Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara logo

Why Do You Quilt?

Is that a crazy question . . or what?  A few weeks ago, Vince and I were having one of our discussions about the meaning of life . . we have those often!  And out of the clear blue, he asked me:  Why do you quilt? My response was why would you ask me that? We talked about why he asked me and I gave him my answer.  I’d like to hear your answer before you read my answer so I’ll post my answer tomorrow afternoon.

So . . Why do you quilt?


Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I love to sew. They always fit when I’m done (as opposed to clothing). Quilting fills the need I have to create. It’s partly social — LOVE my Weds sewing group! We’re lucky to have such fabulous fabrics to “play” with. I stay up as late as I can most nights to sew. It’s more than a hobby; it’s a huge part of my life. I never tire of it.

  3. Part 1 of my answer is that I HAVE to make things. It’s my nature. I am a person who has to produce something. I could never play golf or other sports because when the game is over there’s nothing to show for it. Not that I think playing sports is bad, it’s just not me. So, part 1 is that I have to make SOMETHING.

    Part is is why quilts? Well, I don’t only make quilts. I make almost anything that can be done with fabric. I could do stained glass or woodwork or polymer clay. Almost any hobby that involved an end product would make me happy. But I love fiber and fabric and I really love a sewing machine. I love the sound of it and I am fascinated by the way it works.

    I think I am drawn to quilts because of the geometry of it all. I am a spacial relations person. I groove on figuring out how things can fit together – even how to optimally pack the dishwasher or a suitcase. Quilting meets all of those needs.

    Part 3 is that I love making things for other people and quilts can be meaningful and also useful. I think I like that part best!

  4. Quilting is my relaxation (when it is not a very involved or difficult pattern) and it is also my avoidance mechanism for tasks I don’t want to do (Sorry, Honey… can’t clean house today… I MUST work on that quilt!). Quilting is also my “time for me” activity. A lot of my quilting time is used for customer quilts, so I really enjoy the “me” quilting time.

    I’m hooked… When I am not working on a quilt I am thinking 3, or 4, or 5 quilts ahead. I don’t need any more quilts (IDNAMQ), I have a house full of them, but yet I keep turning out more. I give many of them away, because… IDNAMQ, and that feels good when I can bless someone with a quilt. They ALWAYS appreciate a quilt… not so when I was dabbling in ceramics. For some reason a ceramic frog gift just did not get the same reaction that a quilt does! 🙂

    So today is housework, BUT I will use a good part of that working in my office/fabric area (looking for lost things that I need to take to quilt retreat). So that still makes it “quilty” even if it is cleaning.

    Kat

  5. I quilt because I love to create pretty things. I love the process of designing/making them, I love showing them off and love giving them as gifts to friends and family.

  6. I guess it’s a hobby and artform I love to do! Creating something from “nothing” is always fun and exciting. I love the feel of fabric and it gives me joy (most of the time!! LOL)

  7. It’s my passion! I need to be creative. I used to paint with oils and acrylics and then I discovered fabric.

  8. 1) Because I have to and I don’t know why

    2) I love the the endless # of patterns and color combos that are created and the texture when it is quilted.

    3) It is a productive hobby, task and small, small business

  9. I have been asking myself this question lately and have come up with a few answers.

    I really gain a lot of satisfaction from producing something that I like to look at. Yesterday I was telling my daughter about the one I just finished and she asked what I was going to do with it and I just gave her a blank look, because I don’t have to make a quilt that is going to “do” anything a quilt just “is”

  10. Hmm… well I’ve always made things. Knitting, crocheting, needlepoint… in my head a hobby needs to be first enjoyable, and second productive. You could have as much fun playing a video game for hours/days/years on end, but what do you have to show for it in the end? What will you leave behind as your mark on this earth?

    I started quilting because I love the looks of quilts. I love to be able to pick a pattern AND fabrics and colors that please me, and create something unique. I enjoy the sewing aspect of it most… there’s something wonderfully comforting about listening to a machine hum along, watching a project come together, feeling it beneath your fingertips.

