Quilting Thoughts

I haven’t done much sewing yet this year. But my sewing room is more or less set up. I did some quick mending type projects on Saturday and it felt great to be sewing. (One project was finally finishing the dress I was married in (not the one at the reception). And you thought it was finished when I wore it! It has pockets now. It needed pockets.)

But I have big plans to set up my quilting frames this summer and get some serious hand quilting finished. Now that the frames will no longer occupy the majority of my living space, I’ll be able to leave them up until the project is finished rather than until they annoy me.

The last time I put a quilt up I put it over my bed, so it basically filled my entire bedroom and I had to get half of it tied and rolled so I could sleep on the bed. The green and yellow at the bottom of the picture is my bed. (This is our wedding quilt. It’s tied for now. It’s on the list to be hand quilted this summer.)

But while I’m not actually quilting yet, here’s a few thoughts I’ve had rolling around my head about quilting.

How to properly store quilts (I got this from my Saturday morning “cartoons” (ie, PBS shows))

• Fabric over 50 years old is considered fragile.
• Refold them regularly so the creases don’t become permanent.
• Keep them away from wood that hasn’t been treated with polyurethane (this includes cedar chests). Plastic bags are especially bad because of all the chemicals they contain.
• Keep them away from lights that may fade them (which is basically all types of lights, especially sunlight). So rotate your quilts rather than leaving them out full time.
• Using acid free tissue paper at the folds and storing them in cotton pillow cases that have never been slept on (no body oils) will greatly protect them.

Truckers and Quilting

I saw this story about truckers and quilting and thought it was just the greatest thing. Good for them for making good use of their time and exercising their divine attribute for creativity (an attribute everyone has, so don’t say you don’t, just go find what area it is in). Kind of makes you look at semis a little differently. If I remember right, sailors used to pass their time knitting as well. Knitting and sewing haven’t always been “women’s work.” It’s time we get rid of that stereotype.

Thoughts on finishing a quilt.

When I quilt, I do it for the enjoyment of what I’m making. Finishing the quilt is always something to aim for, but it’s the process I really enjoy. Yes, I know I have several quilts that aren’t finished yet, but no, we don’t need to set up my quilts at a church function so everyone can help and they can “get finished.” Where would the enjoyment in the process be there? My quilts are a reflection of me and the part of me I’ve put in them. If they don’t get done till later then that’s perfectly fine.

I’d compare it to performance vs. mastery students. The performance oriented student is all about the finished project and getting it done. The mastery student is about the process and learning along the way; the finished project is just something that happens rather than the ultimate goal. I’d much rather enjoy my quilting and the process than worry so much about getting them finished.

But I have set the goal to finish more things than I start this year. So perhaps I’ll get my UFO (un-finished object) list crossed off this year. Or at least I’ll make progress on it.