Private Celebrations of Quiltmaking

What quilter doesn’t feel a sense of contentment and inner joy when a block is completed? How happy is a quilter when the top is finished and ready to be sandwiched for quilting? How many quilters become excited when finished quilt blocks are on the design wall, ready to be sewn together? With so many different steps involved, the art of quiltmaking allows the quilter to have many opportunities for accomplishments. Each of these accomplishments are like having private celebrations when working on a quilt.

Quiltmaking involves a number of processes, and many of the processes are different from one another. For example, choosing the color palette, selecting the choice of fabrics, and deciding on the actual quilt design are somewhat artistic processes and all of them are part of the quiltmaking process.

Other quiltmaking processes, like piecing or appliqueing blocks, involve fabric manipulation and sewing skills. The stitching is a functional, activity-based process, but this process also involves a quilter’s skill and artistic talent. No matter what the process, each of them are relevant to one another in quiltmaking. Yet they are somewhat different processes. 

Combined, though, these processes form the basis of the art of quiltmaking. Since there are a number of processes involved, quilters know that there are challenges that come with the variety and quantity of processes. Quiltmakers know that there are a large number of tasks in quiltmaking. But knowing these challenges has not prevented quiltmaking from being so popular with millions of quiltmakers around the world. In fact, these challenges and multiple processes may even explain why quiltmaking is so popular! Quiltmaking is not a small hobby, nor is it a small art, yet from meager beginnings, quiltmaking has become elevated to an art while also being functional.

With the step-by-step orientation, quiltmaking is comprised of many tasks. Some of these tasks that contribute to the art of quiltmaking include math, geometry, block design, quilt design, color placement, patchwork or applique work, border design, quilting, binding….The list of quiltmaking tasks is long and varied.

With so many steps involved in quiltmaking, there are quite a few opportunities for small accomplishments. Is it any wonder why quilters feel a sense of accomplishment when each task has been completed? Is it any wonder why so many quiltmakers have private celebrations when working on a quilt?

Each of these small, in-between accomplishments offer quilters a sense of completion. And each time quilters accomplish one of the steps involved in quiltmaking, they are motivated to continue onward.

Quiltmaking offers many moments of satisfaction and personal celebration. Those moments happen when a quilter is able to experience the wonderful, content feeling of success and achievement. And when the quilt is finished? Few accomplishments can compare! It is no small wonder why quiltmaking is so popular.

For me, when I am involved in some form of quiltmaking, each finished step becomes my own private celebration: when I finish piecing a block, when I have sewn blocks together into a row, or even when the blocks are on the design wall, half sewn. Even those small steps like moving the quilt hoop to an unquilted area will get me motivated and give me reason for my own private celebration. And if you have a peek in my studio you can see remnants of some of those private celebrations. Oftentimes there’s fabric confetti, music, and colorful thread-streamers all over the place!

 

How crazy is that?!