As I’ve gotten into restoring antique quilts that I’ve found at the thrift and antique stores around here I’ve been thinking a lot about what connects “you” to quilts and fabric art. What is it that makes each one of us love fabric art and quilting, beyond a simple appreciate for color, texture, or skill? Is it:
- The fact that quilts make a room so much more homey and inviting?
- The rich addition to our daily lives?
- A warm blanket under which to sleep?
- Something to hand down to the next generation?
Any of these things might – or might not – be true for each of us. Personally I do use my quilts, both to hang from walls and staircases and to sleep under. Although I have a rigid list of rules about actually touching the quilts!
But my theory is that it’s something deeper.
Your Quilting Heart
As you may know from our last newsletter, Suzanna recently entered a social media challenge hosted by Fiskars scissors on “Create Your Happiness.” She had only one story that she felt had a connection – and that was the story of the first quilt she ever made, and the first heirloom-level quilt I let her have on her bed.
It was a story that made me tear up, it was so beautiful.
She didn’t win, which makes me a little sad because I thought it was the most perfect quilting story ever written. (I might be a little biased). Suzanna, who loves to enter writing competitions, shrugged and said, “oh well, I’ll get the next one.”
But I still thought that her story about my husband’s grandmother, a Sunbonnet Sue quilt that I tied (yes, tied, if you can believe that I ever did something like that), and a pair of scissors was a beautiful picture of what our quilting loves are all about. The heart, the history, the art, the beauty, the love!
That’s why I quilt – and that’s why I hope you quilt as well.
What Connects You to Quilts and Fabric Art?
While the he/art of love might be what ties us all to fabric art, it’s my belief that the individual stories of what connects you to quilts and fabric art is infinitely unique and special. So, win or lose, I’d like to encourage you to enter our latest challenge – open indefinitely – on your quilting story.
I look forward to hearing what connects you to quilting and fabric art!
Karyl (aka Princess YellowBelly)