Why I quilt

An article by Rachel    Comments Off

To every adventure there is a beginning. My adventure with quilting began shortly after high school graduation. My mom took me to a beginning quilt class taught by Charlotte War Anderson. I started to hand piece a twin sized quilt. I think I made 2-3 blocks. To my dismay my blocks weren’t the same size. I was in over my head. I abandoned the pieced quilt idea. Instead, I made a denim quilt with a flannel back. I tied it. The quilt served me well though college. I had no desire to make another pieced quilt.

Shortly before Ross and I married, I told him that I loved to sew. Ross was told me he was okay with this. Quilting came up in the conversation. I clarified my sewing intentions. I intended to sew clothes and home décor. The task of cutting up fabric into tiny geometrical shapes only to reassemble them into a large piece of fabric was beyond me.

After declaring my intention to never make another quilt, I made a Puff Quilt for Ross as a wedding present. The Puff Quilt met some of my basic requirements: all the pieces were square; no hand piecing was required; and it wouldn’t need to be quilted.

The Puff Quilt led to flannel baby blankets with crochet edges. From here, I started visiting quilt stores with my mom. Before I knew it I was buying flannel to make an apple core quilt. Not only did I finish the quilt, I hand quilted it.

Why did I stick with quilting? I discovered that combining colors, shapes, and textures is a form of self expression. I associate color with mood. Bright colored quilts, like the Apple Core quilt, express my happiness. Bright colors make me feel alive. Specific colors can be connected to different eras. In my puzzle quilt I’ve included reproductions fabrics from the 30’s.

Geometrical shapes engage the mind. By simply dividing a triangle or a square, I can create a multitude of other shapes. I’ve learned to combine the shapes with different color values to create depth, increasing the illusion of the shape. Thanks to technology, I can quickly draw different designs on my computer.

Texture is in the printed design, the physical texture of the fabric, and the quilting. Fluffy flannels beg to be made into quilts which provide warmth and comfort. The printed design can be soft, smooth, rough, romantic, historical, etc. Each texture has its own connotative meaning. The quilting stitches affirm the message expressed by the colors and shapes.

For me, quilting has evolved from simple home décor to self expressing art.