I finally spent some time in the sewing room yesterday but while I was up there I wondered what I would do if my interest in quilting disappeared completely.
Don't panic -- it's not happening but as I putter my way through the summer without the drive I usually feel to be quilting, I thought about all the money I have invested in this hobby that I expect to hold my interest for another 30 years and what a waste it would be if I just stopped quilting one day.
I've been quilting for almost 9 years now and if I live long enough ... I expect to be quilting well into my 70's like my Mom. How about you -- do you see yourself quilting for as long as you are able to or do you see your interest wanning?
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I made my first quilt with my grandma when I was about 8. I'm now 20 and soon to be mother of two. My husband thinks I'm a nut case as I am rather quickly filling a room of our home with my "quilting supplies." I hope to be able to last as long as my grandparents, who are in their 80s and still quilting like crazy.
A good question to pose. I sincerely want to but with family history not on my side re longevity, I choose not to think about it. LGP
I have been sewing quilt tops for many years and don't remember ever thinking I was finished. There is always one more. A couple of years ago I cut back on the purchases and did a self-imposed NO BUY. I still have enough to keep me plenty busy for many many years. My goal is to use it all and enjoy every minute of it!- cw
I think the interest comes and goes. Fortunately it always seems to come back and I make several quilts. I have tons invested in this hobby as well. Recently purchased the Go Cutter, but have yet to really play with it! Lots of fabric to work with as well but something beautiful always comes along that I just must have!
So...as long as I am inspired I believe I will quilt.
Debbie
I have been having the exact thoughts myself, this summer. I haven't been into the sewing room in a few months, and the rooms is chock full of machines, fabric and whatever. I have decided to stop letting stuff get in my way (which started the dry spell) and just get up there. However, while life frequently got in the way, I have also had a long dry spell on the desire to quilt. I figure I have to at least use up what I have....if I live to be 100, that might be almost possible!
I sort of wonder what I did with my time BEFORE I discovered quilting! I sure hope my interest in sewing and quilting sticks around. Sometimes I wonder what will happen to all of my quilting supplies once I leave the earth - but that is only because of health issues so it makes me wonder about that more than most folks.
I have wondered about my quilting future recently; however, I don't think I will ever tire of looking at quilt pictures, patterns, fabric, etc., I just think I will make smaller quilts that I can finish more quickly. I get bored too easily with big quilts and want to start another project.
Gina
I have been following your blog for months and enjoy each post. It makes me think about quilting and new techniques and patterns. I have been quilting off and on since my son, 33, was a twinkle. I made brightly colored baby quilts before others (aka my mom) thought it was the right thing to do. I spent several years piecing a grandma's flower garden quilt out of scrap fabrics I had used for making clothes for my kids--all of this was done sitting through soccer, baseball, and play practices. Then I had a very bad accident and was unable to use my hand or arm for a couple of years. In 1999, I decided that quilt needed to be finished before the turn of the century.(finished in Dec) Since then I have made many quilt tops and quilted almost all of them. There are so many more quilts inside me waiting to be born. I am certain I will quilt for as long as my mind and body hold out. Thanks for asking! - Robin
I suppose there's the possibility that I might tire of quilting but I will never tire of sewing! But if something happened where I couldn't do it I would find loving homes for all of my stuff.....or sell it on ebay!
Each time I move I wonder if this hobby/craft has taken over too much of my life...then all (ok, most...) of the boxes are unpacked and I forget I ever doubted quilting. It has become too much of who I am to stop...even if I have slowed down a bit!
My interest in various hobbies has waxed and waned over the years but I always come back to reading and quilting. I don't expect that to change unless something drastic happens to change my life or lessen my physical capabilities.
I will always quilt. I love it, I love creating, and I love playing with the toys. I'm learning some wookworking - mainly the finishing part, but it is a lot like making a quilt. Using the band saw and the scroll saw is just like "driving " a sewing machine. Quilting will always be my "hobby".
Hi Mary,
I have been quilting since the summer of 1995. I haven't lost interest yet. If I get tired of piecing I appliqué. I have enough projects to keep me going well into my 90's. I also enjoy designing in EQ6, and I have my short arm quilting frame and now a few others keep me busy quilting for them, as well as quilting my own quilts. I hope to keep the world beautiful with my quilts for a long time. Happy Stitching!
