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Quilting is the only way I know to pass along a big ol hug to those who are far away from me. I always include a note saying. "Everytime you wrap up in this quilt, just think it's me giving you a Big Hug."
Hope to "Hug" alot more family and friends before I have to give up sewing altogether...
I have all the same feelings expressed so I won't repeat them. I will mention a very basic reason why I quilt. It's the sewing activity I find most enjoyable to help keep my fabric stash under control. Hahaha! I went to the 2012 Quilt Festival in Birmingham yesterday! I've never been to one of these extravaganzas before. I was like an alcoholic in a liquor store!!! All of those vendors selling fabrics and sewing notions was so exhilarating. Especially seeing batiks by the hundreds, every style of fabric that's on the market, rulers and threads galore!!! It made me a bit dizzy just seeing it all. I must've gone through the whole place several times. I only stopped to have something to eat and to watch the awards at the end of the day. I've never seen so many women in one place at one time. All of us there for one common interest - the love of quilting. There were around 1,000 quilts entered in the competition. I'm amazed my battery didn't run down on the I-phone taking pictures of all that beauty!!! By the time the doors closed my legs felt like two-ton weights! Now that was an excellent day!!! All I can say is quilting makes me happy. (Bless you Mom, for getting me started on this path.) When my girls were teens I had been a stay-at-home mom since their birth. I'd ask myself what I was accomplishing in my life. While doing some mundane chore, I'd think, "I really don't want my tombstone to read - she really knew how to clean a house!" That's when I started my sewing business and also got heavily involved in quilting. Hopefully that tombstone will say something more along the lines of "She was a creator that warmed our hearts and our souls!"
I almost forgot to mention that I met the woman who developed the curvemaster foot. She was demonstrating it's use. I'm getting ready to make a quilt with lots of curves. I tried a sample and just used my regular 1/4" foot. I tried the method I've seen on U-Tube with no pins or clipped seams. It worked just fine but after seeing her demonstrate the foot in person and explain why it works I decided to pay the price. I'll let you know if I think it's worth it. The reason it is supposed to make the job easier is because the front of the foot is much shorter and closer to the needle.
Quilting has given me the opportunity to carry on a craft that I watched my mom do as I was growing up. I didn't appreciate it then like I do now. It's a way to do what I enjoy and create something that will last for someone I care about.
I read recently that you die twice, once when you actually die and then again when the last person that knew you personally dies. With a legacy of quilts the life you lived continues with the quilts you made.
I never met my DH grandmother but knew her because of a quilt she made along with my MIL.
Quilting matters to me because: Although my Mom never quilted she was a beautiful knitter and did amazing embroidery. The first quilt I ever made was one that I had embroidered little animals one and quilt the blocks together for my first daughter. I found I was good at it. I feel so free and creative when I am at the sewing machine. Not everything turns out great, but I love the act of creating.