Why I quilt

It has been over a year since I have visited this place.
I haven't necessarily missed it.
I always said this wasn't my job. My blog was mine and I'd write when I felt like it.
Well today I do. Feel like it, I mean.

I read a blog post this morning that challenged me to look at my hobby and the why's and where's and how's that I go about it.

You see, I really miss my dad.
He was my cheering section. My constant.
I began quilting out of necessity for him to keep him warm and then continued out of necessity to keep me sane :)

I have moved to a new place and a new life.
I'm slowly readjusting to life as it is instead of life as it was.
And I'm *mostly* okay with that.

In our home, I have a sewing studio.
Really it's just a room in the basement and it's not even really that big but it's MINE.
And I like that.
I can escape and be completely entrenched in a quilt and I love it.
It is therapeutic.

I quilt for me. For my family.
Recently I quilted for others. Not for gifts but for profit.

I ventured into making quilts to sell at vendor fairs as well as custom work. I quilted so much in such a short time I needed a massage to get the kinks out!
It felt good and fun. -- not the massage but the quilting-- althougth the massage was AWESOME!

And then summer came and it felt. like. work.

And then I finished them and got paid :)
and then I went shopping... and that felt like fun!

Haha! So why do I quilt????????
For the joy.
For the therapy.
For the fun.
And sometimes... for others because they appreciate the true value of a quilt.
And I know it is being used and loved. and it is going to love its new home!


Wanna' see??

 This quilt is a disappearing 9 patch made in Sweetwater's Make Life fabric line. I backed it in a mid-tone gray and then bound it in a dark textured grey to make it pop on the back.
I was up until 3 am quilting this one because I was determined to see it through to the end in one sitting but everytime I looked at it I just felt it needed more so I kept going... until about 2:38 am when I was finally satisfied... silly, I know.

This quilt was a long overdue gift to my mom.
It felt so beachy and fun I worked hard to finish it just in time for our Myrtle Beach trip in August so I could work on the binding at leisure and take great photos by the ocean... So happy how it turned out....it was my first foray into batiks.


So these are some of what I accomplished quilt-wise this summer....soon I'll show you some of the other things I've been up to.