rjwilder

I like to sew a lot of different things. Simple tote bags, purses, wallets, clothing, curtains, pillowcases, stuffed animals. you name it. I've been sewing for over 50 years. I also make a lot of quilts. Right now I'm making clothing for my neighbors grandchild with special needs. I donate a lot to charity, there is always a need. My next project will be stuffed animals for holiday gifts. I'll be making quilts too, there is always a place to donate them to.

lindaschipper

I started out back in 1980 something sewing county dolls for a local craft store. They sold very well, and I know for sure some have reached the shores of Germany, and Scotland, while others remained here in many of our states. My children were very little then, and it was a way to make extra money for their needs. I've made clothing for the boys when they were little and dresses for my daughter too. When they were in grade school, I worked nights in a factory. My second husband passed away in 2008 and the kids were grown by then and I needed something to do after being laid off from my factory job in 2008 (wasn't everyone?), and so I started sewing again. One thing led to another, and there were baby quilts being made, and then bed sized quilts for my friends and family. A few years back I found Project Linus and it seemed like the perfect thing to do. I've tried to quit quilting several times because of the expense, but I keep going back to it. It keeps me busy and out of trouble... most days!

aashley333

I like the math part of designing quilts. I haven't bought patterns much because I have so many ideas! I like figuring out how to create things. I enjoy making stuff to decorate the house. The Pantry Pads I made were mini quilts, and they're festive and functional. I fell in love with kaleidoscope quilts. The ending block was always a surprise. My first quilts were appliqued blocks that used my original stained glass patterns. The two hobbies are somewhat related. My workroom is set up for both activities, and I share my time between the projects started in both areas. Of course, I also live near the coast, so quilting is not my only hobby.

WMUTeach

Why do I quilt? Well, I love the process of blending fabrics, colors and above all the geometry of it. I not a math whiz and never have been but I enjoy the puzzle of taking a pattern on a piece of paper and turning it into something warm, snugly and beautiful. I have sewn since I was about 7 starting with a McCall's pattern for a Shirley Temple Doll. My mom figured that if I could read, I could sew and I did! I have done alterations, dressed my children, made adult garments, and generally tried most needle crafts all with good success. I seldom make garments, only repairs now and again to extend its life. I can walk by cross stitch, home decor items or knitting/crochet and not even blink.,But quilting, just caught my heart and my passion to create. A quilt or quilt pattern will draw me in and I start planning what I could do with it. Quilting has caught my heart and my passion to create. To me it is a joy and the "work" results in pleasure.

TheMerkleFamily

I haven't sewn nearly as long as you but I've had months of inactivity in sewing and have been instantly re-inspired, just as much, if not more, than before. For me, the "feeling" of enjoyment is there when I'm planning to create something special for someone else. It's the giving part that drives my satisfaction in quilting.

Beachbaby12

I love picking out the colors and seeing them pieced together into a particular block pattern. Quilting is good therapy for me. I enjoy making quilts for my grandchildren. Recently made a pineapple block quilt with 1930s reproduction fabric for my daughter and she loved it. Quilts are great memories to pass on and heirlooms too. I have done embroidery, cross stitch (not any more, too hard on my eyes), crewel, knitting and crocheting. I have made clothes too and done other crafts with fabric. I have incorporated some embroidery into a quilt and still putter around with crocheting. Quilting is the hardest of all with the most work but the most fun and satisfying to me.

FoggyButFocused

This question is very timely as I have been reassessing my interest in quilting. I started quilting about 40 years ago. I liked quilting because when I sewed two pieces of fabric together, they stayed sewn until I got back to it -- which may be the next day, next month or next year. I got rid of all my other hobbies, mostly embroidery and needlepoint, because it was hard to remember where I left off, but with quilting it was easy to pick it back up. Because of my lack of free time, by the time I made everyone in my family a quilt, they had begun to wear out and I had to start over again. So I felt that I was doing something useful with my time. Then I retired. Now I am all caught up on replacement quilts and I am struggling to find homes for the ones I have made from my stash. But I don't know what I would do to replace quilting.

But I really enjoy making purses, tote bags and small wallets. I may change my hobby to bag making, but at the end of day how many bags can you make? Maybe then my family will need more quilts.

Karamarie

I think people who like to quilt are satisfying their need to create, whatever that may be. I'm just finishing a T-shirt quilt and feel it may be my last. It was a challenge and if it were not for a grandchild I don't think I would have tackled it. I now do mostly small quilt projects as have all the quilts I want - either to gift or for myself. Some people have a passion for cooking, painting, embroidery, crewel, puzzles, reading, flowers, or whatever else they enjoy. Just do what you want, especially as you get older.

sewbizgirl

I don't "only" quilt. I sew clothes a good bit too. I love having 3 grandchildren to sew for now, and they are proud of their "BonBon Made" clothes. I was a garment seamstress decades before I found quilting. I also love to make bags and have made them for gifts for family and for myself. I'm a knitter and crocheter, and like hand embroidery too... for towels and quilt blocks. I found quilting when a friend was going in for chemo treatment and I wanted to encourage her. Her quilt had scriptures about healing all over it. She said she took it with her every time she went in for treatment and it gave her comfort. After just that one quilt, I saw the possibility of ministering to people's needs with quilts. I was hooked on making them.

There are always charitable outlets for our sewing, whether it be quilts, clothes for poor children in foreign countries, toys for the fire dept. to give out when they encounter children in trauma situations. So many things to sew and so little time!

BUT, Nancy, if the passion has left you, you should find something else you enjoy doing with your time. You certainly don't have to sew. No judgement here!

Anniedeb

I started sewing my clothes back in 10th grade. 9 kids in our family, and dad was also helping to support his mom, and my mom's dad. There wasn't any money left for school clothes. Skirts, dresses and jackets were pretty easy for me to do. Over the years I did kids clothes, sports clothes, curtains, pillows, and all kinds of mending. Crafting of all sorts, and then quilting came later with utility quilts for the kids beds. The last few years I discovered I love the challenge of making something that is way out of my wheelhouse. I see something, fall in love with it, and think "I can do that!" Often the process is long and throw in the towel kind of tough, but I keep going. When I finish, I can't believe that I made that! I find the process stimulating, and so satisfying. I think quilting affects us all differently. We each feel the passion differently.