Quilting Friendships & Therapy

Over the last year and a half, I have found that quilting has literally taken over my personal life. I have never found such joy in any hobby (and I've had a lot of them!) as I have with quilting. I have found it has carried me through the grief of a dear friend who died of cancer last Spring and of my uncle who died of a brain tumor. It has helped me celebrate life again, by using shirts from my uncle and re-purposing them into a quilt top that I designed. I have made baby quilts, quilts for my sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, parents, brothers, friends, and strangers. I can't think of another way to celebrate better than with something handmade, and quilting satisfied my desire to do something personal for others, while being therapeutic in my personal life!

I have also found that the new group of friends I found through quilting has brought me such joy, and have been my rock through very difficult times. I have had a best friend in my life before, and still maintain that relationship. However, this group is something different--they just seem to get my habit...scratch that...hobby, because they have the same NEED to use quilting in their lives. We just get each other, and I am so grateful that somehow, our lives intersected and I became part of that small group. It's kind of like an old-fashioned sewing bee once a week. Being old fashioned at heart, I truly love that connection we have.

These are just a few of the recent quilts I have made for others.

 

This quilt will be for my cousin and his wife, who are expecting their baby in February.

 

This quilt was given to my niece and her new husband in celebration of their recent wedding. (They are expecting their first baby in May 2015!)

 

These are photos of a Quilt of Valor I made for my younger brother, who recently retired from the US Air Force, after 17 years of service.

Learning to Quilt

When I was growing up, I would see my Grandma always busy with a multitude of projects. She was an avid quilter, crocheter, embroidery-er, sewer, seamstress, crafter, and any other type of home ec projecter you can think of. She was a woman of many skills when it came to being creative. I often enjoyed going to her house and watching her work, and she would always have something I could work on, too. I particularly liked painting her fabric with pre-printed designs, though when I think of it, I never saw those projects turn into anything. She may have just kept them around for us kids to enjoy.

Since as long as I can remember, I enjoyed working on projects, just like my Grandma, but I have always been scared to try quilting. I love quilts--just adore them, and understand all the time, work, energy, and love that goes into creating them. But up until this Spring, I have stuck with the safer projects that I have always been good at--bags, small utility items, clothing, etc.--but I have always hoped to get into quilting someday.

Finally, this Spring when my Singer Wal-Mart sewing machine broke down, instead of spending the money to repair it, I took the opportunity to invest in a really nice sewing machine. This was a huge deal for me, since I wanted to make sure it would work for a long time, and I could grow into it. I finally settled on a Janome 4120DC (decorator collection), and I was promised it is an excellent machine for home quilting. I figured at this point, there is really no going back.

I have met some new friends that are avid quilters, and have learned that within the quilting world, the people are very eager and excited to share their knowledge and secrets of the trade. There is still so much to learn, but so far, I am having a blast.

I created three quilt tops so far, and have purposes for two of them. The very first quilt top I finished is currently at the professional quilter's studio to be professionally quilted with a quilting machine. However, once I saw the price of getting that quilted that way, I realized I need to now look into how to finish these beautiful quilts myself.

I met with a friend and learned how to prepare a quilt to be machine quilted at home, and also to be quilted and tied. My first quilt that I finished it now ready to be given to somebody special to me, and I can't wait until I can do that!