Friday, August 25, 2006

Why do I quilt?

Patti asked on her blog, why do you quilt. And I sat down and started to reflect on that.

Why do I quilt?

I have always been interested in fabric and making things of it. I remember my first attempt to "quilt". I think I my age was around four or five. My mother, who has always been making things with her hands, was sitting by her sewingmachine making a log cabin quilt. I sat under her sewingtable and I also wanted to do something. Without my mother knowing anything I found a very beautiful fabric. I remember it was white with red dots on it. And I grabbed a scissor and startet to cut. And I cut, and I cut. Then my mother discovered me and she did not know if she should laugh or cry. The fabric I was cutting in was her newest blouse that she had not used yet. I think this was my start on my quilt life.

Years did pass on and i got older. I have always loved doing things with my hands. I believe I have tryed almost everything. Knitting, crochet, embroidery, painting aso. When I got kids I made clothes for them. I made a little rucksack for my DS to bring his toys in the kindergarden and a little "quilt" for my DD. But then I did not know anything about batting and quilting.
I discovered this in -97. I got divorces and moved back to my birthplace. And there I discovered the quiltshop. And I was hocked. I joined a class and learned how to do handstitching and handquilting. Below a picture of my first quilt made in that class.




Why do I quilt. I love playing with fabric, colours, shapes and create things. It is teraphy to me. I feel good when I enter the sewingroom (although the room is a mess sometimes...read all the time). As someone is collecting stamps I am collecting fabric, patterns, thread and buttons. I love putting colours togheter so they match. Sometimes I make a quilt of it, sometimes I just play with it. I feel plesure in making a little gift to give away to my friends. Sometimes a big quilt, sometimes a little one. Now I am planning to make a lot of tablerunners for christmas gifts. One of the things I appreciate the most is all the new friends I have got. Not only in my own quiltgroupe but in the whole world. By using internet (and now blogging) I have met a lot of quilters all over the world. Friends I have never met in person, but I feel I know them wel.

I love my hobby and I am proud of it.

Some quotes thats explains what I feel:

Good friends are like fine quilts...they seem to age with you

A good friend is like a warm quilt wrapped around the heart

Good friends are stitched together heart to heart

If I stitch fast enough does it count as an aerobic exercise?

In the crazy quilt of life, I'm glad you're in my block of friends

********

Patti spurte på sin blog, hvorfor quilter du? Og da satte jeg med ned og begynte å tenke litt over det.

Hvorfor quilter jeg?

Jeg har bestandig vært interessert i stoff og i å lage ting. Jeg husker mitt første forsøk på å "quilte". Jeg tror jeg var rundt fire fem år. Min mor, som alltid har drevet med håndarbeide, satt ved symaskina og skulle lage et log cabin teppe. Jeg satt under sybordet og jeg ville jo også lage noe. Uten at min mor visste noe fant jeg et veldig pent stoff. Jeg husker det var hvitt med røde prikker på. Og jeg fikk tak i en saks og startet å klippe. Og jeg klippet og klippet. Så oppdget min mor meg og hun visste ikke om hun skulle le eller gråte. For stoffet jeg sat og klippet i var hennes nyeste bluse som hun enda ikke hadde fått brukt. Og jeg tror at dette var starten på mitt quilteliv.

Tiden gikk og jeg ble eldre. Jeg har beastandig likt å lage ting. Jeg tror jeg har prøvd omtrent alt mulig. Stikking, hekling, brodering, maling osv. Når jeg fikk barn lagde jeg klær til dem. Jeg lagde en liten ryggsekk til min sønn som han kunne ha leker i når han skulle i barnehagen, og et vognteppe til min datter. Men den gang visste jeg ingenting om vattering og quilting. Jeg oppdaget dette i -97. Jeg ble skilt og flyttet hjem igjen. Og der oppdaget jeg quiltebutikken. Og da var det gjort. Jeg gikk på et kurs og lærte hvordan jeg skulle sy håndsøm og håndquilte. Langt oppe på siden finner du bilde av det aller føste teppet jeg sydde på kurset.
Hvorfor quilter jeg? Jeg elsker å leke med stoff, farger, former og å lage ting. Det er terapi for meg. Jeg har det godt når jeg kan gå inn på syrommet (selv om det er fryktelig rotete der noen ganger.....les alltid). Jeg samler stoffer mønster, tråd osv som andre samler frimerker. Og jeg elsker å sette sammenfarger. Noen ganger lager jeg noe av det, andre ganger leker jeg meg bare. Jeg liker å lage ting å gi bort i gaver. Noen ganger et stort teppe, andre ganger et lite bilde. Nå planlegger jeg å lage masse løpere i julegaver. En av de tingene jeg setter mest pris på er vel alle vennen jeg har fått. Ikke bare i min egen quiltegruppe men over hele verden. Ved å bruke internett (og nå blogging) har jeg møtt masse quiltere over hele verden. Venner som jeg ikke har møtt personlig, men jeg føler at jeg kjenner.

Jeg elsker min hobby og jeg er stolt av det.

Noen sitat som forklarer hva jeg føler . Jeg lar de stå på engelsk for de gir mest mening da.

Good friends are like fine quilts....they seem to age with you

A good friend is like a warm quilt wrapped around the heart

If I stitch fast enough does it count as an aerobic exercise?

In the crazy quilt of life, I'm glad you're in my block of friends

6 comments:

The Calico Cat said...

Nice sampler... (You chose good fabrics - I chose horrid fabrics and abandoned the project.)

Linda C said...

I haven't seen Patti's post yet but I suspect many of us quilt for the same reasons--love of working with our hands and playing with fabric to make something that is an expression of ourselves. Many of us have tried and maybe still do other crafts first.

Libby said...

Your first quilt looks great. I followed a similar path of embroidery, needlepoint, tole painting to land at quilting. I'm so glad I did.

Patti said...

Oh May - I loved the story about the blouse! And I can just imagine your mother wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. I think lots of mothers have similar stories of their scissors-wielding children. Love your quotes at the end of your post - particularly the one about aerobic exercise! (Since I hate to exercise and need to do it so much!) Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Cynthia said...

I like the photo of your first quilt.
I also liked the story about you cutting up you mothers blouse. I wouldn't have known whether to laugh or cry either.

Hanne said...

Looks like a nice time are had by both of you :-)
Quilting is my reason for living - as simple as that. The feeling of fabrics, the colours, the possibilities !
I remember your sampler very well - it looks good.

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