    While a hermit by nature, I’ve come to very much enjoy the social aspect of quilting. For me that’s mainly online interaction (blogs, forums, etc) and that’s just perfect. My personal space is never invaded and I can enjoy the pleasure of other’s company from all over the world… quilters are the kindest, most generous people!

  12. I quilt because I feel like it ties me to my ancestors who quilted or sewed. Many of them I never met, but we have this thing in common. Granted they did it for necessity and I do it for fun, but still.

    I quilt because I like to give gifts of myself. I’m not a good cook, i’m horrible at conversation, and I can rarely express emotion without dissolving into a blubbering idiot. When I make something as a gift it is my way of saying I care, I thought of you while I made this, I hope you will think of me when you use it.

    I quilt because it is my “me” time where I can tune out the world and do what I want to do yet still be productive. It makes all the stress of work and the world melt away. Usually to be replaced by the stress of “why can I not sew a consistent 1/4″ seam!” or “how did I manage to cut this the wrong size, AGAIN!”.

  13. I quilt because it is intriguing, surprising, colourful, one of a kind, beautuful (usually), artistic outlet, chance for discoveries, lots of fun, can be solitary or communial, a life brightener, and because I have to or there is no living with me. ; <))

  14. I guess I quilt for different reasons at different times. When I began to give quilts as gifts it was out of desperation for gift ideas. Now that I have been doing that for several years I have noticed a drop in my stress level when weddings, babies and graduations come around. I already know what I am going to give. As I make the quilt I am thinking about the recipient and praying for a wonderful future for them.

    I sometimes quilt to work through emotions. My children have received quilts in the past that I made while crying about a situation they were going through at that time. I have never let them know that some of their quilts are covered with their mothers tear stains and prayers. Usually when I finish this sort of quilt I am more emotionally stable about the situation and have been able to turn it over to God. So quilting is my therapy at times.

    When I give a quilt as a gift it is always gratifying to see the appreciation of the recipient.

  15. I quilt because I love fabric, colour, making things and have a brain that enjoys geometry. I’m not very good at spending time doing things where there isn’t anything to show for it at the end – could never, ever be a computer game type of person. The time I steal away to quilt is the ultimate me time. If I had nothing else to do all day, then quilting and mybe knitting is what I would do. I just love to make things I guess.

  16. It’s an excellent question for me to ask myself today. I’m struggling with a wallhanging that is due on Saturday. Am I having fun? Not really. So I’ve stepped back to re-assess. I love the design process, but not necessarily the implementation. I do love piecing, but still struggle with quilting designs that enhance the geometry of the piecing. Maybe I should just be a “topper.”

  19. I saw an Rose of Sharon quilt in a Victoria magazine years ago and lost my heart. The first time I picked up a needle to applique, it felt like coming home.
    I’m not in love with the sewing machine (that’s a means to an end); I’m in love with the needle and thread.
    I love the process of quilt designing, choosing the perfect (for me) fabrics and how soothing it feels to stitch away.
    I love the journey of a quilt.

  20. 1. I like to play with colors & patterns & unlike in paper/pen/paint type arts, I am pretty good at doing this with quilts.
    2. For the amount of time (or less) that I was previously putting into cross-stitch projects, I get something more “useful.”

  21. I’ve never thought about the why. I just have to. I’ve been in front of a sewing machine since I was 6 or 7. I’ve had spells when I didn’t sew very much but it was always there for me. I took a quilting class with a friend in the late 70s that changed my baby blankets into quilts and my clothes construction was slowed down a bit. Quilting turned into a passion just like sewing clothes, crochet and now knitting. I don’t know why. 😉

  22. I love fabric. I love to play with different colors and shapes. I love to envision beautiful quilts – some I even try to make. I love to sew – to watch the stitches and how the thread colors play with the fabric. I love the sound of the sewing machines. I love the texture of quilting. And, did I say – I love fabric. It is a disease that I inherited and I am so thankful I have it!