Sometimes I just get overwhelmed by what I have and wonder if I will ever get is all sewn up. And the scraps have taken over my life.
But I will keep at it as long as I can.
Diane in Alaska
I can't imagine my life without sewing something. I made my first quilt when I was 28 and I am not 50. Have always love making something with my sewing machine. I will be quilting until I can no longer see.
I made my first quilt 51 years ago and have been making quilts ever since. I am driven to create with color. That doesn't mean everything I make will be a bed size quilt but I will definitely keep making quilts of all sizes as long as I am able. Only a brain injury that would change my personality could stop me.
I sometimes think of the same thing .What will
happen to all of this fabric it I don't want to
quilt. If I decided to give it up I would
probably donate most of it to someone to
have their turn at quilting. When I look
at other peoples work it gives me a little
push, then off to the stash I go.
Your Mom appears to find more serrendipity in making quilts than most even think is possible. I say go for it.
I see my TIME waning as I add to our family. I think that'll come back though as they get older...but not much!
I made my first quilt 20 years ago when I was going through a divorce. Somehow, creating something out of that fabric helped me keep my sanity. I still have that quilt. For years, I did not quilt at all, I cross-stitched. I've not cross-stitched since my daughter was born 5 years ago. What keeps me busiest right now (apart from working full-time & being a wife & mom!) is trying to grow my business www.heatherfish.com - forgive the plug ;) I've been quilting too. Probably a sore subject at the moment... in January I made a quilt for our new king-sized bed. Took it to a local long-arm quilter who promised it in a month. 4 months later she returned it destroyed. Long tangled story involved. That was 5 weeks ago and I am still sick about it. I've bought fabric to re-do but have not yet started on it. Anyway, I do one day see myself making quilts for my grand-babies...
HI Mary,
I do sometimes lose the desire to get the fabric out and start- however once I start and play for awhile, I wonder why I took so long to get back at it. I think it is normal to have ebbs and flows. One of the things that does inspire me is other quilters ,and the other is that I will be needing a gift for someone special to me. As long as there are people who need one, I will keep on making them. Besides the stash is pretty large- it is a shame to see it just sitting there with nothing being done with it.
Summertime is the time when I get quilting again. I finished one last week and need to get some blocks made this week again. My goal is to finish off about a half a dozen projects before I return to the classroom - one of them is your wonky rail ties pattern.
Happy quilting,
Regards,
Anna
I can not imagine not quilting. I've been at it for 25 years. When I started out I loved the hand quilting part of it the best. But age (I'm 75) is taking it's tole on my right hand. So that is why I'm working at machine quilting. I'm getting better at that and hope to continue to improve. Now if I can keep my eyesight, hard telling how long I can last!!!
What a great thought to ponder... just this week I shared a post on my LOOT that I came back from vacation with and someone commented that I'm still young enough that I may actually get to use all of it in my lifetime ;)
as far as your questions goes, I'm gonna be quilting for as long as I live... it is a family tradition that is important to me and I hope that I can pass along to my kids.
And while I may not get to finish many things now while my 3 kids are young... I've declared this as my motto:
"Quilts Galore by 2024!!"
That is only 15 years away and I will be 50, If I keep going and become more productive once all of my kids are in school... I should have a house full of quilts by then ;)
So until then, I'll do what I can when I have time... and of course continue to read blogs and message boards... uham, I mean do my research ;)
Love from Texas! ~bonnie
I just said today to a friend...there are so many quilts in my head I don't know if I'll live long enough to get them all done...I don't get to quilt as much as I'd like because of the store but one day when I retire and have a real studio I"m gonna quilt, quilt and quilt some more...
Sometimes I'd like to throw in the towel and quit but I will see something really interesting and it's all new and exciting again. At this point in my quilting career, I find I'm a very slow sewer. Once I retire from my paying job I hope to quilt a lot more.
I'm a 4th generation (at least) Texas quilter. It's a craft I truly never tire of and hope never to. Haven't in 20+ years, anyway!
Oh my goodness Mary...bite your tongue!
