Why I Make Quilts

So many people have asked why I, a career woman who came of age during the “women’s lib” years, chooses to spend her leisure time making quilts.  They seem to think that making quilts is old-fashioned and quaint, an interest ill-suited to somone like me.

Stitching layers of fabric and padding together has a long history; quilting traces its roots perhaps as far back as ancient Egypt.  In Medieval times, quilted garments were used under armor for warmth and comfort.

The Dutch and English settlers brought the art to the New World; quilt-making was common in the late 18th century into the early 19th century in the form of decorative items, generally made by wealthier women who had the time for intricate needlework.  The popularly held view that early quilts were made from fabric scraps and worn-out clothing is not borne out when quilts of this vintage are examined.  Most were made of fabric purchased specifically for each project.

My own history with the textile arts traces back to childhood, watching my mother create knitted, crocheted, and sewn garments, afghans, and other household items, made with great skill and love.  While she did not teach me these skills directly, apparently I absorbed some aspect of her creative flair, and the handiwork gene must have been present in me since birth.  I sewed my first garment for myself at age 10 or so, making the pattern and choosing fabric, thread, buttons and notions; using her old White sewing macine that only sewed forward, no reverse.

Throughout my teens and early adulthood I continued to sew garments for myself and others, even for a time earning extra money by doing alterations and making bridesmaid’s gowns.  And any time a gift was needed for a friend’s  wedding or baby shower, I produced knitted or crocheted throws, sweaters, hats and booties.

At some point I was asked to make a quilt as a baby shower gift for a friend, and so designed my first quilt, a simple block and square creation embellished with embroidery.  Later quilts were made in an easy pinwheel pattern and, finally, a bed-sized quilt inn the simple “Around the World” design. I was hooked.

What about making a quilt so appeals to me?  I believe it is the merging of the mathematical and the creative, the geometric and the artistic, the engaging of the left and right sides of the brain in the unity of a project.  My math background features a strong interest in geometry, while my artistic training includes extensive color study. These two disparate worlds collide in my mind and hands, bringing about new moods, designs, and use of color.

Then there is the tactile part of the process: drawing, cutting. stitching, embellishing, pinning, and finally, quilting.  While many of my sister quilters take their partially completed work to a quilt shop to be machine quilted, I prefer to hand quilt my work.  Evenings spent peacefully and quietly planning and then stitching the designs can lead to a wonderful emptiness of mind and fullness of heart, rhythms of breathing and sewing merging to form a peaceful and relaxing experience.

Finally there is the joy of seeing the finished product, the coming together of shapes and colors, fabric and thread, positive and negative space, and, stepping back, to at last see the whole rather than the parts: the act of making with mind and hands each unique and personal statement, joined with time, care, and love.  This is why I make quilts.