  23. I quilt to keep my hands busy. My mother always had a knitting or crochet project to take with her in the car on trips to visit her mother and family out of state. When my Grandma would come to visit there would be a quilt up in the Living room and the neighborhood and Church ladies would come and help quilt all week, it seemed a long time then. So I grew up under a quilt, hence I have to make them to remember those happy times in my childhood home lying under the quilt, chasing thread for the ladies and sometimes threading the needles for them. And my Mother always told me that when you buy a house the living room should be big enough to set up a quilt and have room to walk around.

  24. I quilt – therefore I AM.

    OK, OK, I LOVE to create, make things. My mother said when I was 5, I cut my hair off and made paint brushes with my hair! 8-))) It was born in me. 8-))) My folks both were creative and made things from ‘nothing’, with artistic flair.

  25. Well, I don’t actually QUILT, if you know what I mean. I piece… and sporadically at that, but, to answer your question…

    I started “quilting” because a friend wanted someone to go to class with here when we lived in Saudi Arabia and another friend (a true quilter and classic enabler) talked me into it!

    I have found that I need something to DO, something that keeps my hands busy. I can’t just sit and “do nothing” (like watch TV or even, sadly, read!). Hand piecing helps fill that need (as does knitting, and embroidery).

    I’m still “quilting” for the same reason I embroider and papercraft: I love to see what comes out at the very end. I may fuss and muss with the process but I love the product!

  26. Hi Judy,

    Saw your quilt “Strawberry Fields” in one of my new magazine purchases last night (I gave in and bought 5! I could not decide on just 1-2. Bravo. Beautiful quilt, and you are in there with Jinny Beyer, other “name quilters.” Congratulaitons.

    I make quilts because I have sewed forever. My Singer 500 was my first purchase when I went to work at 17 (not a car). It has made my clothing, my sons’ rompers, drapes, you-name-it, even the start of my wedding gown (one of mom’s friend’s completed it as a wedding gift.) As my working years are finally coming to an end, who needs the clothes. Quilting is the MOST expressive sewing I have done. I work for physicians and hospitals but not for any psychiatrists. Haven’t felt the need. I have my own therapy.

  27. I quilt because my Granny did and it reminds me of her. I miss her and wish she could see that I’m finally quilting and all of the amazing gadgets we have now. She passed when I was in my early 30s and I didn’t start quilting until I was 46. I also love the feel of good fabric, I could just spread it all out on the floor and roll around in it 🙂 But I don’t because getting up off the floor is to hard…….

  28. Quilting for me is therapy.
    I NEED to sew and quilt.
    I love being at home and now that I have a longarm I love quilting for friends, old and new!

  29. I started to quilt because I loved hand quilting (and hated piecing). However, as I learned how to use my sewing machine and tools, piecing is fun! I now long arm because handquilting is too slow and painful. I love to create things and I too have been a hand crafter all my life and NEED to. Many crafts were a challenge when I was learning and I found the challenge half the fun. I quilt, knit, crochet, tat…..quilting is my biggest investment of time and creativity.

  30. Quilting fills a need in me. Although I dabble in other crafts, and rarely ever finish any of the quilts I start, I thoroughly enjoy the process from start to UFO. For me, the look and feel of the fabric and thread and the endless variety of ways to use them is exciting. When I am sewing, I can leave all anxiety and worry behind me. I enjoy the sensory experience of touching the fabric. On the rare occasion that I actually finish a quilt, I love the sense of accomplishment and the look of pleasure of the recipient. The thing I love best is knowing that if I did not create that particular quilt, no one else in the world could create one EXACTLY like it (crooked seams and all).

  32. Quilting, knitting & crocheting are what keep me sane after working all day. This is how I relax. I love to see how things are going to come together to make a striking piece. These things keep me somewhat sane and I love doing them.

