting is good therapy and I just love the way it feels to be all cuddled up in a quilt!

Elfi2

When I was younger, I used to sew some of my clothes, I love sewing!!! Then later I was given some material samples and wondered what I was going to do with it... I sew some pictures of quilts, living in Switzerland at the time, it wasn't really something that was "in" in those years, for them it was some "american ideas".... so I decided I would try it out, of course without a pattern - where would I have found one....??? - just doing squares and triangles and making some little blankets to put on the floor for babies to lay or sit on. The wadding was just old blankets...
Then when I moved to Australia, I noticed a patchwork/quilting class not too far from where I live and joined and since then I just about LOVE making patchwork things for friends and family and for charity. It gives me peace - in this crazy world... - and fills my time with coordinating fabric, colors, patterns, etc... My housework has been suffering a bit since....but who cares!!!

sukiyue

I also just enjoy making things, knitting, crochet, soaping, sewing, clay and now quilting. Its super satisfying for me to make something for either family and friends or myself, and I work from home creatively too for a living. Couldn't live without it or I'd go stir crazy.

sewbizgirl

To avoid housekeeping.

Because it's something I can do well that not many people can.

Because I love cutting and sewing with the fabrics I have chosen, to make something wonderful.

I remember when I was too little to actually make anything much yet, but I had an intense longing to make something nevertheless. I took scrap bits of wood from around my Daddy's saw and tried to nail them together to make a sailboat. I just wanted to make something, anything, and didn't quite have the skill yet. Not long after that I started making doll clothes by wrapping bits of rags around the dolls and pinning the ends. I was born wired to make things and clothe people. The desire was there long before I had the skill to do anything with it. By the time I was 10 I dug out a sewing machine that I had never seen my mother use in all my life, and began to thread it by following the diagrams in the manual. That sewing machine gave me 'wings'!

NJ Quilter

I have always been a crafter of some sort as well. Sewing as a child along with just about every other type of needlecraft along the way. Quilting gives me the ability to do machine sewing and hand quilting. I get to play with my machine as well as do hand work. Plus there is something utilitarian at the end unlike most of the needlepoint and cross stitch I have done for years.

megs0863

I started making clothes for myself at about 12 or 13 years old. I asked the lady next door who was a retired seamstress to show me how to read and cut out a pattern. Haven't stopped sewing since. I still have my Home and careers apron I made from 7th grade 40 years ago. Since then, I've done pretty much a little of everything including a prom dress and two Irish dance dresses and several quilts. Sewing is my quiet retreat and there's no better feeling when someone compliments something and I say, "I made it". I enjoy making special little unique gifts for friends and family (those I think will appreciate it) and have managed to win some awards at our county fair in various categories . I can't wait to retire someday to devout many more hours to bigger and better projects. My dream would be to get a big long arm and make those gorgeous quilts I see on this board. I love to draw feathers and designs but have not really tried sewing them yet. No time right now, sad to say but this quilting board keeps me inspired and there's a mental database building up for all the projects I want to do when I have more time. Being on the this quilt board keeps me in the game, even when I'm not ready to sit down and focus on a starting project.

Shelbie

Quilting has always been my "sanity saver" as I always had a busy sometimes even stressful job. It was always so soothing to relax by playing with some fabric and doing some stitching. I started working with fabric and thread when I was five, long before my mother thought I should even be thinking of touching needles. An elderly lady from our church would invite me over for "tea" and we'd sip and stitch. By the time I was nine, I could handle my mom's featherweight expertly and I started making clothes for myself and my sisters and finally my mom. At sixteen I started to quilt to use up all the scraps that my clothing construction had created. Of course, this many years later I still have scraps but have made dozens and dozens of quilts. I tell my husband that at least it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars!

carolynjo

I am a 3rd gen quilter and my granddaughters have each made quilts. I like using colors and the creative process. I paint also, so using colors is a process I enjoy.

lclang

I am a third generation quiltmaker. When my kids were babies and on up till they were ready to leave home I made a lot of their clothing. When I ran out of kids I just naturally gravitated to quilting. My mother and I constantly talked on the phone discussing what quilt we were making and how to solve quilting problems. It was a social outlet for both of us, hers teaching and mine learning. I made quilts for all the grandkids, great grandkids and nieces and nephews. It is a hobby, a creative outlet, an opportunity to try new methods and a satisfying way to spend time, to challenge my mind and I enjoy the stacks of finished quilts to show for my efforts.

lindaschipper

When I was first married back in 1972, my mother bought me a sewing machine and told me to learn. I found I could follow a pattern!! Later when I remarried and had children my second husband use to tell everyone that when I needed to think about something that was bothering me I would sew...when I was mad or upset I would cook. Both help me use my creative side. I've made dolls, pumpkins, witches, Santa's, all for craft shows over the years, along with a few quilts for family members. Now all I want to do is sew quilt tops. Just a creative outlet for me.