Recently, I read a post that a quilt customer complained about all the imperfections on the quilt they received. The quilter was an experienced quilter. Apparently, the customer made a long list of each stitch that was not perfect. The post made me sad. She wanted a box store quilt made with a large industrial machine in another country, not a homemade quilt.
Homemade quilts are a work of art, not production. They will not be perfect, that is why you buy a homemade quilt. For that variance off the normal. Who wants what everyone else has in their house? That is not style, sophistication, originality, or artistic appreciation.
Here is a reality. It takes time and work to create that next great quilt. In the bustling and rushing activities of today, we are so used to going to the store, paying with a credit card, taking it home, and using it immediately. There is little savoring the purchase, saving up for the purchase, or dreaming about the long awaited creation. There is no real surprise. A person takes the item home, places it, and walks away, feeling accomplished.
But, it didn’t use to be that way. Quilts were created in months. When you got the quilt, it was not perfect as if off a programmable machine. It was real. Part of the beauty of the quilt, is that forgotten stitching. I still wonder why my grandmother forgot to stitch a top to the umbrella on her little girls quilt. It is one of those things that I love about the quilt.
When I make a quilt, I carefully choose the fabrics, colors, design, and quilting pattern. I use a simple and efficient sewing machine and my hands. I still hem the final binding by hand! I do not like to rush the process and yet, I am efficient.
I choose the recipient of the quilt with care. I think about that person, while I am sewing and designing a quilt that reflects their personality. Are my quilts works of art? Yes! They are and maybe in the purest sense. I quilt because I love creating a beautiful quilt for someone. The quilts are not perfect, quick, or cheap. I make high quality quilts with good materials, methods, and artistic application.
In the end, the recipient of my quilt has a beautiful well-made, not perfect quilt, that will hold up under normal use, for many years. Isn’t something that covers you during the night worth that kind of care? Yes, homemade quilts are worth every penny, every moment, and every bit of creativity. They are a work of an artist.
Have a wonderful day!
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