I hope that never happens because I love it so much. But if it does, I hope that another love comes into my life that gives me as much enjoyment as quilting!
Mary in 92 I cracked two cervical vertebras. It was over 2 years I did not sew. In 02 I fell and broke my collar bone and separated my rotate cup on my right shoulder, again 1 and a half years no sewing. In 07 two more vertebras
broke, I am just getting back to quilting. If anyone loves fabric as much as I do, you will always want to get to that fabric!
What an interesting question - I simply can't imagine a time where quilting wouldn't be part of my life. Right now I'd be happy to be in the sewing room from the moment my eyes open to the moment I close them at night. And you're right, it's a huge investment to walk away from.
I'll be interested to see what others have to say.
*hugs*
Tazzie
:-)
I'm hoping I can quilt into til I'm 90. My mom is 89 and if she were a quilter I'm sure she'd still be at it.
I expect to be quilting until I can't. However, what I really like is that I have other interests that occupy me when there is a lull. And I always save some time for reading.
I've made it thru the first 40 years with waxing and waning of interest. I don't expect to quit any time soon!!
Oh Mary, I know exactly what you can do.....you can give me all your fabric and your fabulous long arm. It is only because I like you so much that I am offering my services. I am there for you in your time of need girlfriend! :) heeheeheeheehee
dawn
I'll be quilting till my eyes or hands or mind give out. If I couldn't afford it, I'd find a solution to that too.
I have thought about this before. I can't see myself not quilting, in fact I wonder what I did before I started in 1990. As it is, I know I will not live long enough to make all the quilts that are in my head.
What a great question and what wonderful answers!
My interest goes up and down in cycles depending on what's going on in my life.
DH has always tried to push me to make quilts for sale, and I have pushed back by not quilting at all.
Sometimes I think that longarming for others has killed some of my interest too. When I work on other peoples' quilts all day, the last thing I want to do is sit down and work on my own.
I plan to live to be 100... and I will still be quilting!! :-)
There seems to be a common theme here - our interest has an "ebb and flow", or it "waxes and wanes". I absolutely agree - my experience is the same - and don't believe that will ever change. Right now, I am once again obsessed with all things quilting!
Great question!
What an alluring question!
I do imagine myself quilting for as long as I can but I must say I've had a burnout and in that burnout I really wondered if I'd pull out of it. In that burnout I really thought "I could let this go for sure." (sounds like more than burnout, ha?) Got over it!
I am constantly quilting and will continue as long as I am able, which I hope is a very long time.
I enjoy my sewing & quilting time much more when I do it at my leisure. I decided this two years ago, while I was in one of those hectic states of trying to finish a quilt for show n' tell at our guild, and it was late at night, and I was making mistakes, and frustrated---I went to bed about 3:00 am in a sad state. Berating myself. The very next day I decided enough of this! BTW: I showed that quilt a whole year later! Are we not doing this for fun? I don't quilt with any deadlines in mind anymore. I quilt and sew for sheer pleasure, when I want to. If I finish a project in one day or one year, it makes no difference to me now. I just work at my own pace, no self induced pressures. I do think it helps to do small projects once in awhile, as compared to larger quilts. These small completed projects get my creative juices flowing again if I'm tired of working with amounts of fabrics and backings. Don't make quilting and sewing a necessity, it's a hobby. to be enjoyed! Always!
I have thought about this too...I took a break recently and did some crocheting, and I was very happy to get get to quilting! I think we wax and wane for sure.
As I have been sewing since I was a very long time, first at my Mother's feet as she sat stitching away on her machine, then when I turned twelve she let me use the machine. Oh, I can still remember the joy and excitement of that day! :~) I have been hooked every since. So I don't see myself ever giving this up! It is my therapy and a very good way for me to relax!
I can't imagine not quilting. I may not e the best or most creative, but I love it! It is my sanity saver and I hope to continue for another 50 years!
I think about it all the time, with fear and trepidation. If I lost my interest, I believe I would die, as quilting is my big-time interest, time-user, inspiration. Like, what else is there to do????