  33. I quilt because I love too! Sewing of any kind relaxes me. Quilting allows the creative side of me to come out!

  34. As most expressed, I quilt because without it I would not be a stable, peaceful person. When my children were small, I quilted to use the scraps so that there was no waste of money or fabric. Now that they have left home and have children of their own, I quilt memories. As I make quilts for those I love, I remember times I had with them and my grandmothers. It also gives that person a chance to remember the times we had together.

  35. Way back in 2005 I posted my top 10 reasons why I love to quilt – so here you go!

    #10 – It’s a really good excuse to collect fabric.
    #9 – Visiting local quilt shops is a good way to escape my in-laws house during required visits.
    #8 – Can you say STRESS RELIEF?
    #7 – Makes me feel almost as artistic as my architect husband.
    #6 – Quilts make great gifts – every is always so impressed that I actually MADE it!
    #5 – Great way to spend time with friends
    #4 – Have I mentioned STRESS RELIEF?
    #3 – It runs in my family. My paternal grandmother quilted, several maternal aunts quilted, my mom quilts. I am teaching my daughter (11) AND my son (8) to sew. Both of them love to play with my scraps.
    #2 – I love making quilts for my kids. I can just imagine them tucking my grandchildren into bed and saying “your grandmother made this quilt for me when I was little.” Any quilt I make my kids ask “Can I have that?”
    #1 – I feel like I am leaving some sort of tangible proof that I existed. Someday someone will hopefully hold a quilt of mine and wonder about me!

  38. I quilt because it makes me happy!!!

    I love the colors, the fabrics and the unending designs. My family teases me that I live in a padded cell because of all the quilts we have in the house. There is something very contemplative about pushing fabric through my sewing machine that lowers my blood pressure and calms my spirit. I love that quilts are artistic and practical all at the same time. I love all the wonderful people quilting has brought into my life, what would I do without them? I already have more quilts than I can use in several lifetimes but that’s not going to stop me from making more. In fact, as soon as I finish this email, I’m going to sew the blocks on my design wall together.

  39. So why do I quilt??? For me it should be why do I like feel of fabric running thru my fingers……it all fits into the same catagory as “why do we feel good about the clothes we wear on our back?” …its all about the feel of the fabric…..when we were born our first sensation we had was with our mothers touch….our second sensation with with a warm cotton cloth that they wrapped us in…..feeling the fabric takes me back to that time when all was right in our new world…..when I have had a stressful day, just let me go feel some fabric and I’m instantly calmed….so I have to answer……I quilt to stay calm!!!

    Karen

  41. Alright, I have a long answer to this now that I think about it but I will give you the short answer and then let you know the long answer. I think it’s worthy of a blog post itself! lol

    Short answer: It makes me happy.

  42. Making quilts relaxes me and while I will often follow a pattern MOST of the way, I also like to vary things myself. I also love the feel of a quilted item after it’s all finished and washed and crinkly and soft………and it’s fun to know that I made it myself. When I am working on my quilt projects, I can forget about any problems that are in my mind…it takes me away to a HAPPY place….and I think it even lowers my blood pressure!!!

  43. Oh…and are we allowed to pose a question to Vince??? If so, ask him why he likes to go shopping!!!! LOL

  44. I quilt because…I need to do something! (Have done needlepoint, and cross-stitch in the past. Did learn to tole paint too). Quilts are love passed to others…the only quilts that I have made that are in my house are those I made for DH and DD (thought hers are at college with her). I have given everything away. I guess it’s a way to show my love for them. I also quilt for a group-and see that as a way to show God’s love to those that are hurting. I found it easier to make quilts than clothes! It’s my creative outlet. I have a sign on my quilting room door,”Therapy in Session” and shows a woman sewing away like crazy. And it’s the truth.

  45. I love fabric and I love creating something. Besides that, it’s cheaper than therapy and you have something to show for it at the end!

