This is my original quilt pattern, birds nest.

Quilting is Therapy

Here’s truth time!  There are plenty of blogs you can read that will give you great tips.  I even check them out myself from time to time when I find I need help.  I don’t think I’m an excellent quilter.  I think quilting is something I am good at and it gives me joy.  So why do I blog about quilting?  I realize that, for me, quilting is more than just a hobby.  I find I am able to get in touch with a deeper part of myself, a part of me that I need to commune with.  It is a new form of therapy that helps in ways traditional therapy never has before.  I can dive into a pattern, fabric, colors, and my sewing machine and create a new kind of relationship.  I see how at first glance things that do not seem to go together look gorgeous if worked with just right.  I am fascinated when I make a simple pattern in a block and by assembling several together I can see an entirely new complex pattern.  Patience is now my middle name as I learn how to use my sewing machine.  I find amazing beauty in an older generation’s work, the wonderful legacy they left behind.  I admire how quilting was used to socialize when they had little worldly possessions.  I truly appreciate the gifts others have and choose to share with the world.  I take these new insights into my daily life and I have a new perspective on nearly every situation that arises.  I want to share this with you.

The backing is minky.  The squares are quilted with birds on a tree, branch, and nest.

I cannot take credit for these lovely bird patterns I quilted.  Unfortunately, I moved and cannot locate my source to give proper credit.  

My First Quilt

     My oldest child was about six years old when I decided to make my first quilt. I pulled out the one quilting book I owned, America's Best Quilting Projects. I had purchased it from my book club a few years before.  Flipping through the pages I considered my options. I wanted it to be beautiful but not overwhelming. After all, my goal was to finish the twin size quilt and give it to my son. I decided on this simple, yet striking star pattern. 

     I had a cheap Singer sewing machine my mum had purchased on sale before I married. She passed it on to me when she realized she was never going to sew. I had, when recently married, threw the darn thing across my dinning room table when I failed to figure out the thread tension. The machine did survive the unfortunate event intact but I knew my first order of business would be to have it serviced.  Amazingly, after being serviced, thread tension was no longer an issue. Knowing that my past failure to understand my sewing machine had not been entirely my fault my confidence was boosted.

     I attacked my new project with passion. I enjoyed picking out the fabric. I puzzled over the directions. I painstakingly cut all the squares and triangles.  Then I sewed and ironed and I sewed and ironed some more. Eventually, across my living room floor lay a quilt top that resembled the picture in the book. I was beaming! I had taught my self to quilt...or had I?    
     One thing was for sure, I was hooked!  I also learned a lot from trial and error.  I'm here to share my experience with you.  My hope is that you will find a love for quilting but skip a lot of the frustration I experienced from teaching myself.