Quilting — A Craft I Adore

  Some years ago a good friend announced that they’d taken up a new hobby — quilting.  Hearing this made me think, “how interesting.”  But I left it there and didn’t think much more about it.  And they didn’t say anything more.  I guess I thought it was just a nice little passing fad of a thing, a simple little hobby.  Boy was I wrong!

Curiosity struck one day and I decided to check out quilting.  Well of course I’d seen quilts before — baby quilts, the old quilts we inherited from great-grandmother what’s her name that were in storage, quilts mounted behind glass displayed on the walls in an old hotel we’d stayed at, you know what I’m talking about.  But, oh my goodness.  There are quilts made by hand, those made by machine, commercial, individual, those that are art, a variety of stitches, Hawaiian quilts, functional quilts, ethnic quilts, quilt software, and even quilting for a cause.  And that just touches the surface. 

There are so many decent books about quilting that it’s hard to recommend a starting place.  However, since you’re already online because you’re reading this, let me recommend Wikipedia’s article on QUILTING.  Just click on the word and you can follow the link to all they have to say and show.  I want to encourage you to click on all the various links in this article to not only get a good background and overview of quilting, but see some of the pictures.  They’re wonderful.  You’ll also want to check out the link in the lower right of the entire article called Wikimedia Commons.  Click on this word QUILTING or go there and you’ll see some awesome representations.  And don’t forget their sub-categories to see even more pictures.

If you’re just getting into quilting, one of the things you’re likely to learn is that many quilters will treat you almost like a part of their family.  In fact, I’m convinced that this hobby thrives on the genuine caring and sharing amongst one another.  Sure, you have a hodgepodge of people from all sorts of backgrounds.  But they share the hobby of quilting and often a deep love for the activity and beauty of the work as well.  With the Internet, this process of exchange and support has really taken off.  Do a simple search of quilting and you’ll see.  Google, when searched, returns 18,900,000 results to the single word “quilting.”  Popular?  I’d say so.

And when it comes to online communication with like-minded hobbyists, you’ll want to check out the forums.  We like QUILTING BOARD.  Just be advised to check around for one that fits your interests and preferences.  You might even choose to be a part of several.

If you’re just getting going in quilting, we want to make a recommendation.  Take a little time and learn about what you want to do, where to start, and all.  But don’t take too much time.  Actually GET STARTED.  You’ll be amazed how much you’ll actually learn by doing.  And if/when you get stuck, seek out your quilting “friends” for some help.

Thought you might enjoy this YouTube video below.  Feel free to add your recommendations and experiences in our comments section.

HAPPY QUILTING!

Learn Free-motion Quilting on any sewing machine using a straight stitch using the Octi-Hoops