  46. I quilt because I grew up sewing and so it is as natural as breathing. It is also more creative than any other art/craft I have found. Just because. 😉

  47. I’ve always loved the look & feel of quilts. I can’t afford to buy them (not the REAL, good ones, anyway) so I learned to make my own. I’ve loved sewing since I was 14 and I’m totally addicted to fabric, what more can I say. Templates were tedious, but once I discovered rotary cutters there was no stopping me. Some people give away almost every quilt they make, but I have trouble parting with most of mine so I may need a bigger house soon. LOL

  48. i haven’t seen this reason yet, but my interest in quilting began back in 1976 when there was a resurgence of interest in the “old time colonial crafts.” I loved the look of those quilts, but i had little money to work with. So with what money i had i bought quilting magazines and books and told myself that i was “just studying” quilting.
    yea, right!
    but my studying paid off.. I learned how to recognize individual quilting blocks, the pieces in each block, and how to find the smallest square and figure my measurements and yardage and quilt size from there.

    20 years later our home town started a quilting guild. I joined and started making quilts. Finally!

    now my husband wants to know when i’ll stop! EEEEEK!

  50. Control. I’m in the driver’s seat. I make the fabric do what I want it to do. I discovered quilting in 1983 and have enjoyed the journey. I was hooked from day one. Quilting allowed me control when there was chaos at work. I preferred to spend my money on fabric rather than a psychiatrist. Quilters are a caring and sharing group. You are never lonely when you quilt. It gives meaning to my life and I am richer(wiser) because of it.

  51. I love doing all kinds of hand work. Quilting, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, sewing clothes, etc. If I don’t do any hand work, my fingers tend to stiffen up. Also it is a form of a diet …. when my hands are busy, I’m not eating.

    Right now, quilting is my passion and when I look around my home and see my quilts on the walls, quilt ladder and beds, a sigh of joy comes out of me. I’m a happy lady!

  52. The answer is different as time goes by. At first it was to make a baby quilt for my daughter, then to make quilts for my children, then to make quilts for my neices and nephews, and then it was because it was fun/stress relieving, then it was for the challenge, and now it is because I can’t get through a day without it!!

  54. Hmmmm! “All of the above?!” I love quilts. I love giving the gift of “myself” to others (gotta start keeping some, huh?). Hand applique is my heart, and I’m soooo grateful that I was able to learn it. I love having a finished product at the end of my work/play. Eve

  55. I quilt because I’m addicted to fabric!! LOL

    I enjoy being creative and quilting allows me to play with fabric combinations that I find to be beautiful. . . . not something that “they” say I should find beautiful.

    When I started quilting, well, even to today, I love to piece by hand. . . I find that it becomes very calming and allows me to let my mind wander — or become more focused as the case may be.

    For instance, if I am working on a project for someone I can send up many prayers and good thoughts while my hands are occupied with needle and thread.

    Can’t wait to see your answer.

  56. Good question. I started quilting after watching a few episodes of “Simply Quilts”. I said, “I can do that.” So I did. Then I kept challenging myself to branch out and do more difficult projects. I’m self-taught so I’d just read, read, read. It must be for the challenge I guess.

  57. I don’t know why.. HUMMM !!!! I can’t imigine life with out it tho. I love unique things maybe that is why??

  58. I quilt because it is one of the few things that actually stays done! I have to cook, clean, wash…and do it all again the next day. Quilts are there to stay!

  59. I don’t have an answer for that other than “just because”. I started quilting when my friend asked me to take a machine quilting class and after that I was hooked. Why? Who knows why and as long as I’m enjoying it, nothing else matters.

  60. Grandma! When I was a kid all the quilts in our house were made by my grandmother. She never put the greatest colors together, in fact sometimes I think the quilt could keep us awake if the room were not very dark. But the colors were not what they were all about. Those quilts were about the love she had for us and it was her way of hugging us. She was a bad piecer, bad quilter and as she got older her fabric selection became worse and worse. But I love those quilts. Another reason for me, I love being a part of “history”. I just feel like every quilt is a piece of history and I get to put my mark on the history of that quilt. I get to “hug” the people that wrap that quilt around themselves. I get to be a part of a lot of lives….and I love, love, love that!! Does that sound selfish???