That's a very interesting question and it's something I think about from time to time. Quilting brings me such joy and the thought of not doing it anymore and not having that passion is a bit scary to me. Quilting is a part of who I am. I always feel kind of bad for people who don't have a hobby they are passionate about. Besides, with the MONEY I have sunk into this hobby over the last 16 years, not doing it anymore is not an option-LOL!! Right now, I work full-time, but don't feel a day is complete unless I've done something quilty. I manage to get in at least an hour a day. I plan to devote much more time to quilting when I retire (hopefully doing a lot of charity work like you do). I think all the different facets of quilting - from cutting, to piecing, applique, redwork, the quilting, etc. keeps me from getting bored - you can always do something different yet still quilty!
To answer Elaine- what else would you WANT to do? LOLOLOLOL!!
Have you been reading my thoughts? Just the other day I was wondering the same thing. Two or three years ago all I could think of is quilting. Now for me, I believe, it's just a seasonal thing. By the time it gets cold out I'll be ready to kick it in high gear. Until then I'm just enjoying the nice weather and hanging out with my family.
An excellent question, Mary! I'd lost my quilting mojo over the course of the last few months, mostly because of a backlog of customer quilts and lack of time. But, I decided I needed to take a break from quilting for customers. I have 2 more quilts to finish before that break and I'm so excited now to start doing some quilting for myself! I don't know how long my break will last, but I know I'll be back to loving quilting again!
Mary:
Speaking for myself, I consider myself a very fickle person and have over the years (40+) gone from one craft to another to satisfy my "fickleness"....I do however find comfort in quilts and enjoy sewing them. The one thing that HAS changed for me over my years in quilting is that now I do it for ME and not others - no deadlines, no restrictions on colors, sizes etc. With that change, my creative juices just ooze.....! Relax, don't beat yourself up, enjoy WHATEVER you do quilting or not!!
Great question, Mary, and the number of comments you've received shows that you've presented food for thought. The replies have been fascinating, and many echo my feelings as well.
Unless something drastic happens to me, I'll be quilting until I take my last breath. The joy and relaxation I get from my quilting make me a contented woman. I can't imagine the day when anything else would take its place in my life.
Your question is certainly thought provoking. I just started quilting 8 months ago and I just retired 2 weeks ago! I have always been creative and artistic and yes dabbled in many mediums of the craft world. But after allowing myself to play with a technique for awhile I listen to my inner spirit. If everything comes together and I feel a "glow" from the outside in, well then I know that I will go forward with that craft/skill/gift (whatever you want to call it). And quilting, along with watercolor painting, crocheting, beading and a few others will always be in my life.
Quilting is number 1 with me now. And I can't imagine not being interested in it at some point, but I also know that I might feel the urge to pick up my brushes again at some point. But I will never loose my passion for fabric and the art of creating something beautiful (and also useful) from the wonderful world of quilting.
One more thing Mary, your Blog was one of the first I came across when I started exploring Blogs and web sites about quilting. Words can't express how much you have inspired me! Thank you so much.
I've only made two quilts this year, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop quilting. I've been stitching, crocheting and sewing other items. For me, it's all about being creative with fabric, fibers and threads. I can't imagine not creating something.
I love quilting. My husband and I live fulltime in a 34 ft travel trailer, and one of the criteria for our purchase was that it had to have room for me store my quilting stuff, and a place for me to sew.
I don't get as much time as I would like for quilting, but when I do have time, I quilt. Since I live in a small space, I hand quilt baby and twin size quilts, and send larger ones out to be done on a longarm machine.
We are currently looking for a house, we want a small house, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, but again, it must have room for sewing or we won't buy.
I started quilting in 2006 (at age 32) and I probably have enough supplies to last me until 2056. Oops. I have an almost 2 year old and another on the way, so my "ebb and flow" has to do with time, not desire. As much as I would love uninterrupted days of sewing, I'm cherishing every moment with my daughter. I know that someday I'll be able to catch up. And in the meantime, I try to find an hour here and there (and sometimes no more than a couple of hours in a month) to quilt. I find that I do more knitting now since I can do it in any room. I don't dare let the 2 year old into my sewing room :)
I wonder the same thing at times. I have painted, cross stitched, needlepoint, and woodwork. All of those have gone mostly away. Quilting is still my favorite creative outlet. I hope I don't lose interest, but I have seen it happen before.
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