This is August, which means this month is the last month of our guild year. In fact, we'll meet tonight and celebrate the journey of the past twelve months with a party and a potluck, lots of "fanfare" and--more than likely--not a little hilarity.
I still have three months worth of articles to share, but I'll do it over the next couple of weeks, so they're posted before the month closes. That way this series and the guild year can both go gracefully out into that good night. Heh. :)
My June article spoke to being the quilter you want to be -- and being straightforward with yourself about that. Without further ado . . .
I have been quilting since January 2006, when I started my first Patches & Stitches block of the month. For those of you who attended the May meeting, you are now well aware of my dubious quilting start. Over the past 12 years, I sometimes wonder if I’ve gotten much further from where I started. I came to the point, which I think all quilters must, where I had to decide what kind of quilter I was going to be. I’m not talking about traditional quilting versus artistic quilting versus modern quilting, or even being a hand quilter versus a machine quilter.
No. I’m talking about quilting "my way" versus quilting the "right way."
Y’all know what I’m talking about! I know we have an amazing number of quilters in the guild who are definitely ‘the right way’ quilters. Even so, I’m sure we have one or two who say “Close enough!” on the quarter inch seams, who sometimes forget which way to press—to the light or to the dark, and who say 'live and let live!' instead of ever fooling with the seam ripper. Right? That’s about where I am. But it took a quilting crisis of faith for me to decide who I was going to be as a quilter. On the one hand, I bemoaned my inability to make a quilt that was show-worthy (and when I say that, I mean AQS show WINNER worthy), and on the other hand, I struggled with the time, patience, and effort it took to make that sort of quilt.
Then I read a something Judy Laquidara (author, quilter, blogger at Patchwork Times) said to a person who commented that they envied her ability to knit; they couldn’t do it. She responded that it wasn’t that the commenter *couldn't* knit, it was that the commenter wasn’t willing to do what was necessary to become a successful knitter. And that struck a chord with me. It wasn’t that I *couldn’t* be a show winning quilter, it was that I wasn’t doing what was necessary to become that quilter. And therein was my quilting crisis of faith...was I willing to do what was necessary....or was I happy to do my own thing my own way, gift in love, and put my quilts in non-juried shows for the joy of it, not for the ribbon?
We each get to determine who we are going to be as a quilter and what our quilts are going to represent. Each of us holds the power to guide and direct our respective journeys as quilters as well as the journeys of the quilts we make. In a wonderful way, our quilting journeys become our legacies as well. Whichever quilting path you choose to take, enjoy the journey; it will make your legacy all the sweeter to recount.
My name is Denise and I’m a quilter. :)
8 expressed . . .:
I'm not willing to go to the massive amount of work to have an AQS winning quilt. There are too many things I want to make, for too many people. People who wouldn't know an AQS quilt anyways. Those people think my quilts are wonderful the way they are. There are times I'll rip out and re-stitch or re-iron, then there are times I won't (like my current project, where I ironed 196 units the wrong way). I quilt because I love to quilt. I don't quilt to win any awards, even though I do try to make all of my projects look really nice.
Great read and so true. Have a good time tonight.
Well spoken/written. I feel that the vote of my peers is more important than getting the Big prizes at a Juried show. It is a high honor to me. I'll just keep on trying.
So true! I am the type of quilter who wants those winner worthy quilts, but don't have the ambition or energy to actually make the effort to rip out the nonperfect seams. I need to accept one or the other - if I want the show-winner worthy quilts, I need to invest the time to rip, and if I am okay with nonperfect seams, I need to accept that my quilts won't be show worthy.
I enjoyed this, Denise.
I don't quilt to enter shows, but I sometimes feel beaten upon by those who put on shows. It is as if the fact that someone quilts, but doesn't enter their quilts, could cause the downfall of quilting as we know it, and there would no longer be quilt shows to attend.
Seems to me that there are plenty of people who want to have their quilts judged and displayed, so there is hardly danger of that happening. :)
Boy is your article timely Denise. I just finished (well have to tuck ends and launder and block), an afghan that I hit decisions about ripping out several times...and didn't. It's not show worthy, but it will be welcomed and keep someone just as warm...which after all is my goal. So, I say, let's stop beating ourselves up. You do too much of that, and pretty soon the craft is no longer relaxing or enjoyable.
Sandy's Space
What a great article! Shows can be fun, but it's not why I quilt. I do my own thing and it works for me. I'm glad there are those that want to go to the level and effort, cause I like looking at them. But it's not for me.
Hi, Haven't visited you in a while....I enjoyed this post. I recently helped a friend of mine do a quilt which was supposed to be used to raise money for charity...during the process she told me about some of the requirements for the Quilt Guild's show quilts. She was particular about the way seams lay among other things. After she quilted the quilt, I asked to see it. She said it wasn't good enough to be used to raise money and she'd given it to her sister-in-law. I decided then that I'm not that kind of quilter. I enjoy the process, take my time and get satisfaction from my hobby. I have won ribbons in our organization's county and state competitions and that is good enough for me. I have made several quilts by Australian designers with an on line group. These incorporated applique and embroidery which I enjoy doing. I think I've decided what type quilter I am.
Mama Bear
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