  61. I quilt because of many things, one is that it makes me feel closer to my Mom who passed away 20 years ago. She taught me to quilt as a child and have many good memories growing up piecing and quilting together.

  62. I’ve always been interested in “making it myself” even as a teen. I married into a quilting family and wanted to learn. At first it was just to learn a new craft. The practicality of it was first and foremost…nothing more satisfying than keeping my family warm. Then the fabric started whispering to me. Now I am hooked. I still lean towards the old traditional patterns and try to make some changes to enhance them. I still feel immensely proud to say every bed in my house has at least 5 to 10 quilts that belong to it. Won’t get cold here even at 20 below celsius.

  63. Hmmm…..
    I never had anyone “close” to me quilt, so I didn’t pick it up from anyone
    I never took a quilting class, so I didn’t learn it from anyone

    I needed to learn (self-taught) how to make a quilt for my sister for some cross-stitch Precious Moments blocks I had sewed…..and from there……My quilting has ….. “evolved”….

    Why do I continue to quilt……

    I only have one simple answer….

    ……..”Because I can and I enjoy it.”

  65. Quilting is a way for me to express my creative side. I have always been into some sort of craft…quilting is just the most recent addiction. I have a very black and white job that does not allow me to “colour outside the lines” very often–I am an accountant. Quilting balances my life out by allowing me to explore that creative freedom in all of us. Quilting is also great therapy and allows me to unwind after a hectic day at work.

  66. I’ve always loved to build things. With quilting, I get to construct something while using some cool power tools that aren’t greasy and grimy. I get to use color, express myself, and feel a sense of satisfaction at a job well done. Plus, nothing brings a smile to a recipient’s face like a warm, snuggly blanket full of color.

    Linda

  67. I’ve always done “crafty” things, and I still knit, crochet, do some redwork and other embroidery, cross-stitch, and do fabric painting. But not nearly as much of those as I’ve done in the past. I started quilting because I’d always loved quilts, and am a die-hard do-it-yourselfer.

    I KEEP quilting because it feeds my soul.

    My time when I’m sewing with friends is my social time, and my time when I’m sewing alone is my contemplative time.

  68. I have sewn for years following other people’s patterns and ideas. Quilting gives me the freedom to put that dot with that strip and I have given myself the freedom to use “that” in a quilt.

  69. I am following in my Grandmothers footsteps. I have been sewing since I was in my teens. I cannot paint or draw a straight line without a ruler. But I can make beautiful, artistic quilts for my family members to honor births, weddings, etc. I find it very relaxing and satisfying. A hobby with something to show for itself at the end! Now if I could just work on reducing my stash!

  70. I like to create something that is permanent in our quickly changing world. I like how it is something relaxing to do at the end of the day – I look forward to wrapping up my real job so that I can move onto my hobby. I like being inspired by the creativity of others. Blogs really expose us to lots of different styles. I enjoy the hunt of discontinued fabric online. And I like watching the faces of people when they hear that MEN CAN QUILT TOO!

  71. I haven’t read the other answer yet because I don’t want them to influance my answer.
    I quilt because I love to create something so tangable, useful and beautiful. I give almost all of my quilts away. (I have 2 here that I made and kept). I am fully aware of how most people view quilting and how a lot of people think it is a very special thing to be given a hand made quilt. I try to chose my recipiants carefully and get the most “bang for my buck” if you will. That is why I started…..now I’m just addicted….it is what I do…I can’t help myself! I love it. The whole process, from first ideas, to designing, cutting, piecing and quilting.

  72. I started quilting when I learned in history that girls by age 13 were required to make quilts for their hope chest. it was a challenge as I too was 13 and wanted to master it. As years went on I loved the challenge of different patterns and colors and the creativeness of it all. Love to create and even more so if what I create is useful.

