Confessions of a Quiltaholic

Truth is, I don’t just love making quilts, I love hanging out with `em. I am a sucker for a quilt at a garage sale (yard sale, estate sale, tag sale, etc.), too. Just bought one this past weekend for $10. There are some worn spots on it, but it is lovely.

Now, this love of quilting may actually be an outgrowth of my love of sewing and of fabric. Or, it may be that the reason I love fabric so much is because I love seeing how it goes together in a quilt. Well, which came first: the chicken or the egg? No matter; I love it all.

The problem in loving this stuff so much is a problem of acquisition. And, by that, I’m not saying that it is hard to buy it – I’m saying it is hard not to buy it! Any of you have the same problem? In all honesty, can you walk into a quilting shop and not walk out with at least one fat quarter, or a yard or 2 of that new rose-patterned, cream-colored fabric over there on the shelf on the left, or that gorgeous cobalt blue with the tiny constellations all over it, or that cute, cute piece with the flying pigs or. . . Sigh!. . . Okay.  All of it, please!

See my dilemma?

Or, my favorite cohort-in-crime for the last 30 years and I are walking through the gorgeous rows of resale shops looking for pretty, old, china cake plates, which I also collect, and I suddenly catch my cohort-in-crime by her arm and:

Me: “Oh. My. Gosh! Can you believe that quilt over there on that bed frame? Did you see those beautiful feedsack prints in the butterfly pattern on it? I’ll bet it’s way out of my range. I’ll just ask, though.”

Cohort-in-crime: “Another one? You can’t own every old quilt you come across. You need to leave some of them for me.”

Me: “I saw it first. So, I’ll just ask the price. It’s bound to be too much. Neither of us will get it.” To shop owner: “How much? What?! Seriously?! Forty-five dollars?! Sold.”

Cohort-in-crime: “Well, I get the next one, no matter what. And, I thought you said you were not going to spend over $30 on any one item.”

Me: (smugly, with the subject quilt draped over my arm) “I lied.”

(Hmmm. My cohort-in-crime has never been really good at helping me fight my addictions, actually. Which is why we have always been such good friends, of course!)

Still, this adds to my stash, and, after quilting for around 30 years, and teaching quilting for about 20 of those years, I have acquired an awful lot of fabric and quilted goodies. I’m afraid I may be getting to the point that I need to part with some of it.

Nah.

I just need to rearrange everything to make more room, right?

Sewing for Sanity

Do you ever feel like you must sew, and you must sew now? The fabric, the sewing machine, the patterns, the templates are all calling your name and you cannot resist.  Does sewing bring peacefulness into your life? Does it calm you? No matter what you’re sewing, whether mending or piecing a Double Wedding Ring quilt, sewing restores balance to life.  I’m sure other people have things in their life  that do that for them -maybe golfing or cooking- but for me and I’m pretty sure for you it’s sewing.  I love every part of sewing.

The fabrics with their colors and textures, the threads with their brilliance and shine, the pictures of quilts or garments, everything related to the sewing room is attractive.  I have often said I would buy fabric even if I didn’t sew. It simply draws me in and I am helpless against it. I suppose I could try to be strong and not add to my already over-flowing fabric collection, but why? There will come a day when I will need this very fabric that is calling to me; otherwise, why would it be calling to me? That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

This is a longer skirt, made of white gauze and layers of lace

This is an elastic, lace blouse, but only 4 buttons, so it must be an over-blouse!

On the hectic and chaotic days, an hour in the sewing room is like a day at the spa. It relaxes me; it gets my creativity flowing; the stresses of the day melt away. Not only is it one of my forms of therapy; I actually end up with something useful for myself or someone else. That is a win/win situation, and I love those!

This is a dress made of fine, light green handkerchief linen, with lovely embroidery on the chest and the hem.

More of the green dress

Neckline of green dress

What other forms of therapy do I have, you ask? Buying fabric or other textiles such as yarn, threads of all kinds, and patterns is one kind. The other kind is going to the office supply store. I would rather go to the office supply store than to the mall. Actually, I hardly ever go to the mall, prefer to thrift shop, but that’s another story. I love the organizational aisles, with their bins and containers, drawers and boxes of every kind. I run my fingers over them, as I would fine wool. I look at them and wonder if they would hold my yarn, snaps, quilting threads, fat quarters, or yards of fabrics. You name it; I want to put it in a container!

My husband, who loves to cook, once told me, “When I bring home many bags of groceries in preparation for a big meal, I feel the same way you do, when you bring home bags from the fabric or thrift store.” Ah! So, we happily both go our own ways: me to the sewing room and him to the kitchen, where we both indulge in our favorite form of therapy.

I buy a lot of fabric from the thrift store. They are either in the form of bags of fabric, or clothes. I look for dresses with full skirts, clothing with embroidery on it, and sweaters made from wool that I can felt and use in making accessories. Anything with a lace collar will shout out to me, along with interesting buttons, leather garments and men’s shirts. Men’s shirts can be turned into skirts, tops for us women, or quilt pieces. I’ve scattered some pictures throughout this post, of clothes I recently bought during my trip to Idaho on Sisters Day – the day my sister and I take off, hit the thrift stores, and go to lunch.

What’s Your Quilting Story?

I’m always interested in hearing how people got into quilting. Did you come from the garment sewing world, or was quilting your first step into the sewing world? There are some interesting stories to be told. I hope you’ll share yours with us by leaving a comment. Since I brought the subject up, it’s only fair that I go first. Right?

When I was in third grade, I took a sewing class taught by my mother. She did a lot of sewing including making dresses for my two sisters and me. I think the love of sewing is in my DNA. My Grandma was a dressmaker for her entire life, as was her Mother before her. Once I learned to create clothes, I was hooked. I sewed whatever I could get my hands on.

This is my Grandma. And me, as a baby.

One time I noticed the rags my Mother used for cleaning were fraying on the edges and I asked if I could hem them. Oh yes! I was desperate to sew anything!

I did sew clothes for my children, but when they were older, they didn’t want my homemade clothes anymore (and looking back, I can understand why). They wanted clothes from the mall. So, I turned to quilting. I am a self-taught quilter. Imagine my surprise when I tried to sew my quilt blocks with a 5/8” seam allowance! Learning to sew with a 1/4” seam allowance was a unique experience! Wow!

I threw myself into quilt sewing for years and had a wonderful time. Then, I began to look longingly at a well made dress and made my way back into garment sewing. I even signed up to take an online class on Couture Sewing, which I love. Now that I have a few granddaughters, doll clothes have been the big thing

I even knit the socks!

around my sewing room! Even though I am totally into garment sewing, the quilt world is pulling me back and I’m letting it. A girl can do two things at once!

We’d love to hear your story! Please share it with us!