  73. I always loved the feel of fabric and wanted to learn to sew and make clothes for myself (nothing fit at the store). I’ve always admired quilts, started reading everything I could about them, watching ‘TV shows and then tried my hand at making one. I’ve been hooked ever since. Now I do it for the rewarding feeling of giving to others, being able to say I made it all by myself, the beauty and warmth it affords all those who come in contact with a “protable hug” or something made with love “just for them”. I love that feeling. Still love to play with color and patterns too. Dar

  74. That’s hard to have just one answer. I’ve always been involved with fibers & fabric–sewing, embroidery, weaving and quilting. In difficult times quilting calms me down. When times are happy and relaxed it’s my creative expression. And it allows me to give a part of myself to others when I give quilts as gifts.

  75. Like many others, I like to have something tangible for my time spent doing something. That and I LOVE fabric. I also want each person in my family (kids/grandkids) to have a quilt to remember me by. Not that I’m THAT old. LOL

  76. Well, after the last quilt I made a few weeks ago, I think the answer would be “because I like to be tortured”. Needless to say if that had been my first quilt, it would have been my last and almost was anyway.

  77. I started to quilt after my son was killed at that point it was to keep me sane and a friend had suggested quilting so I gave it a try. It forced me to focus and thru the colors I was expressing emotion. Basically I started quilting as a healing process. Over the years it has turned into one of my great joys.

  78. I quilt because I love to sew, I love to make my own gifts, and I love fabric. All those things can be wrapped up in one wonderful object that is portable, beautiful, gives hugs and comfort, and is stitched with love.

  79. I tried many “crafts” before I found quilting. I tried cross stitch, crochet, acrylic painting. I loved all of the “crafts, but except for cross stitch my talent was only mediocre. I was introduced to quilting by my husbands Granny although I didn’t start for years. When I did start quilting I found a comfort I didn’t expect. With every other “craft” I had to follow someone elses patterns, but with quilting I could start with someone’s pattern, but expand, or I could just do my own thing and it always turned out great. It also involves a machine, I LOVE working with a machine (that is secondary, but very fun!).

  80. I quilt because I love anything fabric & textile-related. I love combining beautiful fabric palettes, and I love the creativity of designing my own pattern. I love the challenge of figuring out how to construct what I’ve designed. It gives me pleasure to play with my stash; to experiment with designs in EQ6; to complete a quilt; and especially to give one as a gift. It’s like giving a piece of myself.
    I can’t wait to read your reasons, Judy!

  81. I just had this discussion with someone else. Was it you? I can’t remember, but I remember my answer. It’s always been my answer.

    I quilt because I can’t paint pictures. I can’t draw. If I were artistic, I think I’d be spending all day, every day, drawing and painting.

    And yes, I believe that there are many talented artists who chose to use fabric as their medium. I know some. I believe you have a real artistic talent. You have an eye for design and a great eye for color.

    I am a decent craftsman, but I am no artist. This is as close as I can get and I’m thrilled to take it!

  82. I love to try new to me activities. I started quilting in 1976 using a craft pattern out of the clothing pattern book. I don’t remember what brand, but it was a very frilly baby quilt for my brother and sister-in-law’s first baby. HE arrived in July. I really struggled to make that quilt. I still have the pattern and take it out every once in a while thinking I would make another one. I look at it and put it away.

    I now like the challenge of using my own math, cutting and sewing skills to create quilts that I know came out of my own mind. I always liked math, puzzles and working with fabric. Today I like to quilt to keep my fingers limber, my mind active, my frustrations down and I also earn some money doing what I love.

  83. I quilt to stay sane. It’s a quite place in the middle of all the bustle in my life. Not sure why it works that way, I’m just glad it does.

  84. I quilt for the pleasure of seeing something that I have created. I get such a sense of pride when I look at a quilt I have created with my own creative energy—and I know it will become a part of my family’s history.

  85. It’s a productive hobby where I can actually see finished results! I have started many different hobbies over the years and I think I am better at collecting the tools and materials to those hobbies than I was at actually finishing the product. Quilting seems to be one thing where I see it through to the end.
    The colorful fabrics are another reason…I can’t resist!

  86. I quilt and cook because I like to create. Quilting is something that will last forever, but cooking I can see and taste the rewards very quickly. Of course, the results of eating can last forever too!

    Quilting and cooking are also ways I show love to my family.

  87. Why do I quilt ? I retired from teaching bobbin lace and organising Bobbin lace tours for Americans, so a friend asked me to go to a quilt day with her as it was my birthday.. that was it I was hooked, went home bought the latest all gizmo Pfaff sewing machine and a Horn cabinet to put it in [well it was my birthday!!!] This has now led to a £30000 [$46000]extension to our house as a workroom for me. I’m so glad I found a cheap hobby… ha ha!

  88. I quilt because when I was a young child, someone (I don’t know who) wrapped me in a quilt and I felt safe and loved. I’m not whining about my life, it was what it was, but that safety and love factor is still with me 50+ years later.

    Beth

  89. It’s my creative outlet. Now that our yard is landscaped and the flowers/shrubs are planted and all I have to do is maintain them rather than design and plan, I needed an outlet.

    I also started quilting after I quit my job, the way my grandma taught me by hand, when we were doing fertility treatments. The hand work, and now the machine work, kept my mind focused on a single task and eliminated all that stress. DH husband would actually tell me when I was upset and called him at work to go make some blocks b/c he realized that it took my mind off everything else.

    Of course, now that I have a 3 year old, the stress often comes from not finding time to finish projects!

  90. It is a perfect outlet for my creative energy. I love playing with the colors and shapes and building something and then I get to give it away. I write for myself, I quilt for others.

  92. I made my first quilt, a doll quilt, when I was about 8. Fifty years and many different crafts later, quilting is still as refreshing and rewarding as ever. I have lulls in my quilting, but a feeling will come over me that if I don’t quilt something today I will go crazy. Sometimes just buying some fabric will help but mostly I have to “get in the trenches”. Quilting also affords my 2 sisters and I to enjoy each others company while creating a memory to last a life time.

  93. I, too, say Grandma. I still remember the snowball quilts on our beds in the bedroom the three of us girls shared. I loved them. I love the idea that part of me will still be here on earth after I’m gone and my kids (and grandkids, nieces, nephews…) will have something to hold with good memories. Besides, they love my quilts! And I just can’t not make them. 🙂

  95. After a stressful day at work quilting relaxes me, takes my mind off of the stress. Being new to quilting, I must concentrate on my cutting, stitching, matching, etc. It takes my mind off my stressful job. I also enjoy the planning: picking the colors, fabrics, and patterns, takes my mind off my stressful job. My end result may not be perfect by any means but it is something I created, it is my work. And when I go to bed at night I dream about my next quilting project and NOT my stressful job that I will return to in the AM. Quilting is my Medication…..for stress! Cheaper than a shrink!

  96. i was laying in bed after the coma, in hospital. watching chirstopher lowell, simply quilts and other craft shows. I thought THAT is how I can give back to people who have less
    than I do, I existed in my hospital bed for 14 months, then 2 years at home, there wasnt anything past my bed edges other than the tv, nurses and my pets. My Grannie quilted for her family. I never was interetsed in it when she was around. But in my coma, I was visited by her and it just came to me. I dont have the use of my legs, but i can sew.
    as I got better, I got back the use of my legs (limited), but
    I began to plan the plan, to make chairity quilts…and that is
    what i do. and why. I can hand sew or cut in bed, until I
    can get back on my feet I said I can do something to help.

  97. Oh, gosh, there are such good comments here. Why I started quilting is well documented. However, I continue to quilt because I just plain like doing it. Especially when I’m holding a needle in my hand.

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